— Sheryl Sandberg, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead
Stefanie Wichansky began her career at Deloitte, providing audit, compliance, and advisory services. With her unique passion for client service, combined with her ability to motivate and lead others, it wasn’t long before she caught the attention of firm leadership. In 1999, Deloitte selected Stefanie to attend the Columbia University Executive MBA Program, giving Stefanie the opportunity to earn an MBA while at the same time continuing her work at Deloitte.
The MBA program was a whirlwind of collaborating, networking, and learning and practicing the keys to business success. “It was incredibly challenging and one of the best experiences of my life,” Stefanie recalls. “I had always been inspired by my grandfather who worked tirelessly as an inventor and entrepreneur, making charms that were sold in bubble gum machines. But it was at this point at Columbia when I knew for sure my dream was to start and run my own business one day!”
After completing her MBA program, Stefanie joined Deloitte’s newly formed Tech.Com group, where she provided hands-on consulting to start-up companies. “Helping these hard-working entrepreneurs achieve their dreams was so rewarding…it also made me that much hungrier and determined to realize my own dream of starting a business.”
Stefanie would eventually leave Deloitte to pursue her first start-up...a family. She and her husband, Rich, moved to Randolph, New Jersey and soon sons, Jake and Corey, along with dog, Pippy, joined the team! Raising two active boys was challenging, incredibly fun, and so rewarding, but Stefanie’s passion for business remained.
In 2004, Stefanie joined a mid-sized consulting firm, where she continued her focus on client service and compliance solutions while demonstrating her ability to successfully collaborate with companies to fulfill their resource needs. “I know clear and effective communication with clients is so critical… you need to be a great listener so that you can truly understand their needs. Once you do that, you’re in position to identify top-notch talent that can bring your clients tremendous value.” Stefanie excelled in these areas and was swiftly promoted to partner at the firm.
At age 40, Stefanie had a satisfying and rewarding career and a supportive family, but she came to a crossroads. It would have been easy to keep the status quo and not rock the boat. “Things were going really well,” she remembers, “but my dream from those early days at Columbia still burned. You don’t want to live with regrets. Was it a little scary – definitely. But I knew it was time to make it happen!”.
Stefanie had a clear vision – create a business that (a) challenges the status quo and addresses a glaring need for a new and fresh consulting solution that is flexible, scalable and provides specific expertise under a unique approach customized to each individual client, (b) allows her to partner with companies who are making a real difference in the world by utilizing her talent in truly understanding client needs and delivering the right people solutions, and (c) embodies her commitment to unrivaled client service as well as her core values of integrity, transparency, passion, and philanthropy. With these concepts in mind, in May 2012, Stefanie launched Professional Resource Partners (PRP), a certified woman-owned enterprise that provides Quality and Regulatory Compliance consultants. As founder, owner, and CEO, Stefanie’s dedication to client service, passion, and enthusiasm are contagious and permeate throughout the organization each and every day.
PRP has truly taken off, with a database of over 14,000 highly-skilled Quality and Regulatory consultants eager to help clients not only achieve their goals, but exceed them. Stefanie explains with pride, “We now proudly serve not only some of the most exciting and successful small to mid-size companies, but also some of the largest, global companies in the world. Our clients are improving and saving lives on a daily basis, and there is nothing more rewarding than connecting our highly-talented and dedicated consultants with these amazing and impactful companies.”
“She's a powerful, positive influence and consistently places the well-being of her clients, consultants, and team above herself. Her ability to lead with integrity, adaptation, persistence and balance is truly inspirational.”
— Laurie Carroll, Director of Operations
“Our leader, Stefanie, has a genuine vested interest in each employee's happiness and creates an environment not only for her team members to succeed, but one where they are empowered to grow and develop in their positions.”
— Katie Corcoran, Account Manager
“We support each other and are led by one of the most talented leaders I have ever come across, Stefanie. She inspires and empowers the PRP team on a daily basis, creating a positive atmosphere at our company.”
— Rachel Johnson, Account Manager/Recruiter
“PRP is a team built on Stefanie’s dream to provide our clients with the most talented consultants, who furthermore are impacting patients' lives on a daily basis. She is a mentor who believes in open communication and team building, and she enforces such a positive work environment.”
— Charu Vij, Recruiter
Since 2012, Professional Resource Partners (PRP) has been honored to serve as a trusted source of quality and regulatory compliance consultants to the medical device and diagnostics industries. In 2017, we launched PRP Quality which specializes in Automotive Quality inspection, sorting, and containment. As an ISO:9001 Certified Business and a WBENC Certified Woman-Owned Business, our company is proud to deliver exceptional professional integrity and service to the many clients we support with our customized approach. It’s also the reason why, when PRP is involved, client expectations are not simply met, but they are consistently surpassed.