Client: Finley Engineering
Situation: In 2007 Finley Engineering retained Rauenhorst Recruiting to search for new leadership talent that compliments their strategic growth plan.

Solution: Finley Engineering is a 60-year-old firm with offices across the country. When Rauenhorst Recruiting began working with Finley Engineering in 2007, they were seeking a CEO to oversee an aggressive growth plan as the then current CEO transitioned to COB. As of 2011 Rauenhorst Recruiting has placed six high potential leaders, as well as the current CEO. These leaders work in telecommunications engineering, power engineering and IP services. This has positioned Finley to grow and innovate as the marketplace rapidly evolves.

Results: Finley Engineering has grown from 160 employees in 2007 to over 300 in 2011. They have strengthened their telecommunications engineering position, advanced their power engineering reach and developed a new sector in engineering IP services.

Future: Stay tuned...

A good example of how Rauenhorst Recruiting works to combine timely information with the right hires to surpass client expectations:

Rauenhorst Recruiting was retained earlier this year to help a 100mm dollar construction company provide continuity planning by finding an individual that could assist in the company’s future leadership/management as the family prepares to prevent interruption in its continuance. The firm sought a “Business Development Director”. This was a tall order as most of the Business Development people in construction have very little management experience and with the landscape for General Construction changing rapidly, we found it important to pull out all stops and think strategically and effectively.

After talking to most of the BD people in the industry in the Midwest and then nationally, Rauenhorst Recruiting found the candidate that not only had management experience and had done business development for 12 years, but this person is also well respected by every government agency in Iowa.

By bringing them together, it allowed the Client to continue the excellent relationships it has with colleges and businesses in their 75 mile radius of home while combining the contacts of the candidate to expand the base of opportunity for the firm and its employees. This combination has potential to grow and to be ready when their national clients are prepared to build for the changes America is making. This candidate came with the values of farm life and the business and political savvy afforded by 12 years in Iowa’s largest community. Things are going well for our client.

Client:
Ron Clark Construction & Design

Situation:
A medium-sized Twin Cities residential construction firm was looking to find the right fit for their controller position. For them, cultural fit is very important and the experience and skills are secondary.

Solution:
Rauenhorst Recruiting has always tried to stay connected with future clients like Ron Clark Construction & Design. At the initial meeting, the right timing was not quite right for the client, but a seed had been planted and when the need grew, Ron Clark Construction & Design had the phone number to make the call for their critical hiring concerns. RRC is not always a fit for everyone, but this was a dead-on hit for both parties!

Ron Clark Construction & Design is a locally-owned firm that has experienced steady growth even in the challenging market of 2007. The president was also filing the role of controller and it was time to divide those responsibilities. Finding the right person with the technical skills to become a member of the management team was necessary, but more importantly was the desire to find the person who would blend in and work well with the existing staff.

“Doreen Bresnahan did an outstanding job of getting to know the key executives and understanding the dynamics of the company. She was able to introduce us to three exceptional candidates, making the decision very difficult. We enjoyed working with Doreen and if we should ever have the need to recruit additional employees, we would not hesitate to call her.” – Cindy Volkart, President

Client: Tonka Equipment Company

Situation: Tonka Equipment Company, a custom water treatment solution designer, had an immediate need to replace a sales engineer after an unsuccessful hire. The client was seeking a degreed individual with three to five years of water industry experience to groom and grow with the company.

Solution: Account executive Steve Bolster successfully completed this challenging search within the sixty-day timeframe. This success was due to Steve’s keen ability to ask questions and his journalistic approach that allowed candidates to speak freely and confidently about their experiences, qualifications and career objectives. The first set of interviews yielded a candidate with hazardous waste water industry experience and hands-on work with several mechanical engineering applications. Initially the client was seeking a less experienced candidate, however, Alan Schneider’s professional demeanor, patient and calm approach, combined with his modest business savvy, convinced Tonka Equipment Company that he was the right candidate. Steve’s engaging manner allowed him to thoroughly learn about each candidate, thereby providing him the necessary information to match the company with the right person.

In early 2006 Rottlund Homes’ president Todd Stutz had a challenge. Predicting the continued single-family home slowdown and the need to segment his sales force based on product type, Stutz needed a sales manager to lead his urban, mid-rise and mixed-use projects. It wasn’t the first time Stutz and company were thinking ahead: years earlier as national competition escalated land prices, Rottlund created David Bernard Builders & Developers to represent its diversification into mid-rise, urban redevelopment projects. By 2006 those projects had accounted for nearly 50 percent of the company’s production and now the challenge was: who best to position the division and lead the sales effort?

Rauenhorst Recruiting successfully placed John Rivisto as the incoming president/general manager of Wells Concrete Company. Formerly of AVR Concrete in Apple Valley, MN, Mr. Rivisto replaces existing president Dave Buesing who is retiring and joining the company’s board of directors. The Board of Directors tapped Mr. Rivisto due in part to his values-based management style and past military leadership experience. They believe he is the ideal choice to deliver measured and consistent growth to $100mm in revenues.

Rauenhorst Recruiting has placed Health Care Planner Dave Willer with Hammel, Green and Abrahamson, Inc. (HGA), one of the Midwest’s most influential architecture firms. HGA offers a range of architecture, engineering and design services for corporate, health care, arts, education and religious clients and has emerged as a leader in the field since its inception in 1953. The firm maintains Minnesota offices in Minneapolis and Rochester and California offices in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Sacramento.

Rauenhorst Recruiting has successfully placed a national sales director with HomeCrest, a $50 million dollar manufacturer of affordable luxury outdoor furniture. The company patented the first swivel rocker mechanism in 1956 and which soon became the foundation of the HomeCrest outdoor product line. The company is a five-time recipient of the coveted Manufacturer’s Leadership Award for best casual furniture manufacturing and is led by former Rollerblade president and CEO John Sundet.

Rauenhorst Recruiting has placed Engineering Manager Dane Steffer with Amesbury Group as it continues to expand market share in the window and door balance industry. Amesbury Group is a division of Laird Securities which itself is a division of Laird Group PLC of London, England. Amesbury Group is comprised of eleven manufacturing locations in the U.S. and Canada and has grown its business substantially from $13 to $230 million in the thirteen years it has been a Rauenhorst Recruiting client.

Rauenhorst Recruiting has placed a director of marketing and product development and national sales manager with Omni-Tract, an international leader in table-mounted surgical retractors. Since Bruce LeVahn founded the company in 1971, Omni-Tract’s growth and success can be attributed to its collaborative relationships with surgeons around the world. Rauenhorst is proud to be part of Omni-Tract surgical’s continued success.