Clyde Simpson

Founder & Principal Consultant

Scale breaks things.
I fix them.

"After 30 years—from the engine rooms of the U.S. Coast Guard to the boardrooms of the Fortune 200—I’ve learned that companies don’t fail because they lack vision. They fail because their operating 'muscle' can’t support the weight of their own growth."

Clyde Simpson

Executive Bio

Clyde Simpson is a veteran operator and two-time founder with three decades of experience managing mission-critical systems and multi-million dollar enterprise portfolios. He specializes in building "Operational Architecture" that connects delivery flow directly to business value.

The Track Record

  • Fortune 200 Advisory

    Lowe's, Bank of America, Zelis

  • Entrepreneurial Proof

    Founder, Cable System Design Inc.

  • Discipline Origin

    U.S. Coast Guard (Electrician's Mate)

  • Technical Authority

    Lean Six Sigma Green Belt | ABCP

VIEW LINKEDIN PROFILE

I've Walked in Your Shoes

Before advising enterprise leaders, I was a small business owner. I founded and scaled Cable System Design Inc. across six states, managing the full P&L and operations for seven profitable years.

I know exactly what it feels like when growth starts to outpace your systems. I understand the pressure of protecting margins while trying to stabilize delivery. KeelStone Partners is my second venture, founded to solve the exact problems I faced as a founder—and later refined at the highest levels of corporate scale.

Rigor at Scale

My methodology was further hardened within the complex environments of the Fortune 200, where I led 500+ person transformations and governed multi-million dollar portfolios:

  • Zelis: Advised C-Suite leadership on enterprise resilience and restructured the delivery model for ~500 people following a major industry cyber event.
  • Lowe’s: Architected the shift from "Project" to "Product" for the Enterprise Systems organization, ensuring the transition was supported by rigorous financial structures.
  • Bank of America: Managed critical $10M+ programs, consistently maintaining strict fiscal discipline with <3% budget variance.

The Origin of Discipline

My approach to operational readiness was forged in the U.S. Coast Guard, managing mission-critical systems and serving as an Emergency Coordinator. That foundational experience in maintaining readiness under pressure continues to shape every "KeelStone" architecture I install today.

Build Your Operating Rhythm