Booz Allen Helps Make the Music and Receives a 2008 Business Patron Award

When Strathmore opened its new music center in Montgomery County, Md., in 2005, Booz Allen jumped in with both feet.

At the outset, Booz Allen donated a three-member team to help develop a strategic plan, and the firm continued its support over the years by underwriting tables at gala events, supporting the corporate membership at the highest level, and sponsoring free concerts by the U.S. Air Force Band.

As a result of those efforts, Booz Allen has received a County Executive’s 2008 Award for Excellence in the Arts and Humanities. The “Business Patron Award” was accepted on behalf of the firm by Booz Allen Vice President Nancy Hardwick, who is on the Strathmore board of directors.

Monica Jeffries, Strathmore’s executive vice president for administration, says Booz Allen’s support has been critical to the art center’s vibrancy.  “Booz Allen is helping guarantee Strathmore’s success and long life, so that it may be enjoyed by generations to come,” says Jeffries, who nominated the firm for the award. “We are most grateful.”

Many performing arts centers do well for the first year, says Jeffries, but after that it becomes difficult to keep revenue streams strong, business assumptions flexible, and customer service at a high level. Although the organization had been operating for more than 20 years, when the Music Center opened, the operating budget quickly grew from $2.5 million to $6 million a year.

Booz Allen’s team undertook a six-month, pro-bono strategic planning project that helped Strathmore develop annual operating benchmarks, a replicable customer survey, and a three-year plan for audience development and branding

“By helping strengthen the strategic thinking and planning of the Music Center staff , Booz Allen played a very important role in ensuring Strathmore’s stability and smooth transition from opening to operation,” says Jeffries.

Jeffries says that by defraying the cost of the Air Force Band concerts, Booz Allen has helped make them accessible to Montgomery County residents of all incomes. And thanks to the firm’s support, the concerts are broadcast across the country on public television. 

Booz Allen is one of Strathmore’s top five contributors, says Jeffries. And, as a member of the board, Hardwick has taken a leadership role in developing a corporate membership program for mid-level and large companies, she says.