Rick Berry
President & CEO
Rick Berry has built four companies, utilizing his extensive experience in strategic cost reduction and sales effectiveness efforts. He has also interviewed and worked with over 10,000 employees throughout his career. He has helped many organizations achieve significant cost savings and process improvements through the application of sourcing, supply chain management and eProcurement strategies. Additionally, Mr. Berry has helped numerous organizations improve profitability through increased sales results. Prior to his work in consulting, he held several sales and sales management positions including a top Sales Representative and Sales Trainer at Procter and Gamble, National Sales Trainer at C.R. Bard, Sales Manager at Boston Scientific, Inc., VP of Operations at Avnet Electronics, and Regional General Manager of Otis Elevator Company.

In 1991, Mr. Berry formed PGI, a global strategic sourcing company. Ultimately, Mr. Berry built PGI into a global operation with clients in Europe, North America and South America. In 1999, Mr. Berry expanded the breadth of PGI's cost reduction services by developing an innovative concept that combined technology with strategic sourcing concepts. Ultimately, this solution embodied a wide realm of eProcurement tools including reverse auctions, product exchanges and procurement outsourcing. To help organizations significantly improve business results and growth in the most effective way possible, Mr. Berry re-focused on providing consulting services to the marketplace in 2001. Under a new name, SSA offers Cost Reduction Services and has expanded to include Interviewing Skills Coaching and Products as well as Sales Growth and Effectiveness Services to provide profit-maximizing strategies.

Mr. Berry has successfully sold and led cost reduction and sales efforts to the Global 2000 across numerous industries to customers including TRW, IBM, Schering-Plough, Merck, Kellogg's, Eli Lilly, Asarco, Jacobsen Textron, Navistar, Warner Lambert, Advanta, Sunoco, Laidlaw and many others. In addition to playing a critical role in the interviewing and hiring process for companies he has worked for in the past, Mr. Berry has been extensively involved in recruiting and hiring initiatives for many of his clients. This led to the development of IFS (Interviewing For Success), an organization focused on providing interviewing strategies and tools as well as individualized coaching.

Mr. Berry received a BS from Pennsylvania State University and Master in Business Administration with distinction from Harvard University

Eric Keates
Chief Operating Officer
Eric Keates has experience working in various industries including consumer products, financial services, procurement, consulting, and real estate. He has co-founded two companies and has interviewed and worked with numerous employees throughout his career.

Mr. Keates gained a wealth of experience in sales, marketing, and operations while working at Coca-Cola in a variety of roles including Director of Marketing, Group Sales Manager, and Operations/Distribution Manager positions. He then co-founded Integrated Sourcing/ICG Commerce, a procurement consulting and outsourcing company.

Mr. Keates received a Master in Business Administration from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Brown University.