About the firm—Heritage Consulting Inc.
Heritage Consulting Inc. is a woman-owned business that provides assistance to non-profit organizations, government agencies and corporate clients nationwide in three practice areas: downtown and commercial district revitalization, historic preservation and non-profit organizational development. Donna Ann Harris is the firm's principal and has more than thirty years of experience as a trainer, program designer and manager in the historic preservation field. She has worked in all levels of government, in the for-profit and the non-profit sectors.
The business was founded by Donna Ann Harris upon her retirement from Illinois state government in 2004 after serving as State coordinator for the Illinois Main Street Program for two years and as suburban coordinator for Illinois Main Street for four years.
Heritage Consulting’s services can vary from short, project-specific assignments such as board training, strategic planning or committee training to year-long consultations to fundamentally reorganize a non-profit organization or implement downtown local taxing districts. Downtown clients have special needs and Heritage Consulting prefers to establish long- term working relationships with downtown clients that mature and develop as the downtown organization staff and volunteers expand their expertise and organizational capacity. The firm enjoys working with a wide range of community stakeholders as well as elected officials as these relationships are critical to the downtown organization’s success. We have worked with downtown organizations throughout Illinois, and in Michigan, Delaware, Philadelphia, New York State, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, and Oklahoma.
The firm works collaboratively with its clients, by first assessing their specific needs and developing a work plan to achieve the client’s goals. Formal and informal communication with clients throughout the project is a hallmark of Heritage Consulting’s working style. Clients are treated as valued partners and colleagues. Clients appreciate the firm’s “diplomatic but frank” approach to communicating information, which allows the client to understand the facts of a controversial issue and the alternatives to be explored.
Heritage Consulting Inc. provides assistance directly through response to RFP’s, preparation of foundation grant proposals or in partnership with other economic development or planning firms. Updated 1-2022