Trusted Partners
Extended Expertise,
Built for Your Growth
Ascend Consulting is built on the belief that organizations grow strongest when clarity, capability, and trusted relationships work together. We collaborate with a select group of partners whose expertise naturally complements our strategic work — each bringing a distinct discipline that strengthens the systems, communication, and execution needed to help organizations rise.

Trusted Partner
Tyler Carey
Founder
Trellis Leadership
Tyler Carey is the Founder of Trellis Leadership and a leadership advisor who helps executives and teams build strategic self-awareness, improve decision-making, and operate at a higher level. He blends behavioral insight with practical coaching to strengthen how leaders think, communicate, and execute.
How Tyler Adds Value
Leadership clarity
Tyler helps leaders understand their behavioral patterns and make targeted adjustments that improve performance.
Team alignment
Tyler facilitates sessions that strengthen trust, collaboration, and execution across teams.
Actionable development plans
Tyler uses assessments and structured feedback to create clear, practical growth paths for leaders.
About Trellis Leadership
Trellis Leadership helps organizations elevate leadership effectiveness through strategic self-awareness and practical coaching. Using assessments and insight-driven development, Trellis equips leaders and teams with the clarity and behaviors needed to communicate better, align faster, and execute with confidence.
Visit Trellis Leadership →
Trusted Partner
Samuel Ebat
Founder & Creative Director
PIXELtechnics
Samuel Ebat is the Founder and Creative Director of PIXELtechnics, a visual storyteller and filmmaker who partners with organizations to create films that move audiences and inspire action. With a background in branded documentaries and commercial storytelling, Samuel blends creative vision with strategic messaging to help clients communicate what's true, good, and emotionally resonant. His work has earned recognition including a Vimeo Staff Pick and collaborations with brands such as Microsoft, Amazon & AWS, REI Co-op, Brooks Running, Slalom, Swedish, Arbor, and Imperial Motion.
How Samuel Adds Value
Strategic storytelling and brand clarity
Samuel helps organizations define their message and translate it into visual stories that connect deeply with audiences and drive engagement.
Full-service film production and creative direction
From concept development to editing, Samuel leads every stage of production with precision and artistry, ensuring each project delivers both emotional impact and professional polish.
Collaborative creative partnership
Samuel thrives on collaboration, guiding clients through a process that honors their vision while elevating it through expert storytelling, pacing, and tone.
About PIXELtechnics
PIXELtechnics is a creative studio specializing in branded documentaries, commercials, and visual storytelling that inspire audiences to act. The team partners with clients to refine messaging, develop concepts, and produce films that balance authenticity with cinematic quality. Their work combines strategic clarity with emotional resonance, helping organizations communicate their story in a way that truly moves people.
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Trusted Partner
Ben Hamilton
Founder & Fractional CSO/CISO
PraeSyn
Ben Hamilton is the Founder of PraeSyn and a fractional CSO/CISO who helps growth-stage and PE-backed companies build investor-ready security programs. With more than two decades of enterprise experience, including his work as an AI Security Architect at Avalara, Ben specializes in designing scalable security frameworks, strengthening risk posture, and guiding organizations through compliance milestones. He blends deep technical expertise with executive-level clarity, helping leadership teams understand and act on security as a business driver.
How Ben Adds Value
Security program design and executive leadership
Ben builds scalable, board-ready security programs that help organizations meet investor expectations, reduce risk, and prepare for rapid growth.
Compliance and governance clarity
He guides companies through SOC 2, ISO 27001, CMMC, and other compliance pathways, creating clear, achievable roadmaps that align with business goals.
AI security and governance expertise
Through PraeSyn and its AI governance layer, Ben helps organizations adopt AI responsibly by integrating frameworks such as ISO 42001 and the NIST AI RMF into their security posture.
About PraeSyn
PraeSyn helps growth-stage and PE-backed companies build strong, scalable security programs that satisfy investors, support compliance, and reduce organizational risk. With a focus on clarity, governance, and practical execution, PraeSyn equips leaders with the systems, reporting, and frameworks needed to operate securely and confidently. Their AI governance capabilities further help organizations adopt emerging technologies responsibly and in alignment with industry standards.
Visit PraeSyn →
Trusted Partner
Mike Nakamura
Photographer
Mike Nakamura Photography
Mike Nakamura is a professional photographer based in Kirkland, Washington, specializing in headshots, branding, lifestyle, corporate events, and business photography. With a client list that includes Microsoft, Delta Airlines, NASDAQ, Zillow, Redfin, and Stanford University, Mike brings a refined eye and a people-first approach to every session. His philosophy is simple: great photography reflects your personality. By keeping things easygoing and authentic, he creates images that help professionals and organizations show up with confidence and clarity.
How Mike Adds Value
Professional headshots and personal branding
Mike creates polished, personality-driven headshots that help executives, entrepreneurs, and professionals make a strong first impression. His approach puts clients at ease, resulting in images that feel natural, confident, and true to who they are.
Corporate event and business photography
From team portraits and corporate events to business environment and product sessions, Mike delivers consistent, high-quality photography that strengthens how organizations present themselves to clients and partners.
Lifestyle and brand storytelling
Mike's lifestyle and branding sessions go beyond standard portraits to capture the people and energy behind a business, giving organizations compelling visual content for websites, social media, and marketing materials.
About Mike Nakamura Photography
Mike Nakamura Photography is a Kirkland, Washington-based professional photography studio serving businesses, executives, and organizations across the Pacific Northwest and beyond. From executive headshots to corporate events and branded lifestyle content, Mike delivers photography that is polished, authentic, and built to support how organizations and individuals show up in the world. His client list includes Microsoft, Delta Airlines, Redfin, NASDAQ, Zillow, and dozens of organizations across industries.
Visit Mike Nakamura Photography →
Trusted Partner
Alex Polamero
Chief Growth Officer & Investor
Ninestone Partners
Alex Polamero is the Founder and President of Ninestone Partners and a growth strategist with more than 20 years of experience helping accounting, finance, and professional services firms scale. He specializes in building revenue systems, optimizing CRM and marketing automation, and designing omnichannel strategies that drive measurable growth. Alex brings a rare blend of technical expertise and strategic insight, helping organizations strengthen their pipelines, improve conversion, and build the infrastructure needed for sustainable, long-term success.
How Alex Adds Value
Revenue and pipeline growth
Alex helps organizations build predictable, scalable growth engines through CRM optimization, lead generation strategy, and data-driven marketing systems.
Strategic marketing and automation
He designs and implements marketing automation frameworks that streamline operations, improve targeting, and increase engagement across channels.
High-impact advisory and leadership insight
With experience advising firms from $1M to $1B in revenue, Alex brings clarity to complex growth challenges and equips leaders with the tools and strategies needed to scale effectively.
About Ninestone Partners
Ninestone Partners helps professional services firms grow through strategic marketing, CRM optimization, and revenue system design. Their work blends technology, data, and practical strategy to help organizations attract the right clients, strengthen their pipelines, and scale with confidence. Ninestone equips leaders with the tools and insights needed to build sustainable, repeatable growth.
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Trusted Partner
Mitch Roberts
Founder and Executive Coach
Aligned to Purpose
Mitch Roberts is the Founder of Aligned to Purpose and the creator of The Gold Mine Method, a 90-day leadership alignment experience. With more than 20 years of experience working with leadership teams including Fortune 500 organizations such as Microsoft, Mitch helps ambitious leaders move from burnout to clarity. He is a certified coach and facilitator for Unreasonable Hospitality and specializes in helping SMB leaders build high-performance cultures by systematizing the customer journey, deploying AI-powered productivity strategies, and applying proven frameworks including the StoryBrand method.
How Mitch Adds Value
Unreasonable Hospitality workshops
Mitch leads workshops that systematize the customer journey, turning ordinary touchpoints into unforgettable experiences that drive loyalty, retention, and sustainable growth.
AI-driven productivity and execution
He helps teams deploy custom AI tools as a horizontal marketing and communications layer, multiplying execution speed and freeing leaders to focus on high-value strategy.
Burnout-to-clarity leadership coaching
Mitch provides high-stakes coaching for executives who need to reclaim their time and lead with intentionality, using proven productivity methods and the StoryBrand framework.
About Aligned to Purpose
Aligned to Purpose is a leadership coaching and consulting firm built to help ambitious leaders reclaim clarity, build high-performance cultures, and grow with intention. Through The Gold Mine Method, Unreasonable Hospitality workshops, and AI-powered strategy, Aligned to Purpose equips leaders and teams with the systems, frameworks, and mindset needed to move from burnout to sustainable, high-impact performance.
Visit Aligned to Purpose →
Trusted Partner
Jay Russo
Owner & President
RB Printing
Jay Russo is the Owner and President of RB Printing. He has a strong background in servant leadership, operations, team building, and helping organizations move in the right direction with clarity and purpose.
Jay is passionate about people, not just production. He believes strong teams, clear communication, and dependable service are what make a business truly valuable. Over the years, he has helped lead teams, improve systems, support clients, and create solutions that make businesses look more professional and operate more effectively.
His experience in mentoring, speaking, service, and humanitarian work also reflects a bigger commitment: helping people and organizations grow in ways that actually matter.
How Jay Adds Value
High-quality commercial printing and production
Jay provides organizations with professional, reliable printing that makes their brand look sharp and consistent. From marketing materials to business collateral and larger production projects, RB Printing focuses on quality, detail, and getting the job done right.
End-to-end project management and fulfillment
Printing is rarely just "printing." There are files, deadlines, details, finishing, mailing, fulfillment, and plenty of places where things can go sideways. As a Certified Project Manager, Jay and his team help manage the process from beginning to end so clients do not have to chase every detail or worry about whether the job is moving forward.
Fast, dependable service that supports organizational momentum
Jay leads RB Printing with a service-first mindset, delivering quick turnaround times, responsive communication, and consistent reliability. His approach keeps organizations, their campaigns, events, and internal operations moving without delays.
About RB Printing
RB Printing is a 58 year old, full-service commercial printing and production company that helps businesses with high-quality printing, finishing, mailing, fulfillment, and marketing materials. The company is known for reliable service, strong attention to detail, and helping clients look more professional everywhere their brand shows up. From everyday business materials to larger print production needs, RB Printing works to make the process simple, accurate, and dependable.
Visit RB Printing →
Trusted Partner
Dr. Tom Tonkin
Founder & Principal
The Tonkin Group
Dr. Tom Tonkin is the Founder and Principal of The Tonkin Group, a fractional sales and marketing consultancy serving professional services firms. With more than 30 years of global sales leadership — including senior roles at Oracle and advisory work with organizations such as AT&T, Salesforce, CBRE, and Cornerstone — Tom helps owner-led firms install the go-to-market discipline that turns capability into consistent revenue. He holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership and combines academic rigor with real-world execution to help firms move from effort to results.
How Tom Adds Value
Fractional executive-level GTM leadership
Tom steps into the senior sales and marketing seat for firms that need CEO-level strategy, accountability, and revenue leadership without the cost or commitment of a full-time executive.
Sales process and go-to-market design
He architects the full revenue motion — ICP definition, qualification criteria, sales process, proposal structure, and CRM operationalization — so that effort translates into predictable, repeatable results.
Executive advisory for founders and partners
Tom serves as a strategic thought partner, helping leaders make the practical decisions around structure, growth, and prioritization that determine whether a firm scales or stalls.
About The Tonkin Group
The Tonkin Group provides fractional sales and marketing leadership for law firms, accounting firms, and IT consulting practices in the 20–100 employee range — the stage where sales and marketing maturity matters most, and a full-time executive hire is rarely the right answer. Engagements combine go-to-market strategy, sales process design, and executive advisory, with a boutique model that ensures every client receives senior-level attention throughout the engagement.
Visit The Tonkin Group →Ready to connect with the right partner?
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