Our Regional Expertise in Executive and Board Search
Vell Executive Search is a leading specialist in technology executive and board searches for clients across the U.S. and Canada. We have a well-earned reputation for finding world-class talent that sticks for smaller, more challenging recruitment locales as well as major markets.
It takes special skills, and often a multidimensional strategy, to attract top tech talent to locations that are not major tech centers. Our proven approach can explore every alternative, identifying local candidates and candidates who are willing to relocate or commute to headquarters.
Local candidates, while sometimes scarce, can also have a strong motivation to take a local role. They can often even be a better quality of candidate. We have an exceptional ability to use creative methods to recruit these seemingly unreachable local options.
In addition, over the past year, many companies have gone remote. This has presented new opportunities for executives moving to areas for lifestyle reasons without losing opportunities.
Motivations for relocating or commuting that we have encountered include:
- Reasons to be there permanently or on occasion, such as family, second home already there or children attending college there.
- Love for the local culture or lifestyle, or a significant presence of a similar ethnic or religious group.
- Wanting to “give back” to a city or state they grew up in. This is very common for board members.
- Executives of European descent moving to the East Coast to be closer to Europe.
Ease of commute for the executive or board member to the company location can also be critically important. For example, we pay close attention to candidates within a two-hour flight to headquarters. Attention to this type of detail up front can help ease an executive’s objections to the role.
Vell Executive Search routinely works with tech companies outside of the major tech hubs who are worried about talent availability and their ability to attract world-class talent. Our proven methodology provides the answers. We will:
- Provide an honest assessment after a thorough examination of your company’s likelihood to attract top-caliber talent for a relocation, the depth and breadth of the local talent pool, and the availability of talent within a reasonable commuting distance.
- Have an in-depth discussion on compensation, especially as it relates to executives relocating from an area with a higher cost of living.
- Identify candidates with strong local connections or lifestyle fits who may be willing to relocate or be flexible on compensation.
- Suggest creative travel and flexible work arrangements that can expand your candidate pool.
- Get to know you, your area and the culture in depth.
- As candidates move through the process, identify potential areas of concern for their families, such as the availability of certain sports, or special-needs educational opportunities.
- With one or two finalist candidates, orchestrating a family visit to the location is key. We will understand their concerns, preferences, hobbies and lifestyle before scheduling a family trip prior to this all-important decision.
Areas We Serve
Our methodology allows us to find and reach more local talent than even local recruiters, along with more leaders or better talent with affinity for your location or a willingness to travel to your location for board meetings. This is the case whether you are conducting an executive search in Dallas, need a technology recruiter for Austin or an executive search firm for Philadelphia or Chicago roles.
Our data-driven approach and specialization in technology recruiting have enabled us to successfully place talent that sticks in these locations as well as many others not traditionally thought of as tech hubs.
Here are some representative searches in U.S.A. regions not covered in our other location pages: