Family-run management and technology consultancy is the first small business in Illinois to earn the OnDeck Award.
The William Everett Group, (TWEG) a management and information technology consulting firm, has been selected as the OnDeck Small Business of the Month for July 2019. OnDeck® (NYSE: ONDK) is the leader in online lending to small business. OnDeck CEO Noah Breslow presented WEG’s CEO Ellen Rozelle Turner, with the Small Business of the Month award at a ceremony on August 6 at the company headquarters in downtown Chicago, Illinois.
TWEG first applied to OnDeck (www.ondeck.com) for financing five years ago and according to the firm the company’s business results have been outstanding. OnDeck has provided online financing of over $300,000 that has helped Turner grow the business from $1 million to an expected $10 million in revenues. WEG has used the financing from OnDeck to cover everything from payroll to major expansions, such as the company’s new corporate headquarters and office in St. Louis, Missouri. The Group’s contracts include a 10-year managed services project with the City of Chicago and numerous technology consulting projects with Fortune 500 partners.
“OnDeck is proud to provide the speedy financing that visionary entrepreneurs like Ellen Rozelle Turner need to support their growth initiatives,” said Andrea Gellert, Chief Revenue Officer, OnDeck. “Her success in growing The William Everett Group is a testament to a grandfather’s wisdom and a brilliant young woman relentlessly determined to succeed.”
“Our firm’s partnership with OnDeck has afforded us an opportunity to grow our business in a way that makes us a competitive force in our field,” said Turner. “Lack of access to capital is a major reason small businesses fail, and it is because of financial partners like OnDeck that we are thriving.”
Speaking about her grandfather, for whom the company is named, and his role in inspiring her entrepreneurial goals, Turner says, “My grandfather William Everett owned a neighborhood shoe store when I was growing up, he instilled a tremendous entrepreneurial spirit in our family.” “When I was young girl, he entrusted me to help him manage the store and at the same time provided me a feeling of empowerment and confidence. I learned so much from him and the way he developed trusting relationships with suppliers while treating each customer with respect and decency.”
The firm employs over 107 skilled consultants and their senior leadership team includes Turner’s daughter Blair and son Carlton Jr. Most recently the TWEG team won the contract for community outreach and design of Chicago’s new 311 system that touches all 77 of the city’s neighborhoods and all 50 aldermanic wards. TWEG is currently engaged on several high-profile projects to include ERP, Tax and Appraisal System, Court Management, parking management and end-to-end infrastructure.
