When Kate Badey became president of Safety Consultants USA, financial challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic prompted her to pursue new markets to strengthen the small company’s stability. Beginning in fall 2022, work with the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center (UGA SBDC) helped the Sandy Springs firm develop a new strategic plan and marketing approach that, within three years, increased annual sales by 23%, boosted its profit margin, and grew employment by almost 20%.
Safety Consultants USA provides safety consulting, training and contract safety manager placement services in key industries including construction, manufacturing, retail, agriculture, warehousing and distribution. The company hires and develops safety experts who provide customized consulting and training focused on the unique safety hazards and regulations of the clients within their industries.
Badey’s husband, Keith, founded the business in 2008. Badey joined the business full-time in 2016 to manage existing client relationships and develop new ones. In mid-2020, Keith and his business partner, Paul Achenbach, determined she should transition to the role of president and CEO. Shortly after, she began working with the UGA SBDC in Gwinnett.
“The pandemic caused us to look at the fragility of certain verticals — some industry markets we were focused on — and where there would be more stability,” she said. “With our first SBDC consultant, John Stowell, we identified where those markets were and did a deep dive on how to penetrate them while also improving our penetration where we were.”
Badey worked with UGA SBDC consultants on strategic planning, marketing and human resources. In fall 2023, she attended UGA SBDC’s GrowSmart course, adding another level of SBDC resources to those she had begun using.
“At GrowSmart, I found being in a collaborative environment with other business leaders extremely helpful,” she said. “Talking about challenges, listening to experts, reading recommended books — all had a valuable impact on my ability to think deeply about planning and achieving our goals. We now have a more robust strategic plan, and I feel we’ll be able to hit our revenue, profit and growth goals. It also helped with the alignment of our management and employees.”
As the business grew, Badey realized she was not getting the best hiring results from job ads and interviews. UGA SBDC consultant and human resources expert Lisa Rackley met with her to discuss best practices in hiring. Together they examined how to tailor questions to draw out the most relevant examples of a candidate’s past work experience and match those to the necessary job requirements.
“We’ve worked on how our job descriptions describe the onboarding training that will be expected,” Badey said. “Also, we’re making sure that certain KPIs align with our bonus structure.”
She continues to meet regularly with a UGA SBDC consultant to work out these details.
“By bringing together our shared expertise across our offices, the UGA SBDC can help deliver the comprehensive insight and tailored guidance every business needs to thrive,” said Todd Anduze, area director of the UGA SBDC in Gwinnett. “We consistently work together as a team to help create the best results for every client.”
Safety Consultants USA today has offices in eight major southern cities with 25 employees on staff. The company has been recognized on Inc. Magazine’s 5000 list for rapid growth, and in 2025, Badey was named to the Georgia Titan 100, recognizing the state’s top CEOs and C-suite executives. She currently serves as chairman-elect on the board of Associated Builders and Contractors of Georgia and recently completed a two-year term as co-chair for the Georgia Chapter of Women in Manufacturing.
Badey appreciates what she’s learned from the UGA SBDC in just a few years and said she especially recognizes the strategic ways her work with the consultants has helped the business grow.
“Sometimes it can be hard to tell if you’re doing all the right things or getting the right outcomes. With the UGA SBDC, we have an advisory board at the ready to discuss short- and long-term goals to grow the business. The knowledge and resources they make available to a small business are vast, and the tools they offer are very valuable.”
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