There’s really no other way to describe it. Our clients and team members made 2018 a celebration here at Powerhouse Planning. 2018 saw us enjoying our sixth year providing an assortment of services to a wide range of clients, while employing a virtual team that now represents all five military branches, the best talent (regardless of military affiliation), and eleven states (if you think your office conferences are hard to coordinate, try ours!). Despite a fabulous first five years, in 2018 Powerhouse grew our client portfolio by 50% and our team by 41%. In addition, our most impressive statistic is also one near and dear to our president and founder, Jessica Bertsch’s, heart: Our charitable contributions grew a whopping 144%! So join the party as we honor the ways in which 2018 marks our most “accomplished” year to date.

Our clients are incredibly important and impressive. We strive to provide the best, most innovative products, and word is spreading that Powerhouse is the place to go for high-quality, on-time delivery. In 2018, we established partnerships with Jacey Eckhart, Coastal Addiction, MILLIE, and Operation: Job Ready Veterans, just to name a few. From serving nonprofits to government contractors, we provide wide-ranging services that assist our diverse clients in creating the best possible solutions for their clients. In addition, we are proud that longtime client Cape Henry Associates renewed their contract with us for a record fifth year.

Ever heard the phrase, “There is no ‘I’ in team”? Well, at Powerhouse we’re proud to say that we place a high premium on collaboration and teamwork—it’s all about working together to create our POWERful team solutions. But we do believe there is an “I” in our team: Our team is INCREDIBLE. All of our team members are truly spectacular at what they do. Our president has a talent for discovering someone’s “career gifts,” and it shows in the team she’s assembled. Last year we added some dazzling talents to our team such as Meghan Traynor, Julia Clark,  and Ariana Detrez.

Powerhouse has been honored to work with some of the best talents in the nation. In a virtual workplace, it can be difficult to create a true sense of community, but Powerhouse has succeeded. While a lot of us here are relatively new (two years or less with the company), there are some who, even in the short six years Powerhouse has been around, have already achieved “legendary status.” Legends like Jennifer McKee, Technical Writer and Quality Assurance Specialist, who is our most senior team member. Jennifer has been with Powerhouse for five years, and her fingerprints are all over the successful projects we turn out. Another example of our spectacular workforce is Bianca Strzalkowski, our e-Newsletter Coordinator. All those newsletters you’ve received and looked at over the last three years are her babies. She makes us look and sound good year-round. From our amazing long-term IT guy to our lineup of graphic designers, technical writers, marketing gurus, and more, Powerhouse employs the best while providing a work/life balance that is second to none. No wonder our team members tend to stick around while continually submitting outstanding work.

From its inception, Powerhouse has been committed to giving back 10% of its monthly profits. In the beginning, that commitment meant sponsoring a child in Africa through World Vision, a sponsorship that still continues today. As Powerhouse grew, so did our charitable offerings. In early 2018, Powerhouse provided funds for a woman to travel to Haiti for humanitarian reasons. Powerhouse’s founder wanted a way to get the team involved in our “Share the Goodness” movement, and in November and December she challenged Powerhouse team members to nominate organizations in our hometowns to receive some of the goodness that comes our way. Our commitment to give back to our communities saw contributions going to the Scentsy Buddy Drive at Florida Hospital for Children; Space Coast Basket Brigade; Jesse Beckius/Casey Owens Veterans Resource Center; Alzheimer’s Association; Foodbank of Hampton Roads; North Carolina Center for Economic Empowerment and Development (CEED); Onslow Women’s Shelter; Fort Gordon Christmas House; St. Anne’s Child Care Center; and Rockledge Professional Firefighters Charitable Foundation. If you asked her, we’re pretty sure Jessica would say that besides the professional success Powerhouse has seen, the ability to give back and “Share the Goodness” is one of her favorite things about starting this company.

So, as we begin to tackle 2019, we thank you for everything. 2018 was a fantastic year, full of growth and exciting new partnerships. Be sure to check out our services. And keep checking back—we’re adding new goodness all the time as we strive to be the one-stop shop for all of your planning and marketing needs. Don’t see what you need? Contact us and we’ll see what we can do. Our goal is to make 2019 even more remarkable. Let’s make a date to meet next year to celebrate again—same time, same place. Deal?

Shelley is a visual designer and front-end developer who has had worked for over 12 years on projects that support the development of water and transportation infrastructure internationally in developing countries, support and encourage the professional development of physical therapists, provide American diplomats in training with digital textbooks, and support the marketing and design vision for a variety of nonprofits. She is passionate about understanding what drives people to information, exploring innovative strategies, designing user-friendly deliverables, and learning new skills. She graduated from Belmont University in Nashville, TN in 2006 with a BFA in design communications and currently resides in Arlington, VA.

When she’s not working, you can almost always find her exploring the Washington, D.C. area; planning her next travel adventure; in the kitchen experimenting with a new recipe; or simply enjoying the company of her boyfriend, friends, and (last but not least!) dog, Liam.

Meghan Traynor is excited to join Powerhouse Planning as a Social Media Specialist. She is a proud Coast Guard spouse currently residing in Alameda, California with her husband and their newborn son! Meghan graduated in 2015 with a degree in early childhood education. She started out as a teaching assistant and worked her way up to be the assistant director of a preschool. While Meghan loves teaching and all the rewards that come with it, she has decided to start down a new path as a freelancer so she can stay at home with her son and still be able to help support her family and her husband’s career.

Julia Clark is the daughter of an Army veteran, the wife of a fireman, the mother of three, and a self-employed freelancer since 2008. She’s located on Florida’s sunny space coast, where it’s quite literally summer year-round. Freelancing has allowed her the work-life balance and flexibility she so enjoys, and she’s excited to join Powerhouse Planning’s freelance team.

Julia prides herself on being a versatile member of any client’s team and has years of experience as a social media manager, blogger, influencer, content curator, marketer, graphic designer, and virtual assistant. She has knack for networking and developing creative marketing strategies, and she truly feels she’s a valuable asset on any team, regardless of their niche.

Ariana Detrez is a freelance graphic designer with a background in art education. She received her bachelor’s in art education from the University of Central Florida. She taught high school art 2-D and digital photography for a year until she realized she wanted to get back to her creative roots. She has always been drawn to the arts, and graphic design allows her to tap into her creativity while helping businesses. Ariana is constantly branching out in her design work, testing out trends, and exploring her skills. When Ariana is not expressing her artistic perspective through design, she is exploring other creative fields such as photography, drawing, and paper-crafting.

Ariana is new to military life and being a military spouse; however, she is enjoying the refreshing change. It has been quite an adjustment, but a positive one nonetheless. Learning about the Air Force and the military, along with participating in the community, has really helped her grow and connect with others.

As Jessica Bertsch nears her sixth year of business, she reflects on the Powerhouse story and what’s ahead.

By Bianca M. Strzalkowski

Sometimes life puts you on a path you didn’t even know you were meant to travel.

The founder and president of Powerhouse Planning never aspired to be a business owner. Jessica Bertsch’s background was in higher education, working at colleges and universities until she married a United States Coast Guardsman. The frequent relocations associated with his military service eventually led to the realization that she would need to pivot her career plan.

Building a portfolio of excellence
“As we moved, it was hard to find jobs within universities,” she explained. “So, with our first move—after I had worked at Purdue University—we kind of decided maybe I needed to look at other areas to work within. And that’s when I hopped over to government contracting, and I was incredibly fortunate to be with a small, but growing firm.”

Jessica says the experience she gained at that firm allowed her to see firsthand what a succeeding venture looks like, which included an increase of human capital and a focus on expanding the firm’s vision. By the conclusion of her work there, the company had increased its revenue by 750%.

Around the same time, the Bertsch’s were beginning to discuss the future—including growing their family. Part of those talks included the reality that her husband’s career would demand some periods of separation for sea time, typically alternating tours every two years. Still, Jessica didn’t want to give up on the resume she had worked hard to build. She would find a way for home and professional life to coexist.

“As we started talking about having a family, I was trying to figure out how we could grow our family but still allow me to have a career and support him out at sea. That’s when someone came to me and asked if I would do some freelance work,” she said.

Tapping into a new talent pool
But average isn’t Jessica’s way of doing business. Instead, with encouragement from her husband, she decided to approach the newfound profession in a bigger way.

“I decided to just go for it,” she shared.

So roughly five years ago, Jessica founded Powerhouse Planning, a company comprised of freelance team members who partner with and support businesses as a whole, and Powerhouse has experienced upward mobility ever since. Not only did she lean on her own education and employment skills, but she also sought out a highly underutilized talent pool: military spouses.

Because of the company’s structure, Powerhouse is able to provide a wide range of services at a price favorable to clients’ bottom line because it includes no overhead costs. The team is built on talent, not location. By working with a fully virtual workforce, Jessica recruits and retains contractors based on performance and skill regardless of geography, a tactic highly favorable to a demographic often on the go because of military orders.

Helping clients improve the bottom line
The company’s portfolio includes supporting a mix of small- to mid-sized firms with their business development, company development, marketing, and internal and external communications. Jessica says that just as she revised her own employment plans during those early years, she applied the same approach to Powerhouse to maximize the company’s efficiencies. And it was an effective strategy because in just five years of operation, the firm has seen advancement.

“Our defining moment was about two years ago when we switched over to doing primarily retainer-based contracts,” Jessica said. “I was thinking about how we can really help companies grow, and that’s when two years ago we thought why wouldn’t we become this virtual team that backs companies and saves them thousands of dollars because they get an entire virtual team—IT, graphic design, quality assurance, project management, social media strategy. They get six people for the cost of one full-time body.”

Retention and consistency are among the core values of Powerhouse’s foundation. Jessica streamlines the process for clients by assigning a single point of contact to them, while striving to connect them with one set team of freelancers. Once Powerhouse partners with a client, the team immediately joins in on the client’s mission; seeing that business prosper becomes a top priority.

“Because we are smaller, I feel we have a larger sense of ownership with these clients,” she added.
To learn more about Powerhouse Planning’s founder, click here: Jessica Bertsch.

Konstantin “Dean” Kokoris is a freelance multimedia designer who provides multimedia services ranging from print to digital design, both motion and 3D. Dean received his bachelor’s degree in 2012 from Old Dominion University, where he studied graphic design. Since graduation, he has worked as a multimedia specialist, a web developer, and an Instructional Systems Designer (ISD).

Dean has developed a variety of training products for the U.S. Navy as both a graphic designer and an ISD. He has also been tasked with redesigning various Navy websites and portals, proving himself to be a jack of all trades.

Angela Caban is a freelance writer, published author, and branding expert. In 2010 she founded the Homefront United Network, a military spouse and family support site created to assist spouses and families through encouragement, educational articles, and resources. This network is dedicated to assisting National Guard and Reserve families with resources and to ensuring no spouse is left behind. In 2013 she was named the New Jersey National Guard Spouse of the Year by Military Spouse Magazine and Armed Forces Insurance.

In January of 2017, Angela was elected to the Milford Public School Board of Education. She is an advocate for military kids attending civilian schools as well as for current issues affecting curriculum and regionalization of smaller school districts. She also sits on advisory boards for The Milspo Project, Military Family Advisory Network and MilTribe.

As a branding expert, Angela has worked with clients such as A&E, Lifetime Network, Chevrolet, Carnival, and many more. Currently, she is one of the Community Managers for the USAA Member Community, which provides engaging and resourceful content for military and families.

Angela has an extensive background in Human Resources and Communications, with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration and a Master’s in Human Resources. She has been married to her Army National Guard soldier for 13 years, and together they reside in the Garden State of New Jersey with their two children.

Kelly W. Maria is pleased to join Powerhouse Planning as a design-minded and social media savvy freelancer who, from technical writing to marketing, does a little bit of everything. Kelly has a background in marketing and special event management. She holds an undergraduate degree in dietetics and a master’s degree in business, marketing, and management. As a proud Marine Corps spouse, she has held positions in many fields including higher education, governmental consulting, military family readiness operations, organizational management, copywriting, training, web and graphic design, and office administration. The military lifestyle has given her the unique opportunity to experience many places and markets; it is through this exposure that her broad range of talents and experiences will serve Powerhouse clients well.

Kelly is currently stationed with her husband, Alan, in Miami. While brushing up on her Spanish, she enjoys practicing yoga, gardening, fishing, and hanging out with her Labrador friends, Zoe and Harley. You can find her, and her dogs, on Instagram @laesposademarinero.

Amanda Higgs joins the Powerhouse Planning team as a video editor.

Amanda has been involved with technical communications most of her life. She began her studies during elementary school and began to focus on technical communication in her middle school years. She honed her craft and graduated from Angelo State University in 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Communications.

She served as Angelo State University’s Rampage Features Editor from 2005-2006, during which time she received awards from the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association for feature writing and feature headline writing. She also worked as an assistant at the TV production lab, RamTV, hosting, directing, and editing shows for local television and radio stations. 

Amanda has been happily serving as a military spouse for the last 13 years and has now settled in Stafford, Virginia with her husband, their two sons, and their dog.