In Philadelphia, Managing Principal John Tarczewski is working to bring SEI’s unique business model to local clientele.
SEI was proud to announce the launch of its new Philadelphia office on January 1, 2020. The office will enable the firm to bring consulting services to a wider number of clients in the region. Leading the new office is Managing Principal John Tarczewski. Tarczewski first joined the SEI at the Boston Office in 2011. Since then, he has provided oversight for key SEI clients and was instrumental to the launch of SEI’s New York office.
Now, Tarczewski is bringing SEI’s unique expertise to his hometown of Philadelphia. Although the office did not officially open until this year, SEI has been building its presence in Philadelphia since 2017. According to Tarczewski, the city presents “unique opportunities to build new relationships in the healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and life sciences industries and to expand our capabilities in the Data Management and Advanced Analytics space.” The office will also serve as a crucial link between the Washington, D.C. and New York offices.
Establishing Partnerships Built to Last
Tarczewski and his team are aware that building rapport in the community takes time. It can take months to years to build lasting relationships with senior sponsors and executive stakeholders.
Unlike traditional management consulting firms, SEI consultants spend most of their time living and working within the city in which their office is located, contributing to the community by partnering with local organizations and engaging in service initiatives. By doing so, they are able to establish impactful connections that often blossom into long-term business partnerships.
“We want to establish ourselves as trusted partners — as people who are able to get things done regardless of organizational inertia or internal politics,” Tarczewski explains.
Tarczewski himself has been prospecting the market for the past two years, developing an in-depth understanding of its viability. He believes that SEI is positioned to become a key competitor in the market — “by working closely with a small team of experienced, on-site consultants while leveraging resources from across the SEI family to develop meaningful connections with local businesses.”
Recruiting With Culture in Mind
Uniquely, SEI prioritizes company culture even as it strives for long-term growth. Consultants work in small groups robust enough to take on transformative challenges and flexible enough to adapt to different business operations. Assigned to long-term projects, consultants tend to live and work in close proximity. This non-hierarchical structure organized around agile groups makes the firm an attractive option to a wide variety of organizations, as well as potential talent.
Tarczewski, who spent many years helping the New York office grow, stresses the value of working in small, highly committed teams. “You know your coworkers’ partners and their kids’ names,” Tarczewski explains. “It’s a close-knit setting in which we all trust and rely on one another — it’s really special.”
In the new Philadelphia office, Tarczewski hopes to attract talented professionals in the area who will thrive in this non-hierarchical working culture. “SEI hires new consultants for client-facing roles and encourages their participation in business development from an early stage,” he says. “Each member contributes to every aspect of the business, and everyone feels like a stakeholder in the success of the company — so I’m looking for talent who are great team players.”
Planning for Growth
Tarczewski — and the organization at large — are confident that the Philadelphia team will provide value to a growing book of clients. That’s why SEI is taking a conservative approach to growth, preferring to prioritize relationship-building rather than expand too quickly. Tarczewski plans to hire about four new consultants into the office by the end of 2020.
For Tarczewski, opening a Philadelphia office has been as much a personal as it has a professional decision. The City of Brotherly Love presents valuable new opportunities for SEI to break into flourishing markets, but — crucially for Tarczewski — it is the place he calls home. “Being closer to family is important to us,” he says. “I’m excited to bring the SEI business model back to my hometown, and thrilled to be in a position to lead it.”
SEI’s Philadelphia office is located at 21 S. 11th Street, Suite 223, Philadelphia, PA 19107.
