Obsidian Ridge Partners is a strategic advisory firm built around a small number of clients and serious work. The story behind that, and the people doing it, are below.
Most advisory firms grow by adding clients. We grow by going deeper with the ones we have. The math is simple: every engagement gets the full attention of the people doing the work, or the work isn't worth doing. That's why our client list is intentionally short and our waitlist is real.
The audit-first model exists for the same reason. Before we commit to anything long-term, we spend focused time with your business. You walk away with clarity. Sometimes that turns into a multi-year relationship. Sometimes the audit itself is the whole engagement. Either outcome is fine — what isn't fine is selling work that doesn't fit.
Sustainable beats explosive. Audit whether people are thriving, not just whether numbers are climbing.
Lots of people have ideas. Few have real intent. We help you clarify the why before the what.
You are probably not Luke Skywalker. Build systems that outlast you.
Creative freedom within aligned boundaries. Autonomy within strategy. Both, not one.
Every audit and engagement is led directly by one of us. No handoffs to junior staff. No outsourced delivery. When you hire ORP, you get the people whose names are on the door.
"Health before growth. Sustainable beats explosive every single time."
David founded Obsidian Ridge Partners after thirty years in professional theater and live production — acoustics, audio imaging, projection, lighting, and staging for hundreds of churches, ministries, and performance venues across the country. His career as a Principal Consultant at CSD Group and dBA Design Group taught him that the same patterns repeat at every scale: the systems that worked at half the size break under growth, and the people running them know it long before the numbers show it.
He studied psychology and theology in college and never quite left either field. His leadership philosophy borrows from both — fractal thinking, servant leadership, intent before vision — and is laid out in his 2024 book You Don't Know Sheep: An Unconventional Field Guide for Today's Faith Leader (Five Crow Press). He speaks regularly at the National Association of Broadcasters, Live Design International, InfoComm, Worship Facilities Expo, and the American Institute of Architects.
What clients hire him for: the ability to sit across from a founder, ask the question nobody else is asking, and build a real path forward from the answer.
"Develop new skills. Challenge the status quo."
Kevin holds a B.S. in finance, an M.B.A. in strategic leadership, and is a Ph.D. candidate at the Liberty University School of Communication. He has served in leadership roles since 2002 and is the founder of Xtra Axial Consulting LLC, where the work focuses on adapting business processes through AI-driven automation.
He grew up in South Florida, has been married for twenty-four years, and now lives in Lynchburg, Virginia with his family. What he brings to ORP engagements: a commitment to helping owners and leaders develop new skills and challenge the status quo — and the operations and systems work that turns that intent into something durable.
Get on the list and we'll reach out when we have a spot. Most introductory calls happen within two business weeks of joining.
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