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Our Story
Jim Cowell, PE
has over 40 years experience in construction management and facilities engineering. In the Navy Civil Engineer Corps, he was responsible for leading large organizations with an owners perspective in large-scale construction projects, facilities operations, and organizational performance. Under his leadership as Director of Construction, the LAUSD $12 billion new school construction program was on track to build 130 new schools throughout the District. As the co-founder of Blue Arroyo he works with consultants and clients to derive key performance indexes and cost analytics, providing solutions to guide future development in accordance with budgets and timelines.
Judi Cowell, PE, PMP
has over 40 years of strategic planning, sales, engineering, operations and project management experience, specializing in information technologies, process automation, and software development. Throughout her 29-year career at Hewlett-Packard she managed a wide range of pilot projects that required innovative solutions, including systematically designing programs that launched new products and services into emerging markets. She leveraged her expertise in managing large programs as Director of Digital Media Operations and Customer Service at Warner Bros., in which she led and grew the digital entertainment services from inception to full scale operations. As the co-founder and president of Blue Arroyo, she works with clients to develop strategic plans and programs to guide implementation.
Our Story
Blue Arroyo Partners was created in 2012 when the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) needed help turning around the troubled $6 billion dollar "BuildLACCD" construction program. The founders, Jim and Judi Cowell, were excited about the opportunity to serve the people of Los Angeles and deliver on the promise of new opportunities for education and employment. Nine years later, Blue Arroyo Partners continues to serve business owners, directors, program managers, presidents and CEOs who want to see their visions come to life with sound business practices and a culture that supports a healthy work/life mix.
As a family with a strong naval tradition, service has always been a core value for Jim and Judi Cowell, so it should be no surprise that they jumped at the opportunity to pass on their knowledge and experience in the fields of facilities and technology. Working with small to medium sized companies, Blue Arroyo Partners leverages decades of business and engineering experience to provide the best in executive coaching, program execution, process optimization, change management, and much more to some of the best and brightest executives and entrepreneurs in the Los Angeles area. Blue Arroyo Partners brings the effective leadership, management and operational techniques learned from our experience at world class organizations like Hewlett-Packard, Caltech, Warner Bros., and the U.S. Navy.
We provide guidance for:
- Facilities and construction executives who are managing the complexities of creating and maintaining facilities strategic to their business while incorporating new building and facilities information systems into their facilities management strategy.
- Technology companies who need help bring their ideas to market. We build programs for companies to launch new technologies and products.
- Entrepreneurs who need help wading through the chaos of starting a new business and lead them towards creating a practical process to juggle life, daily business operations, and strategic planning to launch and grow a sustainable business.
In the ten years since its creation Blue Arroyo Partners has helped dozens of entrepreneurs, technology companies, and facilities managers move from areas of chaos and distress to new realms of success and productivity. We take a holistic approach to program management, making sure to never forget that people within an organization, and their confidence, is just as important as the industry leading business strategy and processes that are practiced to deliver world class customer experiences.
Our goal is to create a Blue Arroyo community that is passionate about their vision and compassionate to each other. That’s what “guiding the things that bring vision to life” will always mean to us.
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A new focus
Many are selling the newest post COVID thing or technology, but how do you determine your needs and the impact to your business strategy?
The post pandemic world will present challenges and opportunities for change. What’s the best way to move forward?
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Finding calm in the chaos
How I “keep calm and carry on” in the midst of the chaotic entrepreneurial seas.
Being an entrepreneur, or career minded professional, comes with a whole host of challenges that can turn your life into a chaotic tempest very quickly.
Have you ever run into that ONE project that epitomizes Murphy’s Law; anything that can go wrong, will go wrong? Or, on the other side of things, having the sudden “good fortune” to win a huge deal that will take absolutely everything you have to pull off?
I have…
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No plan survives first contact with reality
Tips to navigating through obstacles while working your plan
Life has a funny way of keeping us humble. Being a “planner” by nature, I tend to greet the world with a plan, only to encounter obstacles that make me question if I should have even taken the time to plan in the first place.
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Navigation Our services focus on creating technology and facility programs that align with your vision. It’s just about understanding where you are and creating a roadmap that gets you where you want to go.
Chart a path
“If you don't know where you are going any road can take you there”
~ Lewis CarrollEmpower the team
“When you become a leader, your job is to define the problem — not solve it."
~ Harvard Business ReviewManage progress
“You can’t manage what you don’t measure”
~ W. Edwards DemingCreate momentum
“We are all navigating this new normal together. As we lock arms virtually and try to help one another in the ways we can, our vast world suddenly feels a little smaller and a lot more connected. And for that, we are grateful.”
~ Michael DellKeep it simple
"There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all"
~ Peter DruckerQuality
“Whatever you do, do it well. Do it so well that when people see you do it, they will want to come back and see you do it again, and they will want to bring others and show them how well you do what you do.”
~ Walt DisneyBe resilient
“There will be interruptions, and I don’t know when they will occur, and I don’t how deep they will occur, I do know they will occur from time to time, and I also know that we’ll come out better on the other end”
~ Warren BuffetCelebrate results
“Let your joy be in your journey—not in some distant goal.”
~ Tim Cook
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Courageous Risks
How Random Acts of Entrepreneurship may be hurting your business
My clients are my heroes because of their passion and drive to bring their vision to life. I appreciate the risks they take to “launch” their big ideas and I often reflect back on lessons learned along the way.
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Workshops
Blue Arroyo Partners events
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Whether you have a question about our services, want to schedule a meeting, or anything else, we’d love to hear from you.
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Judi Cowell
Can we help you?
Judi Cowell, PE, PMP has over 30 years at HP, Warner Bros. and Blue Arroyo Partners of strategic planning, sales, engineering, operations and project management experience, specializing in information technologies, process automation, and software develop