George Brooks is the CEO & Founder of Crema, an award-winning design & technology consultancy based in Kansas City, Missouri. He’s spent the past decade growing and evolving the company, which started as an operation in the second bedroom of his home and has now grown to a renowned midwest tech agency serving Fortune 500 companies and funded startups across the world.
Under George's leadership, Crema has earned a series of remarkable achievements:
Fast Company Innovation by Design
FORTUNE Best Small & Medium Workplaces
Certified Great Place to Work
Clutch Missouri’s Most Outstanding Service Providers
KC Chamber Top 10 Small Businesses
And many more
His approach to fostering creative, collaborative teams has established Crema as a highly trusted partner for organizations that are navigating critical growth phases.
George also serves on the KC Tech Council Board and is a member of the Fast Company Impact Council.
George's entrepreneurial path started unconventionally, as a college dropout turned solopreneur designer. When his first daughter was born prematurely and spent months in the NICU, necessity drove him to launch his first company, Crema. From very early on, his philosophy was elegantly simple: surround yourself with people smarter than you, then those who excel where you don't, then those who are exceptional at what you're merely good at, and finally those who surpass you even in your areas of strength.
This deliberate approach helped him scale Crema into a multimillion-dollar consultancy over the past 15 years. He found a trusted business partner in his best friend Daniel Linhart and built a leadership team that serves their talented crew and clients with drive and compassion.
He has guided product teams for industry leaders including Adidas, H&R Block, and Lockton - stewarding ideation and development initiatives that resulted in successful scaling, strategic acquisitions, and public offerings.
Today, George focuses on developing frameworks and methodologies for building high-performing product teams that identify and solve the right problems through strategic design thinking.
George co-hosts the People of Product podcast, discussing innovation and creative culture with top product leaders like Marty Cagan, Aaron Dignan, Martina Lauchengco, and Richard Banfield. He regularly speaks at industry events and mentors entrepreneurs navigating digital transformation challenges.
His client portfolio includes recognizable global brands like Adidas, Garmin, H&R Block, Lockton, JE Dunn Construction, IDEO, Black & Veatch, and several dozens more.
George's leadership philosophy centers on building teams of curious, creative, driven people who are passionate about creating something great together. He attributes Crema's success to trusting his business partner, surrounding himself with people who complement his skills, and maintaining relentless focus on serving clients better than anyone else.
His work focuses on helping organizations maximize opportunities when existing systems, teams, and technology struggle to keep pace with rapid change.
.svg){kind=icon}
