We have an exceptionally talented team of left- and right-brain strategists.
Whether we become fully engaged in your business or help you pursue a specific task, we bring everything we have to the table. We work with you to find unique solutions to your business goals.
We look forward to meeting with you to see how partnering together can benefit your business.
Certified Coach, Master Facilitator
Ryan Doerr, a serial entrepreneur, brings over 26 years’ experience in business strategy and turnaround, process improvement, building winning teams, growing companies and getting results for employers, clients, as well in his own businesses. Ryan and his team serve a variety of industries ranging from Hospitality, Retail, Professional Services and Manufacturing. Ryan is a multiple business owner, successfully running several businesses over the years. He has brought these talents and experiences to others to help them succeed in their businesses.
Leveraging his experience, Ryan founded his original consulting firm in 2005, focusing on the Hospitality, Golf, and Private Club industries. Fokus Forward was developed in response to the needs of his many colleagues and clients. His success lies with a proven strategic process. As Ryan’s company and team grew, so did the breadth of services he provides. With this expansion, a new name was born: The Spire Group.
Through re-branding, The Spire Group has developed a single-point solution for business owners. We get under the hood of your business and have the resources you need under one roof. With the members of our team and our trusted strategic partners, we provide our clients with the single-point B2B service solutions they require. We know it can be challenging to find a trusted business partner, which is why we have brought together a network of strategists, problem solvers, and go-getters who work with our clients to get them the results they need.
Most embarrassing song on my iPod:
“When You Wish Upon a Star”
Person I’d like to have coffee with:
Walt Disney
Rather be able to fly or be invisible?
Invisible. I would have no boundaries and get the real truth from others without holding back for fear of judgment.
Born in Galveston Texas and raised in Milwaukee, Brendhan earned a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management from the University Wisconsin Stout in 1991.
Brendhan has managed both back and front of house operations for more than 25 years, from coast to coast. He has developed restaurant brands and opened multiple locations, such as Houston’s Restaurants, Maggiano’s Little Italy, (Lettuce Entertain You, Brinker International) and Thunder Bay Grills (Heart of America).
In 2017, Brendhan partnered with The Spire Group to expand his consulting business. Together they provide strategic services for large and small companies, hiring, training, systems enhancement, culture development, team building, planning, budgeting, and more.
His hospitality experience is diverse and includes: fine dining, taverns, casual dining, catering, banquets and institutional food operations. He’s hired, trained and developed countless management teams. His “anything is possible” belief and “you are not living unless you are growing” attitude have been consistent themes throughout his career.
Perfect vacation:
Driving with no destination in mind through the U.S., trunk full of my golf clubs and fishing gear.
Favorite food as a child:
Big Mac. Still hold a record for eating five in one sitting when I was 10 years old.
Which movie star would you like to be reincarnated as?
John Wayne. Tough, strong and always tried to do right by people.
If I were a car, which would I be?
The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. I can’t think of a better way to spread joy mile for mile.
Favorite childhood TV show:
Joanie loves Chachi
If I were an Olympic athlete, I would compete in:
Luge. Almost no running or jumping involved.
Laura Leszczynski is a marketing ace with a special affinity for helping companies create their own unique brand identity. During her over 25-year career, she has nailed the secret to using neuromarketing best practices to help small-medium businesses catapult their market share far beyond initial projection. Serving a wide range of industries and clients, Laura soon realized she had developed a special expertise working with small business owners. In addition to owning her own marketing agency, Boost Creative Group, she possesses an impressively diverse resume of experiences and expertise, including co-founding a 400-athlete youth volleyball club, working on an IPO for the garbage industry, and serving and managing in the restaurant industry. Laura has years of experience working with clients from the point of start-up to celebrating their 10-year anniversaries. She’ll even bake a delicious cake for the celebration.
VP of Member Experience
Mary Buenz fills myriad roles for The Spire Group and related businesses, Strategic Club Solutions and Club Masterminds. From helping to launch a members-only Mastermind program to copy writing and editing published marketing efforts, Mary’s responsibilities are wide-ranging. Prior to joining the team, Mary spent over 25 years in the Meetings and Events industry specializing in Association Management and large scale Event Production. She is a Certified Meeting Professional. She gained Club industry experience as Banquet Operations Director for a suburban private club outside Milwaukee with a vibrant wedding and private event business. Fiercely passionate about business ethics and organizational business strategy, she enjoys researching emerging technologies and operations enhancements. Mary is a fan of anything Chicago (especially the Blackhawks).
What is your super power?
The ability to solve the most obscure Final Jeopardy questions that even the contestants can’t answer.
3 words that describe me:
Curious, determined and sarcastic.
If I were a flavor of ice cream I would be:
Jamocha Almond Fudge because I am mostly grown-up, but still a little nutty.
Allie is a digital marketing and brand strategist, social media expert and copywriter who helps brands use the power of messaging and marketing materials to engage current customers and attract future ones.
She understands that an engaging website experience is a key tool in a business’ marketing arsenal, and has created numerous WordPress and Squarespace websites for clients in industries including retail, hospitality, healthcare and B2B. Allie’s expertise includes website strategy, design, coding, copywriting, and search engine optimization.
In addition, Allie is a skilled copywriter who has written for a variety of local and national publications. She writes regular social media and digital marketing columns for a national magazine, and has taught business owners in publications including Independent Retailer, Main Street America, Lawn & Garden Retailer and more.
Megan is a web developer who designs websites that are well planned, user-friendly and mobile-responsive. Her experience includes website research and planning, content uploading, design and production, hosting and maintenance, and training staff to use a website’s back-end system.
Megan specializes in non-profit technology and loves helping nonprofits integrate technology to increase awareness of their cause. She is highly skilled in implementing search engine optimization and Google Adwords, specifically in the nonprofit sector. Additionally, she’s trained in ADA Compatibility and has experience accessible websites.
Examples of Megan’s recent website work includes roadguardians.org, wegotthismke.com, marinaformke.com, ramonforrregister.com and cr-sdc.org.
Megan will help you get a well-planned, user-friendly, accessible site that is designed to support your mission and message.
