Bohan and Bradstreet

April 2019

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B&B Specialty: The Confidential Replacement

Friday, April 26, 2019  by Bailey

 

About 30% of the searches our team manages annually are confidential replacements. The primary driver is that the business has outgrown the incumbent and leadership is stymied. Due to employee loyalty, this can be difficult but it is necessary to replace the bottleneck for the betterment of the business.

Recently B&B was called upon to facilitate a confidential replacement:

A multi-state professional services firm had expanded quickly due to new services, diversity of customer base, and acquisitions. The plan was to double revenues over the next 4-5 years and the current CFO was a legacy employee who had risen through the ranks.

B&B met with the executive team to learn more about the recent history of growth, gain a better understanding of services and culture, appreciate strategic goals and horizons, define existing organizational structure, discuss the role and where there were opportunities for improvement.

B&B was retained and partnered on search milestones, criteria, and the interview and hiring processes. B&B completed the research, identification, and evaluation phase within two weeks and presented a slate of candidates that included commentary, soft skill assessment, current resume, and recent compensation history. B&B conferred with all parties, set up three candidates for interview and following a 2nd round, an offer was made and accepted.

Confidentiality was maintained for all parties and the transition was complete. Search process from initial call to acceptance was under 8 weeks.

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Culture Can Make or Break Company Success

Wednesday, April 24, 2019  by Bailey

A winning work culture has never been more important. In order to have a top-performing company you need top-performing talent. Talent that is motivated and has the values, mindsets, and behaviors that constitute an environment conducive to success.

Culture is as important as strategy for business success. What exactly is a winning culture? And, just as important, how can a company’s leaders instill it? A winning culture has some defining characteristics. So how do you get there? 

1. How well do you know your companies culture? Do an audit or survey and set goals.

2. Get everyone on the same page even top level management and executives. Getting the team aligned can be the most difficult part.

3. Set targets for the business with accountability.

4. Clarify accountabilities for key jobs. This is crucial, as is building performance metrics that reward desired behaviors.

5. Communicate and reward the business when you see the culture has changed and is on the right path.

 

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New Opportunities and Hot to Hire!

Monday, April 22, 2019  by Bailey

Hot New Jobs! To learn more about these opportunities, enter the job number into our search box.

Marketing Director, Peekskill, NY

Search Job Number: 12867

VISIONGlobal parent. PE funded. Be the Marketing Director for New York region. Company expects to double revenue over next two years via acquisitions and organic efforts. Company targets residential and commercial markets with multi-year contracts. Report to Regional President and partner across total enterprise. 

REWARD:  $130,000 to $150,000 plus 20% target bonus

 

CAD Designer, Shelton, CT

Search Job Number: 12868

VISION:  Growing company (10%+)that has recently doubled it’s Connecticut operations to introduce new product lines.  This niche manufacturer of electro-mechanical capital equipment keeps its focus on customers and employees; encouraging personal development and valuing work/life balance. 

REWARD:  $60,000 to $75,000 DOE plus excellent benefits, mentoring, and a stable career environment. 

 

Public Accounting Staff to Manager, Old Saybrook, CT

Search Job Number: 12872

VISIONShoreline based, well established public accounting firm is looking to expand their staff as a result of continued client growth. Long term upside to partnerships stake!  Strong shoreline roots with loyal multi-state clients.  There is a desire to develop in-house replacements as Partners retire within the next five years.  Opportunity to really learn the business and be empowered to carry out its legacy. 

REWARD:   $45,000 - $125,000+ depending on experience, plus great benefits and bonus. Flexible summer 4 day work schedule.   

 

Controller USA Operations, NYC

Search Job Number: 12871

VISIONHealth care products company is expanding operations and targeting Asia and European markets. Company manufacturers, packages and distributes health supplement products in 15+ countries and has subsidiaries in both Europe and Asia. Center stage role.

REWARD:  $140,000 to $160,000 DOE plus 15+% bonus

 

Project Manager – Engineering, Old Saybrook, CT

Search Job Number: 12870

VISION: Global company with established presence in North America and aggressive growth plans based on innovative new product development and new account/market opportunities.  Customers in multiple OEM verticals.       Achieving double digit annual growth!

REWARD:   Target salary $65-75,000 plus bonus and benefits package.

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Resume Mistakes to Avoid

Monday, April 15, 2019  by Bailey

 
Get the most out of your first impression by avoiding these top resume killers:
 
Job Specialization:  Taking on job titles and responsibilities that are industry specific and not transferable to other companies.
 
Staying With A Company Too Long:  Remaining with an employer for an extended period of time may suggest that you fear change and prefer a familiar environment.  The exception is receiving numerous promotions during that tenure.
 
Lack Of Career Progression:  Remaining at a specific career level for a protracted period is a definite career killer.  It suggests a failure to perform and earn a promotion.
 
Job Hopping:  Job hopping is probably the number 1 career killer.  As a general rule, you should average 3 to 5 years at each position.  If you are a victim of layoffs after a short tenure, a prospective employer will look at your entire work history and usually ignore a single exception.
 
Jack Of All Trades, Master of None:  A work history that includes experience in multiple disciplines (sales, purchasing, logistics, IT, marketing and customer service) can indicate a person without career direction and depth of expertise. 
 
Staying In One Industry Too Long:  This can be problematic, especially if your industry is facing a rapid decline and your skills are not transferable.

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Making the Necessary Change

Wednesday, April 10, 2019  by Bailey

 

A Partner in a Connecticut based law firm contacted B&B regarding a challenge in a privately-held business. The CEO of the niche manufacturer was experiencing rising revenues but decreasing profitability due to quality and productivity issues that were increasing expenses and impacting on time delivery.

B&B met with the President to learn about the history and evolution of the business, current organization structure, and the order management and production flow process. B&B asked a lot of questions that provided insight on procurement of commodity based materials, product development, quality issues, run rates, manufacturing capacity, open orders on the floor, bottlenecks, grading of leadership, systems integrity, metrics management, impact on margins, expectations of key customers, supply chain, culture, demand planning, S&OP, and so forth.

The business model had changed but current leadership for manufacturing and supply chain had not adjusted to those changes. Quality issues were directly associated with production and demand planning inefficiencies. Revenues were growing but business valuation was suffering and profits were declining. B&B recommended a change in leadership for a new Director of Operations and was engaged. B&B partnered with the CEO to define criteria, short term goals of the role and the evaluation process. B&B researched, evaluated, and presented four candidates that met all the criteria and partnered with the CEO on the selection process. Total search process took 28 business days. New Manufacturing Director was able to streamline productivity, eliminate nagging quality issues, and improve on-time deliveries to 97% within a six month period.

Overhauling Culture: 
Positive cultures drive profit and employees who fit that culture outperform those who don't. Modifying or changing a culture becomes an art form that can be disruptive but necessary. Key factors are (1) the resiliency of employees to bounce back from negative emotional encounters as change evolves; (2) leadership with strong change and project management skills that can influence and persuade on the need for change; (3) ability to unlearn and accept new ideas and processes; (4) the willingness to challenge the status quo and accept innovation; and (5) manage uncertainty until change is accepted.

 

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