People. Culture. Performance.

Build a stronger business by building your people.

Senior people leadership for small and mid-sized businesses—without the cost or commitment of a full-time hire.

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20 years of People & Culture leadership experience

A practical, people-first approach

Good strategy. Real-world impact.

Every organization has a summit in view: the place its leaders want to take the business. Reaching it depends on stone—the foundation of people, process, and systems that holds the climb together.

Summit & Stone Advisory works on both. We help leaders get clear on where they are headed, then build the people foundation that makes it reachable.

“Build the conditions for people to do their best work—and for the business to do its best work, too.”

How we help

Senior people leadership. Built around your business.

Summit & Stone Advisory helps CEOs, founders, and COOs build the people, process, and systems foundation their next stage of growth depends on.

Fractional Chief People Officer

Senior people leadership at a quarter-time or half-time commitment—a steady hand on the foundation, so you can stay focused on the business.

  • People strategy aligned to business goals
  • Policies, processes, and compliance foundations
  • Employee relations and leadership coaching
  • Recruiting, engagement, and benefits oversight

Paylocity Implementation

Strategic project leadership for HR and payroll system implementation. Set the system up well, and everything built on it holds.

  • Implementation plan, timeline, and clear owners
  • Process design and configuration decisions
  • Data validation and parallel payroll testing
  • Manager and employee rollout for adoption

Team Workshops

Practical sessions built on Patrick Lencioni’s frameworks, giving teams shared language for how they work, where they get stuck, and who they need beside them.

  • The 6 Types of Working Genius: understand energizing work and team gaps
  • The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: build trust, healthy conflict, commitment, accountability, and results
  • The Ideal Team Player: hire and develop people who are humble, hungry, and smart

Leadership Retreat Planning

Time away from daily work to look toward the summit and agree on the route, from annual offsites to executive retreats and strategic planning sessions.

  • Agenda design tied to leadership outcomes
  • Planning, logistics, and facilitation
  • Follow-up action plan with owners and dates

Team workshop formats

Half dayAn introduction to one framework
Full dayA deeper session applied to your team's real work
Two dayCombining frameworks with team action planning

The 6 Types of Working Genius, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, and The Ideal Team Player are works of Patrick Lencioni and The Table Group.

Lauren Perez, founder of Summit & Stone AdvisoryA thoughtful partner for your next stage of growth

Meet your advisor

Experience you can work with. A partner in your corner.

I'm Lauren Perez, founder of Summit & Stone Advisory. With 20 years of experience as a People & Culture leader, I partner with business leaders to turn people challenges into practical, sustainable solutions.

I built Summit & Stone for CEOs, founders, and COOs who need experienced HR leadership but aren't ready for a full-time executive hire. Whether you're formalizing people practices, implementing a new HR system, strengthening how your team works, or planning your next leadership retreat, we'll start with your goals and build a clear path forward.

My approach is direct, collaborative, and grounded in the realities of running a business: the people practices need to work in real life, not just on paper.

Connect with Lauren

Resources

Helpful information, ready to take with you.

Explore and download a concise overview of Summit & Stone Advisory's services. More guides and one-pagers can be added here as they become available.

Services Overview

A quick guide to fractional people leadership, Paylocity implementation, team workshops, and leadership retreat planning.

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Ready to align your people strategy with your business goals?

Let's talk

Start a conversation

Let's talk about what's next.

Share a little about your organization and what you're working through. We'll take it from there.

Email lauren@summitandstone.net
Phone (682) 429-4018
Good conversations start here

Exploring a challenge, planning for growth, or looking for an experienced thought partner? Reach out.

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