TiER1 Impact is thrilled to announce the acquisition of XPLANE, a global design consultancy that helps large organizations clarify, communicate, and activate their vision. Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, with a team in Madrid, Spain, XPLANE will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of TiER1 Impact and sister company to strategy activation firm, TiER1 Performance.
“XPLANE’s expertise in strategy activation, visual thinking, and human-centered design has helped to accelerate change and transformation for more than 150 Fortune 500 clients and our valued government and not-for-profit partners,” shares Aric Wood, XPLANE CEO. “We know we are poised for growth and even greater impact for our clients. Our partnership with TiER1 Impact will provide the systems and structures to support that, while expanding the depth and breadth of ways we can support our customers.”
Aric Wood, CEO of XPLANE will continue to lead the organization in that capacity, while joining TiER1 Impact as Chief Strategy Officer. The XPLANE team has served clients as diverse as AstraZeneca, Carhartt, Harvard University and the World Bank to accelerate change in their organizations through vision and strategy articulation; employee engagement and culture change; service design; training and development tools; and strategy activation. Like TiER1 Performance, XPLANE is also a Certified B Corporation and a “Great Place to Work.”
“We’ve admired the work and approach of XPLANE for a long time,” notes Greg Harmeyer, CEO of TiER1 Impact. “We believe there is a significant opportunity to enhance both XPLANE and TiER1 Performance services by learning from each other, sharing resources, and collectively investing in systems for growth. Together we will work to create healthy, high-performing organizations for our clients.”
The XPLANE management team will continue to manage the daily operations of the business—providing the high level of value, results, and people-focused solutions that clients have come to expect from the team. While XPLANE and TiER1 Performance teams will market and offer their core services independently of each other, they will also extend the value they bring to their clients by promoting the unique capabilities of the other. In addition, collaborations will be created to co-market both organizations’ professional development services, XPLANE’s Studio X and TiER1 Performance Institute.
