Our Team

Meet Our Team

The team at Affirm Consulting has experience operating at all levels within companies, including serving as corporate executives, mid-level managers and business operations leaders. We stand ready to apply our expertise in growing businesses and guiding Fortune 100 companies to help you grow your business.

We have grown small and mid-sized businesses into industry-leading companies, managed operations in the United States, Canada, Brazil and Mexico, and owned businesses providing products and services to customers worldwide. Our consultants have a wealth of strategic planning, business operations, organizational development and business coaching knowledge to share. We have decades of experience assisting entrepreneurs, business owners and leadership teams, and we look forward to offering you the expertise and resources your company needs to reach its goals.

Dennis E. Hough

Founder & Principal Consultant

Dennis Hough founded Affirm Consulting to realize his passion to help companies succeed. His background as a degreed industrial engineer and business process expert grew to include responsibilities for executive leadership, production management, engineering, quality assurance and program development for diverse, multidisciplinary companies. His experience leading business operations and coaching companies through growth is the cornerstone of Affirm’s reputation as a strategic hands-on partner to small and mid-sized firms.

Roberto Rinaldi

Integrated Business Coach & Organizational Development Consultant

Roberto Rinaldi is a business coach and organizational development consultant with decades of experience guiding international businesses. As founder and partner of the consulting and coaching firm BizFit Brazil and Bizfit America, Roberto has directed projects for companies such as Diebold, Sky TV, Hill International, Gillette, Ecorodovias, Nokia, Florida Christian University and Soar Global Institute. His executive experience spans a variety of industries including IT development, customer and professional services, finance, non-profits, education and energy.

Susanne Dalton Dupes

Employee Engagement Trainer & Consultant

Susanne Dalton Dupes is an organizational development consultant who specializes in employee engagement. Susanne is the owner of the Dalton Dupes Agency in Knoxville, Tennessee. She helps businesses recruit, retain and reconnect with employees who feel disconnected from their company’s mission and vision. She helps organizations and teams understand individual differences and varying communication styles so they can work together more effectively.

Douglas Nickelson

Strategy & Operations Consultant

Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Douglas Nickelson brings a unique perspective to clients based on his more than 40 years of military and commercial industry experience. He has spent his entire career leading multi-organizational teams and managing in-the-field operations, including extensive experience in regulatory compliance and an emphasis on mission assurance and efficient operations. An expert in evaluating strategic plans, analyzing business operations and developing winning teams, Doug provides clients with a diverse knowledge base to guide their company’s success.

Kris Rajan

Business Coach & Consultant

Kris Rajan is an innovative thinker with proven experience in growing small businesses. Kris founded CoGrow, a business development platform which utilizes a unique system of management science and business modeling. The primary purpose of the CoGrow platform is to guide small business owners through the business growth process.

Kris serves as Business Coach and Mentor helping shape clients’ corporate policies, strategies, organizational development and coaching of key executives for increased profitability and sustained business growth.

Holly E. Barrett

Project Consultant

Holly Barrett has been providing executive-level accounting expertise to clients for more than 20 years. She holds an active Certified Public Accountant license and a master’s in business administration (MBA) degree from the University of Washington with concentrations in finance and operations.