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INDUSTRY REPORTS
CASE STUDIES
- A Placement at the Right Moment: Maria Reyes Joins World Forestry Center
The summer solstice marks the longest day of the year, a fitting backdrop for this month’s theme of reflection, momentum, and what comes into clearer focus at the right moment. That framing feels especially fitting as we celebrate Maria Reyes joining World Forestry Center as Director of Philanthropy. As World Forestry Center celebrates its 60th… Read more: A Placement at the Right Moment: Maria Reyes Joins World Forestry Center - 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
Read Our Recent Blog Posts
- The Difference Between a Good Hire and the Right Hire
When organizations think about executive hiring, they often focus on experience, technical expertise, and industry knowledge. While these qualities are essential, they are rarely what determine the long-term success of a leadership team. The real differentiator is alignment. At the executive level, success is not simply about finding a capable leader. It is about finding the right leader… Read more: The Difference Between a Good Hire and the Right Hire - Leadership Is Still About People
Technology is changing how we work. AI is reshaping jobs, organizations are navigating constant change, and leaders face increasing pressure to do more with less. Yet amid all this disruption, one truth remains unchanged. Leadership is, and always will be, about people. That was one of the strongest messages from Luis Carbo, Regional Director of… Read more: Leadership Is Still About People - The Human Side of Leadership
When we picture successful leaders, it’s easy to imagine people who always had a plan, always knew what they wanted, and moved steadily from one achievement to the next. But that’s rarely how leadership actually works. In an episode of Hiring for Good, IQ Credit Union Chief Experience Officer Ali Migaki shared a story that… Read more: The Human Side of Leadership - Empowering People Is the Real Job of Leadership with Andy Nelson
When people talk about leadership, they often focus on vision, strategy, or big decisions. But after listening to Ride Connection CEO Andy Nelson reflect on his career, it becomes clear that great leadership is actually much simpler and much harder than that. It’s about people. That may sound obvious, but many leaders learn this lesson… Read more: Empowering People Is the Real Job of Leadership with Andy Nelson - Acumen Congratulates Mike Murawski, New Executive Director of Explore Washington Park
Acumen Executive Search is proud to congratulate Mike Murawski on his appointment as Executive Director of Explore Washington Park, the nonprofit partnership dedicated to improving transportation and mobility, visitor services, organizational and financial sustainability, and collaborative stewardship across one of Oregon’s most iconic public destinations. The search focused on identifying a leader who could strengthen… Read more: Acumen Congratulates Mike Murawski, New Executive Director of Explore Washington Park - Hiring for Good Newsletter
Dear Friends, August is often viewed as a transition month, but for leaders, it’s an opportunity month. Successful organizations don’t wait for fall to begin planning for the future. They use this moment to evaluate readiness, align leadership, and make the strategic decisions that position their teams for a strong finish to the year. The… Read more: Hiring for Good Newsletter - Prepared, Not Paralyzed
Every Business Is One Unexpected Event Away from a Major Disruption. The question isn’t whether a crisis will occur. It’s whether your organization has identified its risks and prepared for what comes next. Most business leaders know they should be prepared for emergencies, but it is easy to delay planning when more urgent matters are… Read more: Prepared, Not Paralyzed - Is This Candidate for Real? The Rising Threat of Candidate Fraud
If you’ve never looked at a candidate and wondered, “Is this person for real?” there may come a time when you should. Remote work, video interviews, and global talent pools have made hiring faster and more flexible, but they have also created new opportunities for deception. From fake profiles to sophisticated schemes involving remote access… Read more: Is This Candidate for Real? The Rising Threat of Candidate Fraud - A Placement at the Right Moment: Maria Reyes Joins World Forestry CenterThe summer solstice marks the longest day of the year, a fitting backdrop for this month’s theme of reflection, momentum, and what comes into clearer focus at the right moment. That framing feels especially fitting as we celebrate Maria Reyes joining World Forestry Center as Director of Philanthropy. As World Forestry Center celebrates its 60th… Read more: A Placement at the Right Moment: Maria Reyes Joins World Forestry Center
- Exit the Role, Not the Business
Most founders don’t actually want to sell their business; they just don’t want to run it anymore. We’re seeing a shift right now with business owners, and it’s changing how people think about exit. For a long time, the assumption was simple: build a business, sell it, move on. But that’s not how it’s playing… Read more: Exit the Role, Not the Business