20 YEARS | MARATHON CONSULTING

In late 2005, four former colleagues identified an opportunity when their former employer, a large national IT company, shifted its strategy to serving only very large companies. Reckoning that a “huge book of business” local to Hampton Roads would be underserved, they drafted a business plan for what became Marathon Consulting, recalls company Marathon Consulting’s Marathon Consulting’s president and co-founder Tony Cortinas.

The Virginia Beach-based firm launched in mid-2006 with four clients. Because they were entirely self-funded, the founders prioritized scaling and kept expenses low by avoiding moving into an office, even if that meant conducting interviews with candidates in coffee shops, Cortinas says.

Looking back, he adds, those types of “smart decisions” proved very fortuitous for navigating the Great Recession, which arrived about 18 months after they went into business. What’s more, their financial prudence paved the way for subsequent growth. Marathon now has 125 employees across offices in Virginia Beach and Richmond, serving roughly 650 clients.

Focusing on their founding principles, including recruiting “the best of the best” talent to care for the needs of clients, has also been key to the firm’s success, Cortinas says. And Marathon has avoided a common industry trap of chasing short-term wins that don’t align with its overall long-term strategy, he adds.

“One of the things that’s helped us be successful has been really sticking to our guns and our founding principles,” Cortinas says.

Moving forward, Marathon will continue adding new services and broaden its footprint, potentially to Northern Virginia and along the mid-Atlantic. “Now we’re looking for the next place to plant our flag and expand geographically.”