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Understory

Understory Advisory: Where strategy takes root

Helping organizations turn complex data into clear decisions — and clear decisions into lasting impact.

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About

Depth before direction.

Understory is a boutique advisory practice founded by Jeff Bell — a strategist, researcher, and analyst with 20+ years of experience working alongside companies, government, non-profits, economic development agencies and academic institutions in Alberta and beyond.

Good strategy is grounded in rigorous research, honest stakeholder engagement, and a clear understanding of interconnected systems. We bring that discipline to every engagement. The factors that matter most to a decision are often hiding just below the surface — we help organizations Uncover, Unpack, Understand.

  • Uncover: We identify, organize and synthesize data and information; drawing on internal records, external research, and stakeholder knowledge to ensure no critical information is left on the table.
  • Unpack: We analyze that data to surface trends, flag outliers, and reveal patterns that matter to your organization.
  • Understand: We bring to life the stories hidden in your data through visualizations, executive summaries, and other tools, so your decision makers can act with confidence.
Data forest
20+
Years advisory experience
$30M+
Portfolio value managed
23
Countries
50+
Publications
Jeff Bell

Principal & Founder

Jeff Bell

Jeff Bell is a strategist, researcher, and analyst with more than 20 years of experience at the intersection of government, research, technology innovation, and economic development. Working across Canada and in more than 20 countries, he has built programs, forged partnerships, and translated complex data into decisions that move organizations forward.

He has written extensively for both technical audiences and the general public with more than 50 publications to date. Jeff has drafted successful funding proposals, served as an expert reviewer for funding juries, and managed research portfolios exceeding $30 million in value.

Jeff holds a Master of Environmental Studies from Dalhousie University and a BSc in Environmental Sciences from the University of Alberta. He is fluent in English, French, and Spanish.

Strategy Business Intelligence Market Research Economic Development Technology Stakeholder Engagement Clean Energy Agriculture EN · FR · ES
Alberta refinery
Fresh perspective. Deeper thinking. Understory Advisory specializes in uncovering the stories that lie beneath the surface.

What We Do

Services

From targeted business development to building investment dashboards to managing international technology partnerships- every engagement draws on Understory's cross-sector fluency. Areas of experience include, energy, renewables, construction, urban planning, agriculture, forestry, technology and transportation.

Engagements are tailored to your organization's specific context and goals. Whether you need a standalone research project, ongoing intelligence support, or an embedded strategic partner, we may be able to help.

Service Area 01

Business Intelligence

  • Data architecture design and modernization
  • Data analysis
  • Data visualization
  • Dashboard development
  • Dataset development and metadata management
  • Internal libraries
  • KPI frameworks and organizational performance reporting
  • CRM strategy and sales funnel design
Service Area 02

Market Intelligence

  • Competitive landscape analysis
  • Sector intelligence
  • Data analysis
  • Data visualization
  • Investment and financing landscape mapping
  • Company and stakeholder profiling
  • Regional economic and labour market research
  • Supply chain mapping
  • Foresight, trend analysis, and horizon scanning
Service Area 03

Business Development & Execution

  • Target market identification and prospect research
  • Research-qualified lead list development
  • BD strategy design and execution support
  • International market entry
  • Pitch deck and proposal writing
  • Marketing strategy and campaign development
  • CRM buildout and pipeline management
Service Area 04

Strategic Advisory

  • Strategic planning and direction-setting
  • Initiative and program design
  • Emerging sector strategy (clean energy, AI, critical minerals)
  • Regulatory, policy, and legislative analysis
  • Issues identification and risk mapping
  • Stakeholder mapping and engagement design
  • Workshop facilitation and consensus-building
  • Funding applications and executive briefings
Alberta aerial

Who We Work With

Built for organizations navigating complexity.

Understory advisory partners with clients who need a trusted analyst and advisor who can go deep, move fast, and communicate clearly to any audience.

Economic Development Organizations Government Departments Technology Companies Startups Scaleups Energy & Clean Tech Firms Investors & Site Selectors Industry Associations Post-Secondary Institutions Non-Profits Consulting & Professional Services Firms

Get in Touch

Let's start a conversation.

Whether you have a defined project or an emerging challenge you're still framing, we'd love to hear from you.

📧 contact@Understoryadvisory.ca

📍 Edmonton, Canada

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