IPM Celebrates 15th Anniversary in St. Louis

Integrated Project Management Co., Inc. also among top consulting workplaces in the country

In 2000, with intentions to expand its mission to locations across the nation, the Chicago-based Integrated Project Management Company, Inc. (IPM) established its first regional office in St. Louis. Now well into its second decade in the Gateway City, IPM serves diverse clients—including Solae, Missouri Baptist Hospital, Swank Motion Pictures, Bausch + Lomb, bioMerieux, and HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital—by executing a range of complex project initiatives.

Alvin Doss, Jr. and Deana Pape lead the Creve Coeur-located office with more than 40 years of combined project leadership experience. The two directors attribute the branch office’s success to IPM’s unique culture and pursuit of excellence.

“The genesis of the St. Louis office stemmed from one key company-wide client. Over the last 15 years, we have shown steady growth and increased contributions to the St. Louis business community,” says Doss. “Our customer retention rate in St. Louis has been phenomenal and is a direct result of the caliber of the individuals on our team. Our project management consultants personify our culture and drive progress consistently.”

Pape echoes these assertions. “Our St. Louis team believes in the importance of IPM’s fundamental values (honesty, integrity, caring, respect, responsibility, excellence, spirituality, and humility) and embraces a collaborative approach to project management,” she says. “We all understand the critical role we play in our success, as well as in our clients’ successes.”

C. Richard Panico, IPM CEO and President, founded the company in 1988 on the principles Doss and Pape highlight as crucial to the company’s operations. Quality, trust, and honesty are the forces behind both the company’s mission and the daily work of its employees.

“Some people have told me that our values-based culture won’t survive as we grow and expand,” Panico says. “But in fact, as we first demonstrated in St. Louis and now have done for more than 27 years, a company can retain an employee-centric family culture while expanding to satellite offices across the country. This provides our clients with honest and excellent service, which they expect from their own employees. A consultant working at their site should provide no less.”

Its first expansion to St. Louis served as a model of potential national growth for IPM—a model that the company followed as it created five more branch offices. IPM now has locations in Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and New Jersey, in addition to the corporate headquarters in Chicago and the St. Louis branch. The majority of the company’s 150 employees work on-site at life sciences, healthcare, consumer products, and industrial sector client locations.

The St. Louis team has managed over 250 projects in the areas of product development, process improvement, mergers and acquisitions, and other sectors. As a result of IPM’s leadership on these projects, clients can claim the development of a new technology to transform the ophthalmic surgical industry and the transition of a healthcare facility from a four-level to a three-level acute care facility. And, in addition to their traditional business efforts, the team provides pro bono services, supporting local entrepreneurs by assisting them with their project management structures. IPM truly commits to partnering with the St. Louis business community to foster a thriving local economy.

Doss and Pape say that this involvement with local organizations and charities, coupled with word-of-mouth referrals from existing clients, contribute to the continued growth and success of the St. Louis office and IPM’s mission as a whole. The charitable component of IPM, Integrated Project Mercy, encourages the company’s employees to donate their time, talent, and treasures to a specific charity or cause every quarter. The St. Louis team participates in this challenge, and area benefactors include more than 40 local organizations, especially those that serve children, veterans, the underprivileged, and educational initiatives. IPM employees have raised thousands of dollars and contributed hundreds of hours, carrying out their commitment to the company’s dedication to service.

“Our values are evident in every aspect of our enterprise, from the establishment of strategy to the expectations for every role,” says Panico. “We carry these tenets to our clients’ worksites, as well as to the charities we support.”

National sources regularly recognize IPM’s unique commitment to company culture and values, too. This year, Forbes magazine named IPM to its inaugural list of 25 “Best Small Companies in America.” IPM also appeared in Fortune magazine’s list of the 25 Best Small Workplaces in the United States (the sixth consecutive year the company has received this honor). Fortune also ranked IPM among the 10 best small workplaces in the consulting and professional services sectors.

A recent Inc. magazine article, “How to Build a Company That Will Be Around in 2115,” highlighted Panico for his commitment to building a company intended to see its 100th anniversary. IPM strives toward this goal by relying on its values and commitment to continuous improvement, and this objective inspires the actions of both its employees and business leaders throughout the nation.

“We are blessed with the opportunity to influence and establish an environment of great success,” says Rob Neufelder, Managing Director for the St. Louis office. “We consistently work to validate that business growth, profitability, and longevity require not only a sound strategy accomplished through the execution of hard edge components but also an altruistic component. Supporting our fundamental values will lead to countless years of success for both our employees and customers.”

IPM’s St. Louis employees look back at their office’s 15-year tenure with pride, and look forward to celebrating IPM’s 100th anniversary with the company’s other offices, each of which was built upon the same fundamental values that enhance the city of St. Louis.

— Published January 28, 2016