MEET Dr. K.L. ALLEN

Dr. K.L. Allen is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of KeyGroup, LLC.  Dr. Allen has close to two decades of higher education experience, ranging from launching and leading collegiate departments of business development and veteran affairs to being a professor in business, economics, and education.

 

Dr. Allen is an advocate for socioeconomic equality, education, and entrepreneurship, as illustrated by his 60-plus published op-eds and his testimony at the Ohio Statehouse. A native of North Carolina, Dr. Allen is passionate about removing social and economic barriers so that individuals may pursue educational opportunities that can help improve their chances to overcome those barriers. As Chancellor of WGU Ohio, he has championed the university’s mission of changing lives for the better by creating pathways to opportunity. Dr. Allen earned a B.A. in criminal justice, an M.B.A. in global management, and a doctorate in educational leadership, where his research focused on employee engagement, socioeconomics, and leadership. He is an active member of Kappa Alpha Psi and sits on several boards in Ohio such as the Columbus Chamber of Commerce, Ohio Chamber of Commerce, Dayton Chamber of Commerce EPI foundation, and the Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors

 

​A Word From K.L.

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Thanks for stopping by our website as we are most appreciative of your time and the opportunity to work with you.  I felt it was important to have a section to explain the “why” of KeyGroup, which is important for potential and existing clients to know. 

 

Although I enjoy working in corporate America, I still had that “what more can I be doing” feeling.  All too often I questioned whether I was truly helping others, and wondered if my job was truly my passion.  One day, a friend asked me to describe myself without a title, without using anything related to my profession, and tell them what is my happiness.  That day was a life-changing moment as I forced myself to be introspective, watched the movie “Pursuit of Happyness,” and wrote out my happiness and peace of mind.

As I stepped out to become an entrepreneur, it was lonely.  I felt like the poem, “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, as I surely felt that I'd taken the road less traveled.  That feeling of being on a road by yourself can be daunting, which is the feeling KeyGroup eliminates for our clients.  We help churches looking to build their congregation, small businesses remove hurdles, nonprofits with strategic planning, and educational institutions add students via partnerships.  Ultimately, we assist you with growing, evolving and becoming.  The growth strategy for each vertical and client will be different as no business should be looked at with a cookie cutter approach.
 

Why did we select these verticals?  Great question.  Church, the faith you have to have to step out is paramount. Also, treating others how we want to be treated is without question the golden rule.  So, the more individuals we can engage and show, not only tell, how beneficial the church is, the better I feel the world will be.

Education, as my parents used to say, can never be taken away from you.  Education equips you for life in various ways as knowledge is power.

 

Small businesses, we love seeing the idea you have made a reality, and in today’s economy, entrepreneurship is a skill not taught or spoken of enough, especially not the obstacles you will face.  Not that I am against corporate America, but at times, you have to make your dreams reality, oppose to making someone else’s dream reality.  Is entrepreneurship for everyone, no, just as corporate America is not.  

 

We each have a road we can travel, and if you elect to grow your church, educational institution, nonprofit, or small business, I ask that you let us travel that road with you.
 

Again, thank you for stopping by, and I truly hope you take the next step by reaching out so we can begin growing your business!

 

Live and Love Life, as we only have ONE,

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Dr. K.L. Allen
K.L.Allen@KeyGroupLLC.com
Co-Founder and Managing Partner, KeyGroup
 

KeyGroup is a Veteran owned company!