What Howick Associates does

Howick Associates is a privately-held consulting firm headquartered in Waunakee, Wisconsin, founded in 1984 by Drew Howick, that designs and facilitates group discussions for organizations facing complex stakeholder decisions. The firm's core offering centers on the Future Search methodology — a structured whole-systems engagement spanning approximately 12 hours over three days — applied to board engagement, strategic planning, leadership coaching (with 360-degree feedback), staff engagement, and community consensus-building around issues such as school boundaries, facility planning, and referenda. Its primary client segment is K-12 public school districts in Wisconsin (40+ districts engaged over 10+ years), with secondary work for corporations (including SC Johnson, Northwestern Mutual, Kohler, BASF, Briggs & Stratton, RW Baird, and Abbott), non-profits, and municipalities.

The firm's underlying "technology" is its facilitation methodology rather than any software platform; proprietary components include the Future Search application, a strategic planning facilitation framework, leadership coaching with 360-degree feedback instruments, and an "Internal Consulting for Results" program. Drew Howick has delivered programs in 15+ countries and the firm has cumulatively served 700+ organizations worldwide. The company also publishes "The New Compleat Facilitator: A Handbook for Facilitators" as a supplementary product.

Revenue is generated through project-based professional services engagements (quote-based, not publicly priced) and direct book sales ($32.95 per copy plus shipping). The go-to-market is primarily sales-led and community-led, driven by referrals, the WASDA partnership established in 2018, conference presentations, and a website that aggregates superintendent testimonials. The firm operates with 1–10 employees as a founder-centric practice, with no disclosed external funding, no parent company, and no recent headcount or geographic expansion signals in the available data.

Name

Howick Associates

Legal name

Howick Associates

Website

https://howickassociates.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Howick Associates is a Waunakee, Wisconsin-based facilitation and consulting firm that designs group discussions, strategic planning, and leadership coaching engagements primarily for K-12 school districts, with additional corporate and non-profit work, using the Future Search methodology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Organizational Development Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Learning Strategy, Instructional Design & Content Development (BPACANAG)

Keywords

• Facilitation services
• Strategic planning
• Leadership coaching
• Community engagement
• Board development

Headquarters

HQ city

Waunakee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Professional Consulting Services: Fees for facilitation, strategic planning, leadership coaching, and community engagement services delivered to school districts, corporations, and non-profit organizations. Revenue is project-based and varies by engagement scope and duration.
2. Book Sales - The New Compleat Facilitator: Sale of the book 'The New Compleat Facilitator: A Handbook for Facilitators' priced at $32.95 per copy plus shipping. Quantity discounts available. Returns accepted for full refund if not satisfied.
3. Training Programs: Customized learning experiences for management teams, facilitation skills training for staff, and leadership development programs deployed across multiple organizations and countries.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Howick Associates designs and facilitates group discussions for organizations, primarily K-12 public school districts, using the Future Search methodology and related group-process techniques. Its core offerings include strategic planning facilitation, community engagement, board engagement, staff engagement, and leadership coaching delivered by founder Drew Howick. The firm also sells a published facilitation handbook as a supplementary product.

Product overview

Howick Associates is a consulting firm offering facilitation and advisory services primarily to school districts and educational organizations. The company provides six core service offerings: Board Engagement, Community Engagement (Creating a Shared Vision), Community Engagement (Consensus Building for Sustainable Change), Leadership Coaching, Staff Engagement, and Strategic Planning. All services center on designing and facilitating group discussions to help organizations solve problems and advance issues. The firm also offers a published book, The New Compleat Facilitator: A Handbook for Facilitators, as a supplementary resource. Services are delivered by founder Drew Howick with over 30 years of experience using methodologies like Future Search.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The New Compleat Facilitator: A practical, jargon-free guide to group effectiveness - a handbook for facilitators developed by Drew Howick. Available for $32.95 per copy with quantity discounts.

Products and services

• Board Engagement Consulting service focused on helping board members develop skills and effectiveness through establishing organizational focus, operational alignment, and institutional commitment to stakeholders. Designed primarily for school boards and non-profit boards.
• Community Engagement: Creating a Shared Vision

Quantifiable outcome

• 3x more likely to recommend improvements, 4x more likely to stay in current job, 5x more likely to recommend workplace when staff are actively engaged
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

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

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WASDA (Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 January 2018Formal partnership established January 2018 to provide engagement services (board engagement, staff engagement, community engagement) to WASDA member school districts. Drew Howick provides advisory, training, and coaching services to district administrators through this partnership.
• Future Search NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember since 1992. The Future Search Network is the global community of practitioners using the Future Search methodology. This membership provides access to facilitation frameworks and best practices for whole-systems planning.
• International Association of Facilitators (IAF)minorOthersProfessional membership organization for facilitators. Membership indicates professional standards and credentials in the facilitation field.
• International Association of Public Participation (IAP2)minorOthersProfessional membership organization focused on public participation and community engagement. Aligns with company's community engagement services.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Interaction Associates: Collaboration and facilitation consulting firm offering leadership development and group facilitation to enterprises and organizations. Comparable in facilitation methodology focus and professional services delivery model.
• Public Agenda: Nonprofit dedicated to public engagement and community deliberation on education and democracy issues. Comparable in community engagement and consensus-building facilitation for school districts and communities.
• Battelle for Kids: Nonprofit education organization supporting school district leadership development, strategic planning, and community engagement. Directly comparable in K-12 facilitation, leadership development, and community engagement work.
• Studer Education: K-12 leadership coaching and strategic planning firm serving school districts nationally. Directly comparable in target market (superintendents and school boards) and service type (facilitation, leadership development, strategic planning).
• ICA Associates (Institute of Cultural Affairs): Facilitation and group methods consultancy offering Technology of Participation (ToP) training and facilitation services globally. Comparable as a facilitator-training and group-process methodology provider with similar methodology-IP licensing structure.

Broad incumbents

• RHR International: Global leadership consulting firm specializing in executive coaching and leadership development for senior executives. Comparable in leadership coaching services delivered to senior leaders and Fortune-level clients.
• McREL International: Established K-12 education research and consulting organization providing strategic planning, leadership coaching, and instructional improvement to school districts. Comparable in the K-12 strategic planning vertical, though much broader in scope.
• Hanover Research: Education research and consulting firm serving K-12 districts and higher education institutions with strategic research and decision support. Comparable in serving school district administrators with advisory services, though more research-heavy.
• Center for Creative Leadership: Large-scale leadership development provider offering 360-degree feedback, executive coaching, and leadership education. Comparable in leadership coaching and 360-feedback methodology focus, but at a much larger enterprise scale.

Emerging players

• Ed Direction: K-12 education consulting firm focused on continuous improvement, leadership development, and strategic planning for school districts. Comparable in vertical focus and service mix, though typically operating at larger district scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/howickassoc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Howick Associates