What's a ‘Strategas’?

Of all the frequently asked questions we get on the road, the one we've received the most since we started the Firm has to do with the derivation of our company name and logo. Most people are kind in their questioning, but more than a few have been less than shy in their bewilderment. A master of nuance, Joe Kernen of CNBC said on the air, "Jason, you've been dreaming of starting your own company your whole life and this is what you came up with?" Similarly, a friend and paying client in Texas asked bluntly, "what the $%*& is a strategas?"

And so we'd like to explain once and for all how we came up with our rather unique name. Few know that the word 'strategy' is derived from the Greek word 'strategos' which means 'general'. In Athenian Democracy, the strategoi stood between the elected officials and its military leaders to provide counsel in balancing the needs of protecting individual liberties while, at the same time, providing for the overall security of the state. Satisfied that we had found a name that had real meaning and the requisite pretension of antiquity, we had decided, perhaps naively that 'Strategos' was as good as we were going to get. In the 11th hour, however, our lawyers informed us that to name the firm 'Strategos' could invite trademark litigation. Having invested some time in the decision and becoming attached to the logo of the warrior we now affectionately call 'Gus', we asked our lawyers to find a vowel that would complete the word 'strateg_s' without inviting legal action. They came up with 'strategas' which, at that point was close enough for us and was aesthetically pleasing when using Greek lettering. There is a certain irony and sadness in the fact that, in the post-industrial and litigious society in which we live, we essentially had to choose a name that was so devoid of meaning to actually steer clear of a lawsuit. In any event, the name has been a source of amusement among our clients and friends. And, as the saying goes, "we don't care what you call us, as long as you call us."