The Headhunters at Movement Bring the Swagger Back to Business Movement Search & Delivery, a professional executive search firm with global reach, has recently opened their national headquarters in downtown Clarkston. Movement’s headquarters will house a large recruitment team who support their national and global client base as well as Headhunters who are dedicated to their business in Michigan. “Most of us in the firm have spent our entire careers in the professional search business and many of us have worked together in the past,” says Doug Scott, General Manager of Movement. After working for one of the large, national staffing firms for over 20 years, Scott was ready for a change. During the past year, he kept in touch with many of his colleagues and worked to create a unique business model for the industry. He knew there was a better way to develop and support those who dedicated their life’s work to the business of headhunting. Through these efforts, Movement was born. “Supporting our recruiters is our #1 priority at Movement”, adds Scott. “The customer is #2, because they pay our fees. The firm and I are certainly a distant #3. This is such a personal business because the headhunters create everything. Without them, we have no clients, we have no candidates, and there is no firm. Our mission statement is pretty clear.” Movement chose to move into eclectic office space in downtown Clarkston because of the unique work environment. The office actually has been converted from an old Henry Ford factory mill built on stilts overlooking the Clinton River. “We have mandatory happy hours in the village and barbeques on Fridays. We are anxious for the mill pond across the street to freeze over so we can play hockey and get some exercise outside during lunch time in the winter.” In their first three months of operations, Movement ran a sales incentive where their entire staff and spouses won an all-expense trip to Miami. The firm provides a trip incentive annually for every associate who qualifies. “We made it clear to our investors that we would be very budget conscience in many areas of the business but when it comes to employee compensation, fringe benefits and incentives, we would spend some money, comments Scott. “Look, our people work really, really hard and this is a very tough job. It sometimes takes years for a Headhunter to be good at this. The firm has an obligation to focus on the fun and celebrating their achievements. The Recruiters also need to know if they are doing all of the right things, they will be successful. There are a lot of ups and downs in this business; they need to know Movement has their back.” Scott also expressed his confidence in the comeback of the Michigan economy and particularly the automotive industry adding that many of the auto manufacturers and suppliers are beginning to hire for people with specific skills. Companies have been cutting or have frozen hiring for so long, there is a pent up demand and much of the talent has left the state. Many of Movement’s searches have involved relocating these people back to Michigan after they left to find work elsewhere. “There are a lot of families broken up right now because the main income provider had to move out of state for a job leaving their spouse and kids here because they can’t sell their home,” said Scott. “So to bring that talented worker back to Michigan and reunite the family is gratifying, to say the least”. “We have so much going for us in this region. It is the most beautiful place in the world to live; our work force is exceptionally well-trained with a strong work ethic. Our companies are dynamic, powerful and do very important work. During the course of my career, I have recruited and exposed hundreds of people to this area. Every single one of them, every one, is amazed at what we have to offer. We have been beaten up for too long; it’s time to get our swagger back. We deserve to have more swagger.”
The Headhunters at Movement Bring the Swagger Back to Business
