About
Meet the team.
More than 60 years of combined experience across strategy, operations, leadership, growth and transformation.
The firm
Experience that moves from boardroom to operating floor.
The Standard™ advises founders, executives and organizations through M&A, integration, change management and the critical inflection points that determine what comes next.
Our experience spans defense and aerospace, logistics, manufacturing, legal services, produce and food distribution, and founder led businesses.
Our team
Experience, perspective and care behind the work.
Riley Gruppo
Founder & Partner
Riley Gruppo is a former Army Company Commander and aerospace program leader with a track record of leading high consequence teams, turning around underperforming organizations and recovering revenue across complex international programs. She led strategic training affecting more than 800 personnel and held responsibility for more than $18 million in equipment and facilities.
Her aerospace work includes the Artemis III parachute program and support for NASA, Lockheed Martin, Varda and Thales. Within her first 90 days, she recovered and generated more than $2 million in revenue while managing more than 20 concurrent international programs. In an earlier institutional turnaround, she reduced data errors by 90% and earned an expanded mandate from the Board after an initial one month engagement.
She began investing in real estate after transitioning from the National Guard to active duty. Outside the firm, she is a dog mom and veteran advocate.
Guy Denniston
Partner
Guy Denniston brings more than 30 years of experience rebuilding and leading organizations through growth, complexity and change across logistics, distribution, manufacturing and privately held businesses. In one turnaround, he delivered a $3.5 million plus swing in annual operating performance, moving the business from a $2.5 million loss to more than $1 million in profit within seven months. He also returned a distressed regional carrier to break even within two months, built a two year exit plan that resulted in a sale four points above the industry average multiple, and helped stabilize a produce distributor within seven months before it went on to achieve tenfold revenue growth.
A former CEO Chair with Vistage International, Guy develops leadership teams capable of sustaining the performance they create. He is also a cancer survivor who remains deeply involved in helping people navigate a diagnosis. That experience shapes the steadiness, perspective and care he brings to leadership and advisory work.
Brooklyn Pantani
Brand & Operations Manager
Brooklyn Pantani brings a keen eye for brand, operational strategy and long range vision to The Standard™ and its clients. A recent marketing graduate, she runs the systems, coordination and details behind the scenes that keep the firm focused, consistent and moving forward.
She is a dog lover, a trusted partner to our clients and an indispensable part of the team.
Mission & values
What the work is for.
Aligned and reinforced with structure, people perform consistently even when motivation fades and pressure rises.
Mission & values
Mind
How you think, interpret pressure, and make decisions.
Body
The physical capacity that powers consistent execution.
Mission
The direction, purpose and responsibilities guiding your life.