At 84 years old, there are a lot of things Harlan “Bud” Hockenberg could be doing – including retiring.

But Hockenberg, a longtime business lawyer and former political consultant, is ready to take on a new venture. Hockenberg recently launched CEO Independent Advisor LLC, an advisory firm for CEOs who need an unbiased perspective.

“I think it’s just kind of my profile,” he said. “I believe I’m here to make a difference.”

Hockenberg’s belief is that most CEOs get to their position by having confidence in their ability to solve all problems, and that their closest advisers reflect that mentality and tell them what they want to hear. Sometimes a CEO needs to hear an outside perspective, or a situation arises where a CEO can’t comfortably confide in anybody within an organization. That’s where Hockenberg comes in.

“The CEO can tell me everything without concern, and without dealing with the reputation of his inner advisers,” he said.

An example he uses is the recent situation involving Penn State University football coach Joe Paterno that led to his termination. If he had been able to reach out to an independent adviser such as Hockenberg when allegations of the sexual abuse of children within the football program were first brought to his attention, Paterno might have been advised to hire a private investigator (Hockenberg has connections with one), find out what his responsibilities were legally and morally and figure out how to best protect himself and the organization.

Advice could also be as simple as trying to figure out why something isn’t working right from an organizational perspective.

Hockenberg hopes to use his expertise to stay ahead of the information curve. In situations that could be high-profile, Hockenberg’s mission is to find out all the facts so that the CEO can see what the situation would look like if it reached the public eye.

“Bud burns cool,” said Strategic America Inc. CEO Mike Schreurs, who has worked with Hockenberg on Sen. Chuck Grassley’s political campaigns. “When you’re in a period when you need a dispassionate, rational voice in the room, that is what I oftentimes see in Bud.”