Happy 25th Courtland
It is difficult to believe, but Courtland turned 25 this year! It is incredible that our involvement with the Michigan Child Support program began 25 years ago. I was initially hired by the State of Michigan to convert the data from my 13 Friend of the Court offices onto the Michigan Child Support Enforcement System (CSES). What started out as a project that was potentially going to put me out of business has grown into an organization that has now supported Child Support projects in more than 10 States, served families and children and created careers and income for dedicated staff across the country.
The Michigan Child Support project has always been remarkable for Courtland. It introduced me to the Child Support consulting world. Thankfully, we were able to bring together some of the brightest and most committed people that I have ever met to help the State make it through the very difficult process of federal certification. Along the way we all learned what it took to identify, clean and convert data from 83 counties to a single statewide system. We also learned the trials and tribulations of helping 2400+ users and stakeholders adjust to the new “advanced” system. We made a few mistakes (maybe more than a few), but truly always had the best interest of the end users and the families and children that the system supports as our primary focus.
We have built and improved on that Michigan model with additional successes in the States of New Jersey, Delaware, Arkansas and Maine. Statewide implementations of new technology can be very intimidating to the end users. Our goal is to calm and even eliminate the fear of change and guide those end users through the excitement of what the new technology can bring to their daily work experience. We continue to learn from each statewide implementation or upgrade. Courtland has earned a solid reputation at a national level as the delivery vendor that focuses on the end users. That reputation has led Courtland to recent new contracts in South Carolina and Oregon. I am extremely proud of our past, but even more excited about our future in the child support arena.
We have built and improved on that Michigan model with additional successes in the States of New Jersey, Delaware, Arkansas and Maine. Statewide implementations of new technology can be very intimidating to the end users. Our goal is to calm and even eliminate the fear of change and guide those end users through the excitement of what the new technology can bring to their daily work experience. We continue to learn from each statewide implementation or upgrade. Courtland has earned a solid reputation at a national level as the delivery vendor that focuses on the end users. That reputation has led Courtland to recent new contracts in South Carolina and Oregon. I am extremely proud of our past, but even more excited about our future in the child support arena.
As the Michigan project transitioned from federal certification to maintenance, Courtland also began a transition of its own that led to the diversification of services. Our project involvement has expanded to the entire health and human services arena. We now have clients in the public, private and nonprofit sectors.
Over ten years ago, we began an initiative to do creative services. This extremely competitive marketplace has been a challenge for Courtland, but has evolved into a vibrant organization that launched over 30 projects in 2014. This division has allowed Courtland to work with many small businesses, non-profits, and community-based organizations.
A key component of the Courtland culture is to give back to our communities by supporting charitable causes that focus on serving families and children. We continue to increase our involvement with national child support organizations, such as, National Child Support Enforcement Association (NCSEA), Eastern Regional Interstate Child Support Organization (ERICSA), Western Interstate Child Support Enforcement Council (WICSEC), and the National Council of Child Support Directors (NCCSD). Our support of the Michigan statewide organizations continues with the Michigan Family Support Council (MFSC), Friend of the Court Association (FOCA), Child and Family Services of Michigan, Michigan Nonprofit Association, and Connect Michigan.
We have accomplished a lot together with our community during our first 25 years. Thank you for helping make Courtland a fantastic company now and for many years to come.
Author: Steve Trudell, Owner & President of Courtland Consulting.