Follow the Leader!

THE QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER FROM THE VOGEL GROUP – SPRING EDITION

Spring 2019

Another quarter has passed – it seems everyone made it through this ‘winter vortex’. We at The Vogel Group have had a busy first few months so far this year. By continually strengthening and maintaining solid relationships, over half of our current searches are from repeat clients. Our team, in fact, is flourishing with our solid group of 4. Quickly unifying and honing in on everyone’s expertise, we are confident a stable platform has been set for a successful year.

Business aside, spring is here! So many signs say it’s definitely arrived; hopefully here to stay:

• The days are getting longer and warmer
• You might have heard honking followed by the “V”s overhead!
• Local driving ranges are open, and the greens are coming along nicely
• Patios are being set up for the first hint of ⁺18
• Edmonton’s line-up of local festivals is booked for the year for everyone to take in.

This first quarter of 2019 has brought some surprising, and not so surprising, changes within our city:

• After 21 years as the Shaw Conference Centre, events will now be within the Edmonton Convention Centre
• Our new city hall fountain is underway; foundations are being set as you read
• Completion for Aurora Cannabis’ 800,000-square-foot facility was in January
• Amazon is expanding; plans have begun to open a 1-million ft² facility in Leduc County. It will be awhile still before you can expect your purchase within hours; it’s expected to open in early 2020
• A sneak peek was given inside the Rossdale Power Plant. It’s intriguing to know what plans lie ahead for this beautiful piece of architecture
• Election day was on April 16 resulting in Jason Kenney leading UCP to majority
• And our Edmonton Oilers. Thinking about the Oilers – the ‘what if’ and ‘what could’ve been’ if the Edmonton Oilers made the post-season, just someway, somehow, something…

“…how do you ensure the quality of your work compared to firms that have many more people on their team?”

We have often been asked (more like challenged) as to how a boutique executive/leadership search firm based in Edmonton is able to truly conduct national searches. Our Fall 2018 issue of Follow the Leader provided both our thoughts as well as evidence from recent search assignments that we not only conduct national searches, but we excel at them.

I recently presented (as part of a competition to earn a new search) and was asked the following question, “With such a small team (4 of us), how do you ensure the quality of your work compared to firms that have many more people on their team?” It’s a relevant question and, indeed, one that I had not been asked before.

“Ensuring the quality of work is easier to do so with a smaller team.”

My short answer was short and simple, “Ensuring the quality of work is easier to do so with a smaller team.” With many large firms there’s a chain of command. Typically, the Partner/CEO may be the individual presenting to potential clients and bringing in business. Very often, they may be joined by a “senior” recruiter (i.e. Director, Principal, VP) to meet with the newly earned clients. Once back to the office, the senior recruiter may engage junior staff to begin research and conduct preliminary candidate assessments. It may be this person, or another individual who conducts the in-depth candidate interviews and the reference checks. There is an old saying – “too many chefs spoil the soup.”

Our model is different.

We have three Principals with 12+ years of extensive recruitment experience and expertise. Upon engagement, your Principal will be your sole contact throughout the search duration. They will meet with you to understand your organization, your culture, history and challenges, and your needs of the role. They will gain insight into your organization’s goals, leadership style and the personality required for success. Your Principal will be the one conducted research, reaching out to potential candidates, conducting pre-screen assessments, conducting in-depth interviews and providing our recommendations. Your Principal will be the one generating and providing your weekly reports, writing your candidate summaries, partnering with you during the short list interview process, preparing all your reference reports and written summaries, and working with you to provide the offer. Once the search is done it’s certainly not complete. The Vogel Group stands behind their standard of excellence and commitment to our clients. Your Principal will be in contact with you and your new hire throughout their first year with your team.

Our focus on fewer assignments delivers better results.

The follow up question to my response was, “How can one Principal do all the work on any given search?” Very simple answer – we are exceedingly selective on how many searches we have at any given time and very selective on the types of searches we accept. Our focus on fewer assignments delivers better results.

The Vogel Group stands behind their standard of excellence and commitment to our clients. Don’t believe us – ask our clients.

We understand that it is rather self-serving to tell you why we are different and better than other firms. The Vogel Group stands behind their standard of excellence and commitment to our clients. We are continually receiving feedback that our model works for everyone engaged. Don’t believe us – ask our clients.

Since our last issue of Follow the Leader in January, we have completed the following searches:

• Chief Engineer for Universal Handling based in Red Deer, AB
• Conduct Counsel for CARNA
• Director of Human Resources for Capital Region Housing
• Office Manager for The Crossing Group for their Kamloops, BC office
• Senior Estimator for Kichton Contracting Ltd.

Business has certainly picked up for The Vogel Group and this spring, we are currently working on these exciting positions for the following great organizations:

• Board of Directors for Edmonton Economic Development Corporation (EEDC)
• Board of Directors for Capital Region Housing
• Chief Programs Officer for Bissell Centre
• Director, Capital Developments for Capital Region Housing
• Director, Customer Services for Capital Region Housing
• Divisional Director of Microtunneling for The Crossing Group
• Registrar, College of Registered Dental Hygienists of Alberta (CRDHA)
• Vice President, Academic for Medicine Hat College

Snapshots of all these current searches can be found at: https://thevogelgroup.ca/current-opportunities/.

Rick, Julie, Rae Ann and Steven

Recognized by Top Recruiter as Canada’s #1 Agency Recruiter, as part of Canada’s 2018 Top Recruiter Awards.