The Right Person Opens the Door

microscope

“Working with Acumen was so easy.  We had 4 different Managers in this role and none was the right fit to get us to that next level.  We should have reached out earlier; it would have saved us a lot of frustration and moved the company forward sooner.” Chris B. – HR Manager

 Challenge

A company that develops and manufactures mercury-free light-engines is run by data-driven scientists with Ph.Ds.  They hired four different individuals over a ten-year period and still was unable to find the right Corporate Account Manager. The company was experiencing a decline as opposed to the tremendous growth they knew they were capable of and discord grew amongst the stakeholders.  Finally, they hired search experts Acumen Executive & Talent Search (Acumen) to assess their current state, their vision, and identify the right person who would help them evolve as a company.

Solution

Acumen interviewed all stakeholders in the company. They found the biggest challenge the company faced was balancing needs. The owners needed to focus their energies more on innovation and less on the business. To do that, they needed to hire the right person to move the company forward — someone with new and fresh ideas who could devise a business strategy appropriate for their technology and execute on it. Acumen reached out to their extensive network and submitted a number of strong candidates for the company to review. In the end, they chose to hire Robert, an accomplished Account and Product Manager. Robert came with strong communication and problem-solving skills, something the company needed to grow and move forward.

 Results

Robert quickly ramped up and the owners were able to step back from running the business and focus on what they did best: Innovation and developing cutting-edge technology. Robert used his expertise to move the company into new markets: semi-conductors, life sciences, food processing, and other industrial applications. They began working in industries they had not imagined previously. The company is now a thriving biotech lighting company, helping to advance the most innovative analytical tools and diagnostic devices. The take away from this experience:  hire the right person the first time and let them do what they do best.