Labor Relations Institute

What Labor Relations Institute does

Labor Relations Institute, operating as LRI Consulting Services, Inc., is a US-based private professional services firm founded in 1978 and headquartered in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. The firm provides labor and employee relationship-building consulting services to employers across at least 12 verticals, including healthcare, technology, manufacturing, education, transportation and logistics, retail, construction, telecommunications, utilities and energy, public service, service, and restaurant and hospitality. Its practice is organized around three integrated service lines: (1) campaign consulting for union response, election management, and communication toolkits; (2) fractional labor relations support for organizations without dedicated internal resources; and (3) the Approachable Leadership training curriculum designed to reduce turnover and improve direct supervisor-employee relationships. The firm publicly reports 10,000+ union elections won for clients and 250,000+ direct relationships maintained, and claims a 72% retention improvement within 45 days for clients of the Approachable Leadership program.

The firm's product surface extends beyond consulting into recurring and productized revenue streams: the LRI RightNow subscription database delivers NLRB petition and election data and union activity alerts; the Union Scoreboard is a public-facing data tool; published works include The Leader-Shift Playbook (Amazon #1 bestseller and 2026 Axiom Business Book Award Gold Medal), The Approachability Playbook, Left of Boom, and Total Victory; the Mail Ballot Package and Campaign Tools & Websites productize election-management assets; and content channels include the Labor Relations Ink blog, weekly INK newsletter, The Left of Boom Show podcast, and Approachability Minutes video library. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Underlying technology is a labor relations and employee-relationship methodology rather than a software platform, with no disclosed AI/ML components, APIs, or proprietary model infrastructure.

The go-to-market motion is sales-led direct engagement with HR executives and management, supported by content marketing and earned media (Forbes, CNBC, SHRM, NYT, Bloomberg, Inc.). Distribution combines direct enterprise consulting with an e-commerce store for publications and campaign tools, and subscription access to the LRI RightNow database. The firm shows no external funding, no institutional or PE backing, and appears founder/management-owned; its legal entity is LRI Consulting Services, Inc., operating domestically in the United States. Key principals include Phillip B. Wilson (thought leader and author) and contributors Michael VanDervort and Kimberly Ricci.

Name

Labor Relations Institute

Legal name

LRI Consulting Services, Inc.

Website

https://lrionline.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Labor Relations Institute is a US private consulting firm, founded 1978, that helps employers respond to union organizing, build direct employee relationships, and train approachable leaders across 12+ industries via campaign consulting, the Approachable Leadership curriculum, and the LRI RightNow NLRB data subscription.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Labor Relations Consulting

NAICS

Human Resources Consulting Services (541612)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPACAJAL

M&A HR Advisory (Due Diligence, Integration, Carve-outs)

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/HR Consulting & Advisory (HR Strategy, Org Design, Change)

SECONDARYBPACANAH

Learning Technology & LMS/LXP Implementation

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Training, Learning & Development Services

Keywords

• Labor relations consulting
• Union avoidance services
• Employee relationship consulting
• Leadership training programs
• NLRB data subscriptions

Headquarters

HQ city

Broken Arrow

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: Professional consulting fees for labor relations services including union avoidance campaigns, election management, and union contract negotiations
2. Leadership Training: Revenue from Approachable Leadership curriculum and training workshops, available in-person or virtual instructor sessions
3. Publications and Products: Sales of published materials including The Leader-Shift Playbook, The Approachability Playbook, Left of Boom, and Total Victory, along with videos, mail ballot packages, and campaign tools
4. Database Subscriptions: Access to LRI RightNow database providing NLRB petition and election data, union activity alerts, and labor relations analytics

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Labor Relations Institute (LRI) is a full-service labor and employee relationship-building consulting firm that helps employers respond to union organizing, avoid unionization, win union elections, and manage existing union relationships. The firm delivers campaign consulting, fractional labor relations support, a Communication Toolkit, and the proprietary Approachable Leadership curriculum/workshops to reduce turnover and strengthen direct workplace relationships. It also publishes books and training materials and operates the subscription-based LRI RightNow NLRB data platform.

Product overview

LRI Consulting Services operates as a full-service labor and employee relationship-building consulting firm offering two integrated service lines: Labor Relations (campaign consulting, communication toolkit, and fractional labor relations) and Approachable Leadership (training workshops and curriculum). The company also provides subscription-based data services through LRI RightNow for NLRB elections tracking, publishes books including The Leader-Shift Playbook and The Approachability Playbook, produces podcasts (The Left of Boom Show), and sells campaign tools including Mail Ballot Packages and custom websites. All offerings are designed to help employers build direct workplace relationships, avoid unionization, win elections, and manage union relationships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LRI Consulting Services Full-service consulting engagements covering union campaign response, union election management, communication toolkits, and on-demand fractional labor relations expertise for employers without internal resources.
• Approachable Leadership Leadership training program and curriculum delivered via workshops and instructor sessions to help employers develop approachable leaders who improve employee engagement and retention.
• LRI RightNow Database Subscription database delivering NLRB petition and election data, union activity alerts, and workforce intelligence for employers and labor relations professionals.
• Labor Relations Publications (The Leader-Shift Playbook, The Approachability Playbook, Left of Boom, Total Victory) Published books and playbooks authored by LRI principals covering leadership transformation, approachable leadership practices, and union response/avoidance strategy.
• Mail Ballot Package Toolkit of campaign materials and guidance for employers managing mail ballot union elections.
• Campaign Tools and Custom Websites Custom campaign websites and digital resources purchased by employers for union organizing and election response efforts.
• Approachability Videos Library of brief Approachability Minute videos and longer instructional video content used to support leadership development training.

Quantifiable outcome

• 72% increase in retention within 45 days for clients using Approachable Leadership program
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Labor Relations Associates (LRA/DCI Consulting Group): Direct competitor in the labor relations consulting space, offering union avoidance campaigns, election support, and management-side labor strategy to U.S. employers — overlapping head-to-head with LRI's core consulting practice.
• The Wagner Law Group: Boutique labor and employment law firm focused on traditional labor law for management-side clients, including union campaigns and collective bargaining — a comparable specialist alternative to LRI's consulting services.

Broad incumbents

• Ogletree Deakins: One of the largest U.S. employment and labor law firms, advising employers on union matters, NLRB proceedings, and workforce policy. Competes with LRI on the consulting and campaign side but as part of a broader full-service legal portfolio.
• Littler Mendelson: Global employment and labor law firm with dedicated labor relations practice serving management-side clients on union elections, collective bargaining, and workforce strategy — a broad incumbent competing with LRI for enterprise labor-relations budgets.
• Jackson Lewis: Major U.S. labor and employment law firm with a traditional labor practice group advising employers on union organizing, collective bargaining, and NLRB matters — directly overlapping LRI's campaign and election-management services.
• Seyfarth Shaw: Full-service law firm with a sizable labor relations practice group serving management-side clients on union avoidance, organizing responses, and contract negotiations — comparable to LRI at the consulting/advisory layer.

Emerging players

• FranklinCovey: Global leadership development and training firm publishing bestseller content and delivering enterprise leadership programs — comparable to LRI's Approachable Leadership curriculum in content-led leadership training and workshops.
• Dale Carnegie & Associates: Long-standing leadership and workforce training franchise offering instructor-led courses for managers — directly comparable to LRI's instructor-led Approachable Leadership workshops and curriculum-based delivery model.
• HR Acuity: Employee relations case management and analytics platform for HR teams — comparable to LRI RightNow's data/analytics angle on labor relations intelligence, though more focused on case tracking than NLRB election data.

Others

• Cornerstone OnDemand: Enterprise learning and talent development software platform — adjacent to LRI's training arm as a channel for delivering leadership and compliance content at scale to large employer workforces.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@LeftofBoomShow
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/labor-relations-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Labor Relations Institute