Despite A-1 Industries‘ presence as a premier truss supplier, expanding their reach into the Florida and Georgia’s residential truss markets was proving to be challenging. With so many existing houses on the market, the demand for new homes was lower than it used to be. They needed to hire someone to boost sales, increase their market presence, and become top-of-mind for residential builders. 

Their wish list wasn’t long, but the items on it were crucial. They needed an exceptional people-leader, regardless of their product experience. And if the person wasn’t local, they’d need to relocate to the Southeast. 

We took two approaches to this search: first, we looked at direct competitors, finding four impressive candidates within the industry. We focused on companies known for doing things “the right way” in business, especially those whose competitive edge came from a compelling differentiating value proposition. 

Our second tactic included looking at excellent sales leaders across industries. This included a lot of referral-seeking through existing contacts throughout the building materials space. That tactic brought in four candidates with proven “people leadership” skills, then a few more later. Three of those people were referrals from previous Bridger Group candidates and other connections across the industry. 

By the end, we’d presented 9 candidates to the A-1 Industries hiring team, and they ultimately hired someone found through our second tactic. 

A former candidate we placed with a different company told us to reach out to this candidate. She reported to him in a previous role and described him as the best leader she’d ever worked under. He’d been a sales leader for some enormous companies in the windows industry, switching to consulting while he waited out his lengthy non-compete. He had nearly 50 people directly or indirectly working under him, showing he could easily take on the ~10-person team this role oversaw. 

His experience was important, but his compatibility went far beyond that. 

We previously worked with A-1 on another search, so we already knew who “their kind of people” were. This guy fit the bill. He valued the same things as them: a healthy, supportive culture. Creating value. The importance of training and motivating a team. Understanding the competitive landscape. 

After learning more about his work history, their opinion of him only improved. For any career move he made, he got brought on by people he previously worked with who were now high-up within large, well-known organizations. In general, people don’t knowingly hire people who aren’t good at their jobs. Repeatedly having former coworkers and employers try to recruit him elsewhere spoke greatly to the value of his experience. 

While he was above their initial budget, the A-1 team saw this as an investment in their future success in this market. They also gave him a generous relocation package and, as an ESOP, offered excellent retirement benefits once he was fully vested in the company. 

This is a more recent placement, so the A-1’s new VP of Sales & Marketing is still in the process of proving himself. But since he started work, the team has been incredibly welcoming and excited to have him on. In the meantime, we still work on searches for A-1 Industries and are grateful for their continued partnership.

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