History
We founded AArete in 2008, based on a single premise: Excellence. It is the one word that best embodies the ideals we hope our company represents not only today, but 20 years from now. The name Arete, Greek for Excellence, Virtue, and Goodness commits us to being dedicated to providing excellent service to our clients, being an excellent employer, and generating excellent outcomes for our community and environment. The two A’s in our name pay homage to the shared background of our leadership team, many who began their careers together at Arthur Andersen.
When conceptualizing AArete I reached back to my first mentor, my Father. He was an Iowa farmer with humble beginnings that came to operate a million dollar business raising cattle, corn, and other crops. A large part of my father’s success in life can be attributed to his relentless quest for excellence. This pursuit not only applied to his responsibilities as a farmer and employer, but also as a husband, parent, and citizen. He worked diligently, ethically, and tirelessly because in his mind that was his only option. Thanks to my father, when starting AArete I knew that being an excellent and virtuous firm committed to goodness was our only option.
Building a leadership team equally dedicated to the same ideals can be a difficult endeavor. Fortunately, because many of AArete’s leadership team have worked together for several years, both at Arthur Andersen & Huron Consulting Group, we share common values, ideas, and cultures, all things that are critically important to starting and successfully operating a business together. Despite our commonalities, every member of our leadership team brings unique skill sets and growth ideas to the firm, as does every employee we hire. We value diversity and independent thinking, and an entrepreneurial spirit is a key component to our success and ability to differentiate ourselves from the competition.
I can hardly believe that we are nearing the start of our fourth year as a consulting firm, but I couldn’t be more pleased with where we are and where we hope to go next. We believe now, as when we started, that our clients need the best advice, support and results that we can deliver and that will sustain them for years to come. The promise of bringing excellence to our clients is why we exist today, and why we are able to retain the best people. At AArete, we’ll never claim to be all things for our clients; but in anything we choose to do, we will do it extraordinarily well, and with a relentless quest for excellence.
Loren J. Trimble
Co-Founder and President
