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INDUSTRY REPORTS
CASE STUDIES
- Operational Leadership When Cities Are Under Pressure
How the right Assistant City Manager supported stability, financial clarity, and trust during a City Manager–led transition Assistant City Manager providing operational stability during city government change and public sector leadership, translating strategy into execution in municipal government. The Challenge A large city in Oregon was at a pivotal moment in its growth: navigating governance transition, rapid urbanization, rising service… Read more: Operational Leadership When Cities Are Under Pressure - How Strategic Succession Sparked Fast Growth at a High-Tech Manufacturer
Challenge: A long-established high-tech manufacturing firm, led by a Gen 2 CEO, faced the complex task of merging teams, improving operations, and bridging generational leadership style, all while aiming for ambitious growth. Action: Acumen conducted a transparent, integrity-driven executive search, placing a President whose expertise and people-first approach empowered both the founding vision of Gen… Read more: How Strategic Succession Sparked Fast Growth at a High-Tech Manufacturer - Case Study – Why Hiring for Potential, Not Just the Job Description, Paid Off
Case Study The Situation When a private equity firm acquired a rapidly scaling engineering services company, they knew professionalizing talent acquisition would be one of the keys to success. Our client engaged Acumen, an award-winning executive search firm consistently recognized among the Pacific Northwest’s most admired companies. Their highest needs were to professionalize HR and… Read more: Case Study – Why Hiring for Potential, Not Just the Job Description, Paid Off - Case Study – From Turnover to Transformation: The Impact of a High-Performing VP of HR
The Challenge A global high-tech manufacturing company with decades of history was facing severe turnover across all levels of the organization, especially within the human resources function. This instability threatened performance, culture, and alignment across multiple plants. The company engaged Acumen Executive Search not only to identify its next Vice President of HR, but also… Read more: Case Study – From Turnover to Transformation: The Impact of a High-Performing VP of HR - Case Study – A Rapid Rise at a Global Tea Manufacturer
From Junior Manager to Global Director The Situation A global tea manufacturer was searching for a highly capable Director-level Project Manager with experience in natural and international consumer packaged goods (CPG). This search posed unique challenges because the company was located in a region with limited international CPG manufacturers specializing in natural products. Acumen leveraged… Read more: Case Study – A Rapid Rise at a Global Tea Manufacturer - When Is Too Much Business a Bad Thing?
How Small Businesses Can Manage Rapid Growth Without Breaking Sometimes the biggest threat to a small business isn’t failure—it’s sudden, overwhelming success. In 2020, right after the COVID shutdown, a small biotech manufacturer contacted Acumen Executive Search for help. Before the pandemic, they produced about 500 diagnostic testing kits per week. Then one phone call… Read more: When Is Too Much Business a Bad Thing? - How We Helped a Second-Generation Manufacturing Company Hire a Mission-Aligned COO
”Hiring our COO through Acumen was the best hiring decision I have ever made!” stated the President, one and a half years after we placed their COO. A family-owned manufacturing business, in its second generation, faced challenges due to inadequate succession planning and a lack of operational expertise. The company experienced inefficiencies and inaccurate estimates/costing,… Read more: How We Helped a Second-Generation Manufacturing Company Hire a Mission-Aligned COO - Case Study – When a National FI Organization Wanted a CIO, Acumen Delivered More
The Situation An Award-Winning National Mortgage Company was in need of a CIO with solid leadership skills: able to manage, develop, and grow a talented team; have hard conversations when necessary; and able to streamline processes to allow the team to perform more efficiently. In addition to being a strong leader, the organization required the… Read more: Case Study – When a National FI Organization Wanted a CIO, Acumen Delivered More - Case Study: CEO Leadership in Advancing Access in Affordable and Permanent Supportive Housing
The Challenge A highly regarded, established, and essential non-profit and quasi-government housing organization in Central Oregon was seeking their next CEO due to a retirement. The search presented challenges as there were few candidates locally with the necessary expertise and candidates from outside the area would need to relocate to an area with minimal affordable… Read more: Case Study: CEO Leadership in Advancing Access in Affordable and Permanent Supportive Housing - Case Study – Finance Leader’s Rapid Impact at a Global Beverage Manufacturer
The Situation A high-growth global beverage manufacturing client presented a critical need to hire a talented financial planning and analytics (FP&A) leader at a pivotal moment: there was no structured finance team, and critical FP&A functions needed immediate leadership. The manufacturer boasts a unique culture—rooted in health, wellness, calm, and embracing “Oregonian values” of organic… Read more: Case Study – Finance Leader’s Rapid Impact at a Global Beverage Manufacturer
Read Our Recent Blog Posts
- Growth Happens Faster with the Right Business Partner
True business growth doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens when leaders surround themselves with partners who take the time to deeply understand the business, anticipate challenges, and align talent with long‑term strategy, not just what is needed today. At Acumen Executive Search, we believe our greatest value comes from acting as a thought partner, not… Read more: Growth Happens Faster with the Right Business Partner - Where do Leaders Find Growth and Inspiration?
Growth rarely comes from where leaders expect it. It doesn’t show up in neatly curated strategic plans or fully formed ideas. Oftentimes, it emerges in moments that are unstructured, such as conversations, observations, and experiences that may not seem significant at first glance. In a recent Hiring for Good conversation, Josh Carter, co-founder of Upstart… Read more: Where do Leaders Find Growth and Inspiration? - Beware the Salesforce Recruiter Scam And Why Human-Reviewed Resumes Still Win
Imagine this: a senior Salesforce recruiter reaches out to you. They have a polished LinkedIn profile, appear on Salesforce’s website, and even provide a Workday ATS link that looks legitimate. They claim to have multiple roles perfectly aligned to your background. The catch? Your resume needs “ATS optimization” first. A candidate we recently supported experienced… Read more: Beware the Salesforce Recruiter Scam And Why Human-Reviewed Resumes Still Win - 100 Years of Growth — and the Leaders Who Carry It Forward
At Acumen Executive Search, we have the privilege of working with organizations that don’t just grow businesses; they grow legacies. This year, Monrovia Nursery celebrates an extraordinary milestone: 100 years in business. A century of craftsmanship, innovation, stewardship of the land, and an unwavering commitment to “growing beautifully.” Recently, Monrovia marked this occasion by creating… Read more: 100 Years of Growth — and the Leaders Who Carry It Forward - Hiring for Good Ep 51 – Josh Carter
On this episode of Hiring for Good, we sit down with Josh Carter, co‑founder of Upstart Collective, to explore a winding leadership journey shaped by entrepreneurship, community-building, and mission‑driven values. From startups and accelerators to hiring for potential over pedigree, Josh shares candid insights on building inclusive teams, rethinking founder support, and leading with purpose,… Read more: Hiring for Good Ep 51 – Josh Carter - Rethinking Early-Career Turnover from “Make them Stay” to “Help Them Grow”
Marcella Vail offers a different perspective on millennials and Gen Z, providing a more practical way to build talent in a job-hopping era. In a Hiring for Good podcast conversation, executive leader Marcella Vail offers a different framework: if newer generations don’t stick around for long, a leader’s job isn’t to shame the pattern, it’s… Read more: Rethinking Early-Career Turnover from “Make them Stay” to “Help Them Grow” - Hiring for Good Ep. 50 – Josh Johnston
If you care about leadership rooted in character, community, and real-world experience, this episode is worth your time. Josh Johnston shares an honest look at building and sustaining values-driven businesses in one of the toughest industries out there. From bartender to president of a multi-concept restaurant group, he speaks candidly about leadership mistakes, hiring for… Read more: Hiring for Good Ep. 50 – Josh Johnston - Why the Best Leaders Often Come from Outside the Industry
When organizations are looking to hire, they often believe that they need to hire within their own industry. But that’s not always the right answer. Some of the most effective executive placements and the most transformative leaders are those who transfer proven proficiencies from one industry to another, bringing in fresh mindsets. Hiring for Good… Read more: Why the Best Leaders Often Come from Outside the Industry - Honoring Legacy in Succession
Honoring legacy in succession is a crucial aspect of ensuring the continuity and success of a company. When a business transitions from founder to the next generation, it is not just the transfer of ownership that matters, but also the preservation of the values, culture, and vision that have shaped the company’s identity. This process… Read more: Honoring Legacy in Succession - Hiring for Good Ep. 49 – Valdez Bravo
This episode of Hiring for Good is a masterclass in leadership, resilience, and purpose-driven career-building, told through the extraordinary life story of Valdez Bravo, a public servant whose journey spans the military, the VA, and county-level healthcare leadership. I don’t come to work for people to work for me — I work for them. My… Read more: Hiring for Good Ep. 49 – Valdez Bravo