ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Dr. Laurie Bassi is the CEO of McBassi & Company, a consulting firm that specializes in human capital analytics. An economist, author, and speaker, Laurie focuses her work on helping companies to identify opportunities to drive better business results through more effective and enlightened management of employees. She has been conducting research on workplaces for over three decades and has consulted with dozens of organizations and governments around the world.
Laurie is also a registered investment advisor and the chair of Bassi Investments (which uses the principles and findings outlined in Good Company to manage assets). She has served as the director of research for Saba Software, vice president at the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD), a staff director of two U.S. Government commissions, and a cochair of the Board on Testing and Assessment at the National Academy of Sciences. The early years of Laurie’s career were spent as a tenured professor of economics and public policy at Georgetown University.
Laurie has authored over 80 published papers and has given talks throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. She holds a PhD in economics from Princeton University.
Ed Frauenheim is a journalist with 15 years of experience writing about topics including technology, work, business, and education. He currently is Senior Editor at Workforce Management magazine, where he helps lead the magazine’s coverage of people management and business strategy. Ed has written extensively about outsourcing, emerging economies, and employee engagement. His stories have earned awards from the Associated Press News Executive Council of California and Nevada, the American Society of Business Publication Editors, and American Business Media.
Ed has worked at CNET News.com and the Oakland Tribune chain of newspapers. He has written freelance stories for publications including Salon.com, Wired magazine, the Dallas Morning News, and Knowledge@ Wharton, the online magazine of The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Ed earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Princeton University and a master’s degree in education from the University of California at Berkeley.
Dan McMurrer is chief analyst at McBassi & Company and chief research officer at Bassi Investments. Over the past 15 years, Dan and Laurie have worked together, designing and deploying assessment tools for understanding the unique strengths and weaknesses of organizations’ work and learning environments, and analyzing how those are linked to business results. Dan is also a registered investment advisor, and works with Laurie to manage Bassi Investments’ portfolios.
Prior to cofounding McBassi & Company, Dan worked in research positions at the Urban Institute, Saba Software, the American Society for Training and Development, and the U.S. Department of Labor. He has authored two previous books as well as multiple articles. He holds a bachelor’s degree in politics from Princeton University and a master’s degree in public policy from Georgetown University.
Larry Costello is an experienced human resource professional, most recently serving as senior vice president for human resources at American Standard Companies. Throughout his career Larry has held senior management positions at the Campbell Soup Company, PepsiCo Inc., North American Van Lines, and Frito Lay.
After American Standard was sold to Ingersoll Rand in 2008, Larry founded The Lawrence Bradford Group, a talent management advisory firm. He consults on a variety of issues and topics, providing human capital expertise in a range of settings.
Larry is a board advisor of LJH Linley Capital, McBassi & Company, Sky-Trax Inc., and Zapoint, and he is chair of the advisory board for the Center for Human Resource Strategy in the School of Management and Labor Relations at Rutgers University. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business and finance administration from Rider College (NJ) and attended the Harvard Program for Management Development.