Marcus Shiveley, Principal
Stratise LLC

What we do: Stratise LLC is a business consulting practice focused on creating value through application of strategy and expertise to owner managed businesses. Stratise provides an extensive range of financial and operational commercial services. What differentiates Stratise from other boutique consulting firms is our proprietary assessment process. We become experts in our client’s business and industry quickly, leading to shorter project cycle time and greater return on investment. Our mission is to contribute to long-term sustainability of our clients in a manner that creates rich opportunities for their owners, managers and employees. We believe in owner managed business as the foundation of American prosperity and are proud to contribute to the health of owner managed businesses throughout the Central Valley of California.

Education: B.S., accounting, Bowling Green State University, 1980

Age:  58

Family: Wife of 27 years Christine; parish administrator at St. Anthony of Padua Church.  Son Bernhard; 21 years old; 4th year at Fresno State majoring in Computer Information Systems

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What made you decide to start your own consulting business, Marcus Shiveley?
Practical requirement with a dash of divine inspiration. I experienced a significant health challenge at the end of last year that resulted in a five-month hospital stay. On discharge, my long term career plan was derailed by inability to immediately resume full time employment. I felt strongly I had much more to contribute and saw God leading me to sharing my experience and expertise with owner/managed businesses in the Central Valley. Having previously developed a successful consulting practice in Florida prior to our relocation to Fresno in 1998, I knew I could positively contribute to our community.

Would you mind sharing a little about your health problems and how they have touched your professional life, Marcus Shiveley?
The first 35 years of my career reflected an unbalanced commitment to work to the detriment of my health. Counsel from family, friends and co-workers to pursue total wellness went unheeded. Approximately two years ago I began to shift my priority to wellness and ultimately scheduled gastric bypass surgery last November. A few days after successful surgery, a septic infection was discovered, nearly costing me my life. I spent approximately one month in a medically induced coma while an additional five surgeries were completed. I ultimately required extensive physical therapy to regain strength and mobility. I was discharged in April of this year and continue extensive rehabilitation to regain full strength and mobility.
The five-month hospital stay provided great opportunity for reflection.  Extensive prayers for my well being proved successful and supported a positive, can-do perspective critical to my recovery. Christine, my wife, saved my life by her commitment, faith and strength. I had plenty of time to consider and commit to important changes in my life:
Listen intently and carefully before speaking.
Treat my body, mind and soul as the temple God intends
Work productively; don’t compensate with unbalanced commitment to work
Demonstrate with intention love for family and friends
Commit to prayer and meditation

What tips do you have for people to remain positive in the face of hardship, Marcus Shiveley?
Chris and I have found great solace in setting daily goals and celebrating achievements. It is quite easy in times of hardship to lose track of accomplishments and improvements. For example, while in the hospital we created a wall poster that tracked physical activity. Logging daily activity made improvements visible. Nurses and physical therapists, all great people and instrumental to my recovery, would help us celebrate achievements.
For us, the foundation of all positivity is faith and prayer. I’ve struggled with prayer most of my life, always too distracted. God gave me time to rest and develop the discipline of prayer. Still a work in progress but I am better able to focus during prayer and meditation.

Tell us a little about your career up to your new venture.
My career started in the public accounting sector with an international firm, Arthur Andersen, in their Columbus, Ohio, office. I was blessed by an opportunity to join a newly launched division focused on smaller family owned business, supported by specialized training in systems, income tax and operational consulting. I transitioned to the private sector and have served Fortune 100 publicly traded companies and family owned/managed business as a senior manager/leader, board member and/or consultant. Throughout my career I have been afforded opportunity to learn and develop expertise in multiple disciplines, including finance, human resources, procurement, technology and administration. Upon relocation to California in 1998, I was blessed to work for two leading Central Valley businesses, both family owned/managed, focused on manufacturing and distribution.

Do you have a soft spot for family businesses, Marcus Shiveley?
Definitely. I have found my voice most clearly heard and my passion best channeled in a family owned/managed business. I admire and respect entrepreneurs for their passion, willingness to take risks and their compassion for employees. There are so many Central Valley companies rich with opportunity to grow and prosper for long-term benefit of their team. Stratise looks forward to partnering with these companies to create incremental sustainable value.

Tell us about becoming a SCORE volunteer mentor.
I’m quite early stage with SCORE. In a short time, I have developed a great appreciation for SCORE as a national organization promoting the health and growth of small business under the sponsorship of the Small Business Administration. Fresno is particularly blessed with a strong, vibrant SCORE chapter. The breadth and quality of resources available to the entrepreneur is impressive, particularly given little to no cost investment.

What are some other causes you are passionate about, Marcus Shiveley?
Education and economic empowerment are two areas of passion for my family. Each of us is involved in service to our parish community. I currently am involved with a faith-based organization, Christians in Commerce and have previously served on the board of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Fresno.  I have and will again serve as a mentor to students in Fresno State’s Entrepreneurship Mentor Program

What was the very best advice you ever received?
Make total wellness your No. 1 priority as it serves as the foundation for everything else you hope to achieve.

What was the very first job you had and what did you learn from it?
My first job involved grafting rose buds on to wild rose bushes at a Northeastern Ohio nursery at 12 years old.  The experience taught me to appreciate and respect hard work – and affirmed my interest to go to college J.

What are your roots in the Central Valley, Marcus Shiveley?
Our family has lived in the Central Valley since 1998 – so while we are not natives most of our family history has occurred here. We moved to Fresno from South Florida when our son was three years old. We have found Fresno to be a wonderful place to raise a family. We are a culturally diverse community full of friendly, helpful people – a great place to live.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
Lately I have really enjoyed developing a personalized news feed to better utilize digital platforms to keep informed – particularly important in this election season. I enjoy reading fiction and non-fiction. Golf is a passion I hope to be able to participate in soon.