Blackshaw Partners, an executive search firm specializing in identifying, attracting and delivering top executives, moved its flagship office to The Star in Frisco earlier this year.
Blackshaw Partners plants a flag in Texas. The executive search firm moved its flagship office to The Star in Frisco earlier this year and is eager to embrace all that the city’s vibrant business community has to offer.
“We want to be a part of the city’s growth and the development of talent in the local community,†said Kevin Howard, Senior Partner and Chief Executive Officer of Frisco. “With all the business going on here, we can serve and grow our business at the same time. “
Founded in 1976 by Brian Blackshaw, the boutique search firm specializes in identifying, attracting and providing top executives for a wide range of industries, including hospitality and leisure. , oil and gas, private equity and franchise systems. Since its inception, the company has completed more than 3,000 research assignments around the world for senior positions such as vice president, CEO, board members and other C-level executives.
“What an incredible city Frisco is, from a business and lifestyle perspective,†said Blackshaw of the company’s decision to relocate its flagship office into the community. “In Frisco alone, there are 30 companies headquartered in the United States, North America or around the world, and there are more to come. Frisco is the place to be.
Recruiting has long been a part of Blackshaw’s life; he was introduced to the industry in the early 1970s after taking a job with Singer Business Machines leading campus recruiting.
“This was my first exposure to recruiting and storytelling the history of Singer Corporation’s Business Machine division and how it competed with Xerox and IBM at the time,†he said. .
By the mid-1970s, the concept of successful recruiting firms – companies that received an up-front fee for performing a specialist search for executive-level talent – was making real sense. But there was a caveat: it took decades of experience and a Rolodex full of contacts to break into the industry at this time, which the young Blackshaw did not yet have. Nevertheless, he did not let himself be stopped.
“I started my own business on July 16, 1976 in Atlanta, Georgia, and the rest, as they say, is history,†he said.
In the decades that followed, Blackshaw Partners expanded its global network to Daytona Beach, Little Rock, Raleigh Durham, Bogota, Frankfurt, Tokyo and now Frisco, Texas. Blackshaw and his team were all seasoned veterans at their previous companies and are dedicated to working with their clients 24/7, through the bad and the good.
“It’s a very rewarding business because you are improving people’s lives and bringing value to those businesses that they lacked,†said Blackshaw. “These companies are recruiting [us] to find someone who can solve a problem or enter and open new markets.
Since the start of the pandemic, the need for talent to lead businesses is greater than ever, Blackshaw said.
“It’s very competitive because companies want to keep their key people right now,†he said. “With competent executives, I am not the only one calling them. Everyone knows what it is worth in the market.
As Blackshaw Partners moves to Frisco in the coming months, its leaders are keen to remain a small to medium-sized business, which will allow them to continue to guide their clients through issues and the search for talent.
“I feel very lucky that I am not just a resident of the great state of Texas, but to live in Frisco,†Blackshaw said. “What a vibrant and growing economy in Texas, and we will continue to be a part of it. “
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