Banking, Financial Services, Lending Services, Placement Annoucements

Jon Burkhart & TRG Commercial Banking Complete Seasoned Commercial Lender Search

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(Richmond, VA) July 13, 2015 –  Jon Burkhart and the Commercial Banking Team of The Richmond Group USA (TRG) are pleased to announce the successful conclusion of a Commercial Lender search in Austin, TX for a successful and established TX-based bank.

Our client-company reached out to us in the beginning of the first quarter with this opportunity after a recent retirement on their commercial lending team.  They needed someone familiar with the Austin metro market who could immediately bring in and develop new business and relationships throughout the city.

Due to the specific qualifications this role required, a comprehensive search was conducted to uncover and attract a pool of qualified candidates throughout downtown Austin and the surrounding areas.  Using our database of strong, local candidates, we were able to identify, qualify and attract a candidate within two weeks who was currently successful at doing exactly what the bank needed to have done.

With this new exciting opportunity, this commercial lender has the ability to be a big fish in a smaller pond, with the potential for significant growth and upward mobility in the near future. The bank now has proven and high performing commercial lender with formal credit training, a vast network of COI’s in the area, and a significant pipeline to help provide a strong start to the second half of the year.

As your business continues to grow, so does your need for talented individuals. What are you doing today to secure the future talent needs?

Should you desire additional information about this successful search or about our firm please contact Jon Burkhart and the Commercial Banking division at 804-285-2071 or email Jon at jonb@richgroupusa.com

Banking, Financial Services, Lending Services, Monthly BLS Report, US News

Embracing Change

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Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with a commercial lending executive in Oklahoma City who made a very keen observation about the banking industry: “If there’s anything constant in banking, it’s change.”

It gave me pause, as I couldn’t think of any facet of banking right now that isn’t constantly in a state of change — whether it’s change to accommodate a more tech-savvy customer base, change to accommodate an ever-increasing amount of new regulation, or change to accommodate for the growing number of retirements within nearly every bank each year.  This last piece is something that a surprisingly few number of folks have given much, if any, thought.

Retirement of key executives within banking has significantly increased over the past few years.  While a few banks are ready for such a transition, the majority of banks are ill-prepared for the loss of a key executive.

What would happen if one of your key executives spontaneously announced their retirement or left for other reasons?  There seems to be news every day of a sudden retirement by a banking executive.  Whatever the reason, it creates a void that must be filled immediately.

The question is, do you currently have talent on your bench that you can confidently promote when one of your key executives leaves?  This coming wave of retirement, whether planned or unplanned, is inevitable.  And that isn’t likely to change anytime soon.

Computers, Engineering, US News

IT and engineering industries experience growth in the US

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IT EngineeringAccording to a recent report from TechServe Alliance, the U.S. saw growth in its IT and engineering sectors between April and May 2015.

The study revealed that the IT field expanded by .3 percent over the course of April, higher than the national nonfarm payroll growth, which came in at .2 percent during this time. Since May 2014, this industry has grown by 4.8 percent or 225,000 jobs. Currently, the U.S. is home to 4.9 million actively employed IT professionals. Growth was also seen in the engineering sector, which expanded by .1 percent between April and May. The study explained that this field has grown by .9 percent since last May, creating 22,000 jobs to build its current workforce of 2.5 million professionals.

TechServe Alliance’s CEO, Mark Roberts, explained that while any growth is certainly welcome, the expansions seen by these industries can be qualified as “sluggish.” He noted that the slow growth can largely be attributed to a growing IT skills gap. Despite a constantly increasing demand for qualified workers in this industry, the number of students choosing to study this discipline has remained steady. This has prevented the IT industry from hitting its maximum potential, Roberts noted.

Accounting, Central US, Chemical, Construction, Contract Staffing, Engineering, Food & Beverage, Heavy Equipment, International News, Manufacturing, Marketing, Midwest US, North America, Northeast US, Pacific US, Plastics, Quality Assurance, Sales & Marketing, Southeast US, Southwest US, Textiles & Apparel, Transportation, US News

Manufacturers Poised For Solid 2nd Half of Year

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The Institute for Supply Management recently reported that its purchasing managers’ index edged up to 53.5 in June from 52.8 in May.  The ISM report showed factory orders and employment in June stood at their highest readings since December 2014.  This is giving reassurance that US manufacturers ended the second quarter on a positive note with a strong flow of orders that could help boost the overall economy in coming months.

Many economists are optimistic for a solid second half of 2015.  Even with the current global uncertainties, it appears that US manufacturing has gotten past the first-quarter drag of bad weather and shipping delays caused by the West Coast port slowdown.  With the exception of manufacturers selling to the oil-and-gas drilling industry who have had to deal with the negative impact from falling oil prices which led energy companies to cut orders for equipment and supplies.  The ISM employment index showed employers were hiring last month in anticipation for future production, now that order books are filling up.

Bruce Peacock
Vice President of Business Development
The Richmond Group USA

US News

US private sector job growth increases

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Private SectorPrivate sector payrolls grew to a six-month high in June.

RTT News reported that 237,000 private sector jobs were added to the U.S. economy last month, an increase of 34,000 over May’s number. The source explained that this exceeded economists’ expectations significantly, as most industry experts had predicted an increase of just 220,000 positions. June’s growth represented the highest amount of job creation in this sector since December 2014, when 275,000 positions were added to private payrolls.

Reuters noted that much of this growth was due to an increase in factory work. The source reported that national factory activity index grew from 52.8 in May to 53.5 in June. Because a reading of at least 50 indicates industry growth, June’s data revealed significant sector expansion. Out of the 18 designated factory fields, 11 experienced notable growth. These included fabricated metal products, furniture, electrical equipment, appliances, components, and computer and electronic products. Only four fields reported decreased activity last month, reported Reuters.

Business and professional services increased by 61,000, nearly doubling its number from the previous month. The service and construction industries also experienced growth, noted RTT News. Small businesses increased their payrolls by 120,000, while medium and large businesses grew by 68,000 and 32,000, respectively.

Manufacturing, Placement Annoucements, Sales & Marketing

Terri Kubicki and the TRG Sales Team Complete Successful Regional Sales Manager Search

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(Richmond, VA) June 26, 2015 – Terri Kubicki and the TRG sales team are pleased to announce the successful conclusion of a multi branch Regional Sales Manager in Johnstown, PA for a successful and well established distributor of building materials.

With a decentralized approach to sales management, our client was looking to identify a sales leader who could unify the inside and outside sales team by establishing and implementing sales processes and systems across the entire organization.  Due to the specific requirements on location and the need to have an individual coming from the building products industry with multi-branch experience, our client was unable to fill the position on their own.

A comprehensive search was started, targeting individuals in and around the area that had previously demonstrated the ability to drive change inside the building products industry.  Due to our vast resources we were able to identify a candidate just outside of the area who had both multi branch experience, proven experience in change management, and experience implementing a CRM program.   Within a month our client had successfully hired the person they were looking for.

Due to the candidates successful experience in the industry our client adds a dynamic sales leader who will bring the sales team together and is on track to step in to the Vice President of Sales and Marketing role within the next two years!

As your business continues to grow, so does your need for talented individuals. What are you doing today to secure the future talent needs?

Should you desire additional information about this successful search or about our firm please contact Terri Kubicki and the Sales & Marketing division at 804-285-2071 or email Terri at terrik@richgroupusa.com.