About Blue Ocean Consulting

Over 20 years of human capital management experience

Blue Ocean Consulting was founded by Kim Trowbridge, a California-based advisor and business owner with more than two decades of hands-on experience across the payroll, PEO, HCM, and employee benefits industry. Kim has spent his career on every side of the table — from national payroll and HCM providers to PEO carriers to independent brokerage — giving him a rare, end-to-end view of how these systems really work, what they truly cost, and where employers quietly overpay.

That operator's perspective runs deep. Kim previously owned a successful payroll franchise, which he built and ultimately sold to iSolved in 2018. He is also the owner of Blue Ocean Benefits, an employee benefits consultancy, and founded TRG to help California businesses take advantage of training funding and workforce development programs.

This blend of business ownership, HCM implementation, and advisory experience is the foundation of our practice. We have implemented and audited hundreds of HCM platforms, negotiated PEO renewals for companies from 5 to 500+ employees, and helped California employers untangle fragmented payroll, benefits, HR, and compliance stacks into something simpler, cleaner, and measurably less expensive.

We work alongside Blue Ocean Benefits, our sister employee benefits consultancy, so clients get a single, coordinated team across benefits, PEO, and HCM technology — with independent advice and zero pressure to switch vendors when the current setup already works.