Case Studies
Executive Assignment
A fourth generation multi-hundred million dollar family business operating several companies engaged Cyrus Hall, Ltd., to recruit candidates for the Chief Financial Officer role as part of the organization’s succession planning. The list of experience requirements made this a very difficult assignment – multi-corporation, self-perform, joint venture, legacy transfer, family dynamics, etc. – but the location brought the biggest challenge.
Six months of searching finally turned up the right candidate, but the discovery coincided with the collapse of the real estate market. What should have been a standard family move suddenly loomed as a deal breaker. Cyrus Hall helped to construct a relocation component of the compensation package that met the needs of the candidate while minimizing exposure to the company.
Quality Control / Production Assignment
An asphalt producer and contracting firm was experiencing severe QC problems following a management transition resulting in $250,000+ fines . During discussions with the client about the challenges facing the company, Cyrus Hall identified two critical needs i) to restore immediately the state DOT’s confidence in the asphalt product and ii) to create an enduring culture of quality at all plants.
The client’s initial hire for the role (found by another search firm) left after two weeks on the job. While conducting our search, Cyrus Hall, Ltd., had connected with a well-known, respected yet recently retired state DOT official. We recommended hiring him as a consultant while the search for a permanent solution continued. The immediate impact was a restoration of the DOT’s confidence, and within the following two months Cyrus Hall, Ltd., had placed a fulltime QC Manager. Three months later the quality problems had been corrected and the $250,000+ fines all but eliminated to $150.
Senior Management & Succession Planning Assignment
A heavy civil contractor suffered the sudden death of a Project Executive critical to a management team pursuing multi-hundred million dollar design/build projects. Cyrus Hall, Ltd., was engaged to bring forward candidates not only qualified to fill the Project Executive role but also capable of eventually leading the company’s flagship division as part of the company’s succession planning.
Within 4 weeks of starting the assignment, Cyrus Hall had identified, recruited and presented two candidates. With interviews on-going for the first two candidates, we recruited and presented an additional candidate.
All three candidates were deemed excellent fits for the company’s culture, and two were determined to have the experience and capability needed to fill the role and eventually lead the flagship division. An offer was extended, negotiated and accepted.
New Market Assignment
A heavy civil contractor with a newly opened division 500+ miles away from HQ secured the company’s largest ever contract that also included a marine component to the project. The contractor had limited marine expertise and needed to hire a Project Manager with marine experience and local connections.
Cyrus Hall, Ltd., recruited and placed a local senior level PM within 90 days of taking on the assignment. Four months into the project, the client came to us with an urgent need to find a Piling Superintendent as internal transfers among their people were not panning out.
Within 45 days of taking on the superintendent assignment, Cyrus Hall placed a local Marine Superintendent who turned around the piling operation and together with the previously placed Senior Project Manager delivered the most profitable component of the project.