Employee Profiles

Earl Johnson, Senior Consultant

What makes the culture of AE Strategies different and/or special?
I was attracted to join AE Strategies because they believe strongly in a healthy work/life balance. That was and is a very positive draw for an individual with entrepreneurial aspirations. The President is a strong believer in the work hard/play hard philosophy and he has no interest in pushing his employees to burn the candle at both ends, work 16 hour days — you get the picture. Also, there is minimal oversight because we are all strongly focused on satisfying the client, delivering the best solutions, and exceeding client expectations.

What is it like to work at AE Strategies?
AE Strategies is still a small company, but it’s growing fast. There is a strong support system among the employees and a great onboarding process for new staff. Our project solutions and tools are archived and available to the consultants. Everyone is willing to share their knowledge and provide ideas and feedback. We’re all committed to success – of the company, our associates, and ourselves.

What is your relationship with your client?  What projects have you/are you working on?
Personally, I’ve worked with the same client group for 8 years. That’s amazing in this industry and personally rewarding. I work on the client’s site at the Navy Yard in Washington, DC, and I’ve developed a personal relationship with the team there. This client was one of AE Strategies’ first contracts and we’ve proven our value over the years by delivering outstanding results on several projects and programs. They know AE Strategies well now, and consider us a partner they can count on when they need professional project and program support. Personally, I’ve been tagged for my project management skills to support as many as 20 projects/programs at once.

Most recently, I’ve been working on the human resource web portal project for Department of Navy (DON) Office of Civilian Human Resources (OCHR). This is an exciting three-phase project. We rolled out phase one in May 2010 with the newly redesigned public web portal. Phase two was completed during the summer 2011 when we launched the department’s intranet portal. We’re enhancing the public portal in phase three, moving much of the internal documents and functions into the department’s portal and focusing the public web site on civilian recruitment for the Department of Navy. It’s very satisfying to know your effort is making a real difference for a huge group of civilian employees.

Why did you decide to join AE Strategies and what keeps you here?
I separated from the US Air Force where I gained project/program management experience and joined a microelectronics startup company during the dot com era.  I was approached by AE Strategies to work with them for the Department of Defense and I’ve found that the skills I acquired in the military are invaluable. Of course, there is a culture difference between one branch of  service to another but I think I’ve found the perfect place to apply my experience.

As I’ve said, I like working for myself (not having a boss!) and I get a lot of satisfaction from finding solutions to problems on my own. I enjoy working directly with the client and not being required to do a lot of administrative busy work for my employer.  AE Strategies offered me all that and they’ve delivered.

What would you tell a prospective employee about AE Strategies?
Opportunities to grow professionally are out there. The president actively seeks projects and contracts based on what his employees are looking for to grow their career. There are business opportunities for employees if they want to develop it, but unlike some larger consulting companies, consultants are not required to seek out new business. However, it is not unusual for a client to present us with opportunities to continue to support their work. AE Strategies has a generous reward program for consultants that identify new business. That is definitely unique among consulting groups!