As Marty and I are putting this newsletter together, the World Cup is in full swing, our kids are celebrating the end of another school year, and the United States is getting ready to celebrate its 238th birthday. Summer is here, vacations are starting, and work is still getting done.
We’ve enjoyed watching our clients take advantage of this recovering economy by entering new markets and growing new businesses. Most companies have reengaged in the War for Talent, especially in the tech-oriented regions in Silicon Valley and Silicon Beach. We’ve been asked to help multiple companies find their own heads of talent acquisition (I know – it seems like we’re finding our competition). Private Equity and Venture Capital firms are building their talent pipelines and acquisition capabilities as people become more of a differentiator, allowing them to build more value in their portfolio companies.
Certainly we are staying busy. We’re helping old clients find new members of the team, and we’re working with some new clients, as well. We hope that this short synopsis of what we’re seeing and doing will benefit you in your work and career.
So, enjoy, and Keep Moving Forward!
Fleming Jones
[email protected]
Martin “Marty” McMahon
[email protected]
Thought Provoking Articles
- Want to Help the Economy? Look to the U.S. Soccer Team – From The Washington Post: It was May 27, 2014, the first of three tune-ups for the U.S. men’s soccer team before the World Cup, a windy match against Azerbaijan, and it looked bleak. So the U.S. coach did what a lot of other folks do in Silicon Valley when they need a talent infusion: He called in some foreigners. A recent report from the McKinsey Global Institute suggests people represent America’s greatest unrealized, gains from globalization — basically, the more talent we can hoard, the better we’ll compete with other countries.
- UCLA Report: California and U.S. Economies to Rebound – The California and national economies are expected to rebound from a sluggish first quarter and continue on an upward trend through 2016, thanks in part to a housing market that continues to improve, according to a UCLA forecast released on June 11, 2014.
- Big Data in Human Resources: A World of Haves And Have-Nots – From Forbes. Research by Bersin by Deloitte reveals that while more than 60% of companies are now investing in BigData and analytics tools to help make their HR departments more data-driven, there is a huge chasm between the “haves” and the “have nots.” The research also showed that the top companies using Big Data in their HR function generate high returns: their stock market returns are 30% higher than the S&P 500, they are twice as likely to be delivering high impact recruiting solutions, and their leadership pipelines are 2.5X healthier.
Client Snapshot – j2 Global
When a company is able to pivot to stay ahead of the dramatic technology changes in their industry and give a 20% annual return to investors, it’s doing pretty well. Originally known for their flagship eFax, the electronic fax business, j2 Global (www.j2global.com) has leveraged that success and used their resources to begin building a Digital Media empire, which now accounts for 25% of their $500m in annual revenues, even though the business unit is less than 2 years old.
By taking advantage of their strong balance sheet, j2 has found great values in the digital media space. In one year, they have built a leading share in tech, in games and in men’ lifestyle. They have added the brands of IGN, the business of AskMen, NetShelter and TechBargains, and are launching new versions of IGN, PCMagazine and AskMen globally.
The beauty of all of this is that their slower-growth legacy business has moved from 80% of the overall company revenue to less than 50% in less than three years.
Recent Events
Although we’ve been very busy with our searches (see below), we continue to bring good people together, hosting a dozen events in Northern and Southern California.
April was highlighted by a C-Suite dinner in Santa Barbara on the 15th to celebrate the completion of our IRS requirements. In May, we brought together some Friends of the Firm in San Diego for a nice thank-you dinner. Fleming enjoyed connecting with an executive he recruited to his current company over 10 years ago, who is now head of operations and technology for this business he’s helped grow from $50m to over $200m, which allowed the successful sale of the company to a global strategic buyer.
In San Francisco and Palo Alto, Marty’s C-Suite and HR Roundtable breakfast series events brought speakers from KPMG (The Difference Between Good and Great Leaders), Mercer (Next Generation HR), and the Center for Talent Innovation (Diversity & Market Growth). These exclusive monthly events are worthwhile – contact Marty for more information ([email protected]).
Recently Completed Searches
Deluxe Entertainment
- EVP Global Human Resources
Mercury Air Group
- Chief Financial Officer
The Henry Wine Group
- General Manager – Zephyr Express
CalPortland
- Treasurer
Current Searches
Public Medical Device Company
- Vice President R&D
Private Food Manufacturer/Processor
- Chief Financial Officer
Public Biopharmaceutical Company
- Corporate Controller
Private Healthcare Services Company
- VP Sales
Public Cleantech Company
- Director of Licensing & Business Development
PE-Owned Medical Device Company
- SVP Marketing
Private Medical Supply Company
- SVP Sales & Marketing