Say What?

Carly Smyly, MS, MA, CLI-CA

Dave leads his teams with intentionality, vision, and passion. He capitalizes on the strengths of each team member to enhance the mission of the organization. As a leader, he inspires his team to work hard with great efficiency and effectiveness which still having fun and creating community along the way. Dave quickly became a mentor and a coach to me. He taught me the delicate balance of caring for the people while accomplishing and exceeding the goals of the organization. He pushed me to excellence and encouraged personal and professional growth. Dave is a valuable asset as a leader, mentor, coach, visionary, and strategist. You will not be disappointed when Dave joins your team.

Silas L. McCormick, J.D., Ph.D.

Integrity has two meanings. The first means to present something in its entirety. Many marketing firms will write a story and then put you in it. While often serviceable, this isn’t usually very compelling. That’s not surprising, really, because an incomplete story isn’t much of a story. Dave Grout and the Timberline Team didn’t show up with a story; they took the time to learn ours. Once they really understood it, they helped us better show how compelling it is. I believe this approach reflects the other meaning of integrity, which refers to one’s moral or ethical compass. Your organization’s story is too valuable to be handed over to someone you don’t trust. Dave has demonstrated his own strength of character time and again, and he has held the other members of his team to that same level of accountability. I trust Dave, and I don’t think there is any better endorsement I can give than that.

Josh Avis

I have had the privilege to see Dave’s amazing leadership first hand as his employee for 3 years as well as worked with Dave on independent projects. Dave has had a tremendous impact on my career as well as my life, I consider it a gift to have known Dave the last 9 years. I don’t know any other caliber player at an executive level that can run as hard and efficient as Dave. From team culture, to laser focused marketing strategies, to mission control, his four core pliers of show up all areas of his character of life and career. Dave gets his hands dirty checking in ego at the door and always delivers with the highest quality in everything his team touches. I wish we had a few more Dave Grouts in this country.

Ryan Srogi

Dave, from the moment I met him, displayed himself as a true leader and man of incredible character. Dave continuously demonstrates his ability to lead his team using foundational leadership concepts. His efforts are effective and the results speak for themselves.

Dave’s leadership and insights have significantly contributed to a 33% increase in enrollment over a four year span. More important his influence into every key area of the college places him as an invaluable asset to Grace College and Seminary.

It is my pleasure and honor to be his friend and colleague.

Dr. Ruth Ann Hendrix

Positive energy, accountability, and integrity. David evaluates the situation, leading people forward through difficult situations to a win/win for all. For me, he earns the title “Mr. Accountability” with his confidence, perseverance, and enthusiasm. He brings a positive outlook to all situations. If he lacks the required tool to help in a situation he finds one that works. Thankful to have worked with Timberline Team in both the not-for-profit and for-profit worlds over the years.

Ryan Beardsley

Timberline Team Consulting is an incredibly hard-working agency that truly does all it can to ensure that its clients are satisfied. We’ve found them to be very diligent and detail-oriented when it comes to project planning and creative fulfillment.

Patrick Hodgkins

Dave is one of the most passionate and infectious leaders I know. He is very intelligent and keenly aware of the details of a given situation. Any team benefits from Dave’s powerful ability to lead a team to be better. Rather than being a simple problem solver that can’t point to the issue at hand, I classify Dave as a problem resolver: one who skillfully digs in and successfully implements the best solution.

Clint Johnson

Dave has an enthusiastic leadership style that connects well with every person that he works with. Dave is responsible, goal-oriented, and passionate about every project that he is involved in. Working with Dave has always been a true joy. Dave’s innovative approach to marketing situations has always been very refreshing.

Patrick Loebs, Ph.D.

Dave is an outstanding, motivating, and authentic leader. I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with him on a variety of projects over the past few years and through all of them, despite facing the inevitable but occasional setbacks, reevaluations and repositioning, Dave maintains the kind of strong, rational, caring, understanding, and dedicated leadership necessary to see each project through to its ultimate successful conclusion. He is ever encouraging to his staff, and cares deeply about each client and project.

I have witnessed Dave’s phenomenal ability to simultaneously manage projects and people. This trait, I find, is a rare gift, and one that Dave is blessed with. He is concerned for his team, both personally as well as professionally, and actively seeks opportunities to help them grow. His time and personal investment in the teams he works with shines, making the workplace a fun, creative, inspiring, and productive environment. The end result is projects that delight clients. To appropriate and adjust a common adage: happy staff makes for great product. Dave’s leadership technique is proof of this.

Even with such demonstrated caring for his staff, Dave demonstrates exceptional balance between mentoring and delivering projects beyond expectations. I value him as a colleague and as a friend and highly recommend him.

Leslie Kiel

Working with Dave is like partnering with a long-time, trusted friend. He’s not only the model of passion and integrity, he’s unmatched in his intuitive marketing abilities.

Dave maintains a careful, difficult balance I’ve not seen from other marketing strategists. In his processes, he’s creative yet data-driven, intuitive yet analytical, goal-oriented yet always seeking to gently guide. It’s through leading countless brand campaigns from start to finish that he’s able to navigate his clients and their projects so deftly–it’s a quality and skill built only through years of experience.

Most of all, I’m continually amazed by Dave’s ability to dissect clients’ needs. With his carefully designed methodology. Dave works with clients to get to the heart of their issues, and he’s never satisfied with surface-level, short-term solutions. His experience and tested techniques allow him to tap into uncharted facets of brand-enhancement; he leaves no stone unturned. The quality of his results speak for themselves and make working with him again and again an easy decision.