The time has come yet again where we say goodbye to summer, and hello to sweater weather and football season! As we enter the 4th quarter here at TBG, there is no better way to prepare for the end of the year than by taking time to reflect on our accomplishments and learn from the challenges that we faced together throughout 2023. We have had many new additions to the TBG family this year (myself included), some of whom have just begun their journey in the recruiting and staffing industry. There is so much to learn about the industry, and who better to get insight from than one of our company leaders! Today I had the opportunity to sit down with our COO Evan Price here in our Farmingdale, NY office for an end of the year Q&A to discuss what this year has looked like through the eyes of our leadership team!
Melissa Tagarelli: Hi Evan, thanks for taking the time to sit down with me for this end of year Q&A!
Evan Price: You’re very welcome. Happy to do it!
MT: Great, let’s jump right in then! Could you tell us a little bit about your background in production before stepping into your leadership role?
EP: I started my career in recruiting focusing on Financial Services Technology, supporting banks, hedge funds, asset managers, private equity, real estate investment firms, and financial software/hardware clients. Initially I focused on both project-based and one-off consulting positions, then eventually covered both direct hire and consulting positions. Eventually, as the technology industry shifted, I adjusted my focus to more start-up and digital technology clients with a focus on open source-based software developers, infrastructure engineers, product/project/program managers, and UI/UX designers and architects.
MT: What did you enjoy most about your time as a recruiter?
EP: Connecting with and talking to brilliant people on both the candidate and client side. In the technology space, you gain access to some of the brightest minds in the world who create amazing solutions to day-to-day business and life problems. I also always enjoyed the hunt in recruiting – there’s no feeling more fulfilling than finding that superstar candidate who you know is going to win the position with your client.
MT: I’m sure our recruiters can relate. In your opinion, what are the greatest opportunities and challenges in the recruitment field today?
EP: This is an excellent question! With the growth of social media, recruiters have an easy path to creating their own brand within the recruiting business. There are significantly more opportunities to network on these platforms, and, most importantly, more access to information with all the tools TBG and other firms can provide for their recruiters.
The greatest challenge to me is the increased volume of competition in the marketplace currently. That fact makes it even more important for recruiters to make themselves visible and
known to candidates and clients in the market on a regular basis. Doing this will help them to separate themselves from the rest of the pack.
MT: What key achievements or big deals from production and sales stood out to you most this past year?
EP: One stand-out was the rapid ascension of the Phoenix office led by Curt Webb and Ashley Harper. It felt like every deal they put in this year had a Big Deal Alert attached to it!
Also, to see the duo of Joe Ferrara and Brian McLaughlin stay locked in chasing and then ultimately landing multiple large volume staffing projects will set TBG up for long-term success. They also have a ton more in the pipeline that should give TBG consistent high-volume business to support for the foreseeable future.
Finally, to see the level of camaraderie amongst the TBGers who earned the trip to Nashville for this year’s TBG Titanium Club was one of the highlights of my year. While everyone on that trip was hyper-competitive, they all came together to celebrate both their own individual success, as well as TBG’s cumulative success. It was great to see everyone let their hair down for a few days!
MT: Love that! Is there anything else you’d like to say as we go into Q4?
EP: While this was certainly a more challenging year than many of us were expecting, there are smoother waters in front of us. Unemployment continues to stay at all-time lows, while companies are consistently adding more jobs than projections every month. Those factors will continue to help TBG thrive through the end of 2023 and carry strong momentum into 2024!
– by Melissa Tagarelli, Administrative Assistant
