West Monroe Partners

In April 2002, four former Arthur Andersen consultants met at Miller’s Pub in Chicago and founded West Monroe.[3] That group, which included Dean Fischer (chairman of the board emeritus) and Kevin McCarty (currently CEO and chairman of the board), established West Monroe Partners LLC, with the name deriving from Arthur Andersen's previous address on West Monroe Street in Chicago.[4] Dean Fischer became the company's first president and CEO.[5]

The firm began serving its first client, Equity Marketing Services, in June 2002, and went on to deliver business and technology consulting services to a variety of mostly Midwestern clients from its Chicago office.[6] In mid-2004, West Monroe hired its 50th employee and launched its first website.

The years between 2005 and the end of the decade marked a period of expansion for West Monroe.[7] In 2005, the firm opened three new offices in Montreal (January), Seattle (October), and Columbus, Ohio (December).[8] During this year, the firm reached $10 million in revenue and hired its 100th employee, including members of West Monroe's first university recruiting class.[9] In 2006, the National Association for Business Resources named West Monroe one of its “101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For” in Chicago.[10] Since then, it has garnered similar accolades locally in Chicago, Seattle, and Columbus, as well as nationally from Consulting Magazine and Vault.[6][11][12]

Expansion continued with the mid-2006 opening of a Toronto office and merger with LxLi, a consulting firm specializing in labor management and engineered labor standards.[13] In 2007, West Monroe opened an office in New York City (April) and one in Dallas (September).[14][15]

West Monroe established in 2007 a formal, 13-member Board of Managers. During this period, the firm started practices to serve specific industries; for example, the Energy & Utilities practice, which has worked with utilities across the country to plan and advance smart-grid strategies.[16][17] During the latter years of the decade, West Monroe also began to focus on multi-faceted business transformations.[18] The same year, West Monroe also welcomed its first intern class. All five members of the inaugural intern class are still at the firm today.[19]

In March 2010, West Monroe entered an international consulting alliance with BearingPoint, which has strong European roots.[20]

In April 2012, West Monroe celebrated its tenth anniversary in business. Later that year, in September, it named co-founder Kevin McCarty as president.[21] Dean Fischer retains the role of CEO. The firm added an office in Minneapolis in late 2012.[22]

At the end of 2012, West Monroe reorganized as an employee stock ownership plan.[23]

In October of 2013, West Monroe announced it had acquired On Point Consulting, a Minneapolis-based consulting firm focused on delivering Mergers and Acquisitions solutions[24]

In January of 2014, West Monroe announced it had acquired Madrona Solutions Group, a Seattle-based consulting firm focused on delivering customer relationship management and business intelligence solutions.[25] The same month it also announced the opening of its Los Angeles, CA office.[26]

In October 2014, president and co-founder Kevin McCarty was named as CEO. He replaced Dean Fischer, who retired and transitioned to the role of executive chairman of the board of managers.[27]

In October 2015, West Monroe announced it had acquired Etherios, a Salesforce platform. As part of the acquisition, the firm strengthened its presence in two markets, San Francisco, CA and Dallas, TX.[28]

In July of 2016, West Monroe announced it had acquired Invoyent, a Chicago-based healthcare consulting firm.[29]

In 2017, West Monroe announced the acquisition of CAST Management Consultants, a financial services consulting firm based in Los Angeles.

In 2018, West Monroe added two new members to its Board of Managers, Barbara Duganier and Barbara Bennett, bringing the total number of outside board members to three.[30]

In the fall of 2018, West Monroe met a new headcount milestone, exceeding 1,000 employees.[31]

In January of 2019, West Monroe invested in an expanded leadership team by promoting three executives to newly formed C-level positions.[32]

In 2019, West Monroe acquired two companies: Waterstone Management Group, an advisory firm for private equity firms and Fortune 500 companies; and GoKart Labs, a digital product studio. The two transactions expanded West Monroe’s capabilities in software, high-tech, and digital transformation.[33]

In October of 2019, West Monroe signed a 12-year lease as the anchor tenant at 311 W. Monroe in Chicago’s Loop neighborhood. As the anchor tenant, West Monroe has naming rights and will call the building West Monroe HQ.[34]