In 2000, a group of Baltimore auto repair shops was facing several threats to their businesses due to illegal practices of waste material disposal. State and federal environmental regulatory agencies were taking aggressive enforcement actions against the shops, penalizing those that violated the legal requirements for reducing the amount of pollutants released into the environment. Due to these threats, and also recognizing their collective impact on the degradation of coastal ecological systems, the shops formed an alliance known as the Northwest Baltimore Automotive Association (NBAA). In 2004, they launched several creative and proactive initiatives aimed at changing their practices.

One of their first steps was to hire an Executive Director to take on the leadership responsibility. He proved to be instrumental in serving as a liaison with regulatory agencies and implementing strategic decisions aimed at strengthening the alliance. For example, the Executive Director coordinated regulatory compliance training for member shops and lobbied local, state, and federal governments to minimize conflicts between all stakeholders. Since its founding, the NBAA's strategic actions have been successful in transforming the environmental practices of its members and mitigating negative business impacts.

After spending more than two years establishing a positive perception of the organization, the Executive Director is now wondering how to go about sustaining its success in the face of limited resources and higher expectations from local and state stakeholders. He is not an expert in strategic management by any means and he needs direction on how to prepare a viable plan going forward. More specifically, the Executive Director is looking for consultants to help determine what strategies need adjusting and what new strategies should be considered in light of the NBAA's particular circumstances. He is certain that once a formal strategic plan has been completed, it will attract the funding desperately needed to sustain the success of the NBAA. Without more funding, he risks losing the faith of the constituencies and destroying the fruit of all of his efforts.