Quest CE
Address: 10850 West Park Place, Suite 1000, Milwaukee
Year founded: 1986
Product or service offered: For more than 25 years, Quest CE has built a reputation for being the premier provider of insurance continuing education and FINRA compliance training and tracking solutions to the financial services industry.
Projected 2014 revenue: $5.5 million
CEO, president/owner: Linda Mieth Krenke
Other key members of the leadership team: Alan Krenke, chairman and owner
Target clientele: Broker-dealers, financial service professionals and advisors, compliance officers and personnel insurance agents, insurance carriers
Business organization memberships: Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, Securities and Insurance Licensing Association, National Society of Compliance Professionals, Platypus Society of the Zoological Society of Milwaukee
What has fueled your company’s growth? “Our focus on technology and keeping pace with what the financial industry demands from a strategic partner has helped grow our company. Our commitment to hire smart people and provide opportunities for career growth within the company has also contributed to our success.”
What is the biggest obstacle to your company’s growth? “Finding IT software developers in the Milwaukee area. We create all of our own software platforms and finding people who are interested in joining a highly-skilled development team that also have the skills we need is somewhat of a challenge. Our goal is to be on the cutting edge of technology for the financial services industry and having the right development team is paramount to achieving this goal.”
Do you plan to make any changes in your company in the coming months? “We plan to continue developing technology solutions that fit the needs of our clients, along with enhancing our current platforms to better fit the demands of our increasing client base.”
Who are the business people, locally or nationally, whom you admire? And what traits do those people exhibit that make you admire them? “As one of the few women CEOs in business (latest Fortune 500 list shows only 4.8 percent of these companies have women in the CEO role), I have my radar focused on women who are leading successful companies. Two strong female leaders come to mind: Sabrina Parsons, CEO of Palo Alto Software and Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors. Ms. Parsons takes a different view on women in power positions and believes women do not need to ‘conform’ to the male-dominated business world to be successful. On the other side, Ms. Barra ‘inherited’ a mess when she took on the role of CEO at General Motors and watching her navigate the mine fields is interesting. Cleaning up a mess that you did not make – sounds like motherhood to me! Lastly, Katty Kay and Claire Shipman wrote the book ‘The Confidence Code’ – a must read for any woman. I have found their insights into the factors contributing to a woman’s lack of overall confidence very useful as I strive to mentor and grow the strong women on my team.”
What is the outlook for the business conditions of your industry over the next several months? “We are very fortunate to be in the compliance industry, where regulations and licensing requirements are the norm. State and federal regulations are here to stay. People must be compliant to ensure their continued employment and our goal is to make sure we provide the products and services they need while providing a customer service focused experience at a competitive price.”
What is your company’s most important growth strategy right now? “Our focus is on technology and growing our IT development team so we are able to offer the products our prospects and clients need be successful in their own businesses.”
