ZRG was retained by one of the largest contractors in the U.S. to secure professionals who could establish, sell, and oversee multifamily construction in specific geographic markets. After successfully securing two project executives, ZRG was retained to attract and secure four additional leaders. As a result of these multifamily placements, our client has rapidly established a powerful presence in each of its target cities.

Challenge

Our client’s goal was to grow its multifamily group and capitalize on the surge of activity in this high-potential market by increasing the company’s exposure and reach.

Based upon recommendations from our client’s Senior Vice President of Human Resources, we were invited to submit our qualifications to perform multiple division / regional leader searches to support the company’s multifamily initiative. Through a selection process that included a meeting with the President and Senior Vice President of the National Multifamily Division, ZRG was awarded the opportunity to lead the search initiatives.

The objective was to secure professionals who could help establish, sell, and oversee multifamily construction in specific geographic markets. Extensive research had been performed by our client to determine the major national markets in which to focus. The client already had a very successful Vice President in place in its multifamily division in the Carolinas, and they were striving to replicate that success in all of their target regions.

To accomplish its goals, our client was seeking individuals who knew the multifamily business, the financial aspects, and the key players, and who had the desire to create growth opportunities for their teams and for themselves. Qualified candidates would be local experts in the specific regions who were seller / doers – those who know how to develop and leverage relationships, secure work, and execute the projects. They were to be motivated and client focused, and have experience in multifamily project pursuits, including preconstruction and operations. The positions also required an entrepreneurial mindset and a positive reputation.

Initially, we were retained to secure two project executives, one in Dallas and the other in Washington, DC. After successful completion of these assignments, we were retained for additional searches to attract and secure leaders in Orlando and Southern California. Ultimately, these four key searches allowed our client to establish a multifamily group in each targeted region. After the regions were established, ZRG was asked to secure individuals to support those leaders in Northern Virginia and the Greater Houston area.

Strategy

For all of the assignments, we worked closely with the President and Senior Vice President of the National Multifamily Division, as well as with Human Resources.

Based upon initial conversations, we concentrated recruitment efforts on professionals from architectural / engineering firms, developers within the multifamily market space, and our client’s competitors. We assembled an internal search team of three recruiters to focus solely on these needs, and they worked collaboratively to identify and attract candidates. Although the project was managed as a team effort internally, we provided our client with one point of contact for all six searches. The consultant who served as the contact person had a comprehensive understanding of all of the searches and our client’s needs which saved time, reduced confusion, and allowed for more effective communication overall. As the searches progressed, the group leveraged its knowledge and growing pool of contacts to complete each search with increasing efficiency.

Results

Due to ZRG's strong understanding of our client’s structure and internal company culture, as well as our knowledge of the multifamily market and ability to gather information, we assisted our client in executing its strategic recruitment plan by bringing all six searches to successful conclusions. Despite the diversity of regions, ZRG attracted and ultimately secured – from key competitors – six talented professionals who, shortly after hire, have added value to the company by cementing its presence in the respective regions and helping the company to exceed its goals.

The new multifamily team members include:

• Project Executive (Multifamily Leader, Dallas). While this professional was hired to be a project executive for North Texas, he was quickly promoted to Vice President, responsible for all of Texas. A seller / doer with a solid reputation and strong relationships within the multifamily residential community, he has over 20 years of experience with wood-frame multifamily housing construction.
• Project Executive (Multifamily Leader, DC). The secured individual previously worked almost exclusively on stick-frame multifamily projects. He is a uniquely versatile project executive, with skills extending beyond operations into business development and experience in managing planning / design, contract negotiation, and subcontractor selection when staging projects. Following his hire, this professional quickly gained traction by securing preconstruction contracts and won a $40M project with a private real estate developer in the DC region. He developed an immediate rapport with the other division leaders, and he is extremely happy with both the team and the DC market outlook. He has been identified as having such great potential that he was chosen, as part of a select few, to participate in an internal young executive management training program.
• Project Executive (Multifamily Leader, Orlando). With over 16 years of multifamily experience in Florida, and strong relationships with developers, architects, and subcontractors in the region, the successful candidate was the ideal choice to lead our client’s multifamily initiative in Orlando. In his previous tenure at a Florida construction firm, he was responsible for leading business development, supporting all preconstruction efforts, and overseeing projects operationally.
• Director (Multifamily, Southern California). The placed professional has 16 years of experience with premier multifamily contractors and developers in Southern California, with a focus in multifamily stick-built construction. In follow-up conversations, he reports being excited about his new role, and he is already aggressively pursuing projects.
• Senior Project Manager (Multifamily, Houston). This individual was hired to assist in obtaining work, and establishing our client’s presence in Houston, as well as to serve as the eyes and ears on the ground for his supervisor, who is the project executive for all of Texas. The candidate has a strong portfolio of multifamily contacts in his target region, with particular strengths in project management and operations.
• Senior Project Manager (Multifamily, DC). This professional was hired as second in command to the project executive in DC. He has over 20 years of experience with stick-frame construction and multifamily, and has a strong reputation within the multifamily subcontracting community in the region.

We secured 17 professionals for this client over a three-year time period with six of those being focused on multifamily. As a result of the multifamily placements, our client has rapidly established a powerful presence in each of its target cities, something that may not have been accomplished through internal promotions alone. Anchoring these leaders sent a strong message to the contracting community that our client was committed to the multifamily business and prepared to gain market share. Today, the company is acknowledged as one of the top multifamily housing contractors in the nation.

Our client’s objective was to secure professionals who could help establish, sell, and oversee multifamily construction in specific geographic markets. Despite the diversity of regions, we attracted and ultimately secured, from key competitors, six talented professionals who, shortly after hire, have added value to the company by cementing its presence in the respective regions and helping the company to exceed its goals.

Wes Miller, Managing Director - Southeast

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