By Kate Bartlett
Adam Jester is a businessman and community leader from Olean, New York. Through Bamboo Strategy Group, he works with businesses and municipalities on business development, marketing and advertising, EV charging and operational needs, while remaining active in the Olean community.
Adam is a lifelong Olean resident and a graduate of St. Bonaventure University, where he earned his degree in Computer Science. After college, he spent 19 years at Cutco Corporation, the first 13 in Information Technology and the next six in New Business Development. “That combination of technical and commercial experience continues to have a major influence on the kind of work I do today,” explains Adam.
During that time, he also served as an elected member of the Olean Common Council, including a term as Council President. In 2020, Adam joined Intandem* as Vice President of Commercial Business Operations, helping transition a long-standing vocational program into a sustainable, revenue-generating business in support of Intandem’s mission. In 2022, he left to focus full time on Bamboo Strategy Group, a consulting business he had operated alongside his career for about 13 years.
Adam originally started an IT consulting business as a side business in 2009 while working at Cutco. “It really grew out of a need I saw in the community,” he says. “Friends, colleagues and small business owners needed professional IT support, but not necessarily a full-time IT person.” As his corporate roles evolved, so did the consulting offerings, and in the fall of 2022 that longtime practice became Bamboo Strategy Group.
Today, Bamboo Strategy Group provides businesses and municipalities with specialized support in business development, marketing and advertising, EV charging and operational technology. On the EV side, Adam works with businesses, property owners and municipalities on equipment selection, site evaluation and assessing the business case for fleet electrification. The company has also developed a growing e-commerce business selling home EV chargers nationwide. On the business side, Bamboo provides marketing and advertising, business development support, branded merchandise and technology solutions. “The goal is really to give organizations access to experienced, specialized resources without necessarily having to build those capabilities internally,” he says.
Adam says Bamboo’s broad perspective is one of its strengths. “A conversation that starts with marketing needs might uncover an opportunity involving technology, operational efficiency or sustainability. I’m not approaching every client with one predetermined service or solution.” He also keeps engagements flexible, with no requirement for long-term contracts. Depending on capacity, Bamboo can be brought in for a single project, a specific challenge or an ongoing need.
The business has also changed considerably since its early IT-consulting days. “The biggest change has been the move away from traditional IT work and toward business development, marketing and strategic consulting,” Adam says. EV charging and clean-energy work were added in 2023 and ultimately led to the home-charging business. As Bamboo has grown, he says the focus has increasingly shifted toward concentrating on a smaller number of areas where the company can provide the most value.
Adam says one reason he moved into consulting full time was the opportunity to help more organizations throughout the region. “I really enjoy being able to bring experience and resources to this area’s businesses, and hopefully play a small role in helping them grow and remain successful here.” Bamboo also supports local charitable and community organizations through sponsorships and other involvement throughout the year.
Adam was already serving on the Greater Olean Area Chamber of Commerce board when its longtime Chief Operating Officer stepped down after more than three decades. The board asked him to serve as Interim Executive Director during the transition. He remained in the role for about 11 months while the organization developed a longer-term leadership structure. During that time, “we moved Christine Pecherzewski into an expanded leadership role,” Adam says. She continues to serve as Director of Events and Operations. Adam remains involved on a contract basis, managing advertising and assisting with financial and back-office operational matters.
Adam says he enjoys taking on challenges organizations have struggled to solve and seeing solutions through from strategy to execution. His greatest passion, though, is the EV side of the business. “On the home-charging side especially, I talk with new EV owners almost every week who left the dealership with plenty of questions about charging and ownership. Being able to help them understand their options and feel more confident about EV ownership is one of the most rewarding parts of the work.” With the fulfillment partnership with Intandem Solutions now fully operational and Bamboo’s online store recently revamped, expanding the residential EV charging business will be a major focus through the end of the year and into 2027. Adam says continued growth may also require expanding the Bamboo team. Next September will mark five years since Bamboo became his full-time focus. “We have some ambitious goals for that milestone, and I’m looking forward to seeing where this next stage of growth takes us.”
For more information, visit bamboostrategy.group/ and follow on Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn. Email Adam@bamboostrategy.group.