THE
P
A CE GROUP SUCCEEDS IN
Fargo, North Dakota
Situation Analysis
The
Fargo-Cass County Economic Development Corporation
conducted a national search to identify a highly motivated economic development
professional to provide leadership,
vision, and expertise to focus on growing existing business and industry
as well as recruit new business and industry opportunities for the Fargo-Cass
County-Moorhead, Minnesota
area.
The Fargo-Cass
County EDC
The GFMEDC strives to enhance economies in Cass County, N.D.
and Clay County, Minn. communities by attracting, expanding and retaining
primary-sector businesses. Its primary objective is to facilitate the creation
of primary-sector jobs. A primary-sector business is one that brings new
dollars into a community through the sale of its products and services outside
of the trade area. The primary sector is the foundation of an economy and the
principal driver of economic development.
Fargo-Cass County, North Dakota
Fargo and Cass County
are located at the intersection of I-29 and I-94, major cross country
interstate highways. There are 178,242 people in the metropolitan area with
72,868 households. Non-agricultural employment in the Fargo MSA has grown 37
per cent since 1990, to 106,000, an average annual growth rate of more than 2.4
per cent. And a growing business climate has helped drive the area's economy.
Getting around Fargo
and Cass County is easy. There's no traffic
congestion, and the median commute time is 15.7 minutes. National surveys have
consistently ranked Fargo and Cass County
as a good place to live and raise a family. North Dakota boasts the second lowest
overall crime rate and the lowest violent crime rate in the nation. Ladies Home
Journal ranked Fargo
13th in it's "Best Cities for Women." Redbook calls it one of the
best places in the U.S.
for working mothers.
Researching and Selecting a Search Firm
The
Fargo-Cass County (FCCEDC) in Fargo,
North Dakota, was in need of an
executive search firm to find a new President for their organization. The
FCCEDC board consists of the strongest community leaders and business leaders
in the area. The organization had never used a search firm in the past, but the
Chairman, Rick Berg knew he did not have the time or the expertise to find the
right person. Therefore, the executive search committee, made up of several
prominent bankers, Mayor Bruce Furness, and Hospital CEO Roger Gilbertson
researched many search firms and selected two firms for telephone interviews.
After researching the references, the executive committee selected The PACE
Group to assist them on this important project.
The
FCCEDC search committee selected The PACE Group for their “Can and Will Do”
attitude and understanding on the open meetings law that exists in North Dakota. They
wanted the best, and therefore decided they needed to hire the best. The board
agreed that The PACE Group was the obvious choice. Dick Solberg, President of
Fargo Bank and Trust said “I thought we could do this search on our own, but I
was wrong. We needed PACE to lead us thought this process. PACE is into long
term relationships with people and they were what we wanted. We wanted a firm
that understood North Dakota and our people
and PACE has worked all over the United States and could relate to
us.”
Process Outline
December
15, 2001: The PACE Group
Pitches Services to FCCEDC
The
PACE Group presents their services and experience to the FCCEDC search
committee.
December
18, 2001: FCCEDC Selects
The PACE Group for Their Executive Search.
January
2-5, 2002: PACE Creates
Needs Assessment.
The
PACE Group interviews over 30 community leaders, tours the city, and learns about
the area to create the Needs Assessment.
January
10, 2002 : PACE Presents
the Needs assessment.
The
PACE Group provides the needs assessment to the FCCEDC search committee in a
written report and discusses the details during a presentation. The needs
assessment consists of charts and summaries of the information learned from the
interviews.
PACE
obtains feedback on this material and observes as the board discusses specific
issues and fine tunes their desires and needs for the next President. This discussion
allows the board to come to solid conclusions about the job responsibilities
and required qualifications for the position. The PACE group then revises the
job description so it tailored to the FCCEDC specific needs and desires. PACE
also receives approval to use the presented materials to market the position
and recruit the best candidates in a national search. PACE also makes extensive
recommendations addressing nine specific areas to be considered for the future
of economic development in the Fargo
area.
January
27, 2001: PACE Presents
Seven Finalists.
PACE
provides candidate resumes and evaluation material for seven finalists. PACE
provides these materials in a binder for each board member and elaborates on
each candidate during a formal presentation. The board is able to ask many
professional and personal questions regarding the candidates. The board also
has the opportunity to request for PACE to return to the market in search of
more candidates, but the board is pleased with the finalists and decides to
bring in four candidates for site visits and interviews. One of the local
candidates decided not to interview for the position and one out of state
candidate did not want his name in the paper because of the Open Meetings Law.
PACE
works with the board to create a solid and consistent interview schedule
including formal and informal interviews with every member of the board. This
includes tours of the community and breakfast, lunch, and dinner meetings.
January 31-February 2, 2002: FCCEDC First Round
Interviews/Site Visits.
FCCEDC
interviews four candidates from Texas, Minnesota, Missouri and Ohio. The candidates
from Texas and Missouri
both grew up in North Dakota.
February
9, 2002: Second Round
Interview.
The
selected candidate, Mr. Walters, is brought in for a second round interview.
Mr. Walters was raised on a ranch in Northwest North Dakota and was the
director of the Dumas, Texas EDC. Mr. Walters rejected PACE the first three
times PACE tried to recruit him. Only after identifying specific family issues
and needs was PACE able to send additional information to their home and
convince them to interview in the Fargo
area. During the second visit, the committee entertains Brian Walters, his wife
and son. FCCEDC decides to make a formal offer and negotiations begin with PACE
assistance.
February
16, 2002: FCCEDC
Announces New President.
The
FCCEDC announces the hire of Brian Walters of Dumas, Texas as the new President of their
organization in the Fargo Forum.
Keys to This Successful Search
1. Strong Committed Leadership - Both
Private and Public. The FCCEDC
executive search committee was made up of very strong community
leaders—leaders, who are dedicated to the Fargo
region and are well respected in the community. They have a desire to get
things accomplished. Rick Berg, Chairman of the Board, serves in the House of
Representatives as Majority Leader. Representative Berg gets things done and is
well respected in the local community and the entire state of North Dakota. He also clearly articulated
his expectations to The PACE Group. Mr. Berg was very committed to finding the
BEST candidate in the United
States. His committee was the Who’s Who of
the business community in Fargo,
North Dakota.
2. Selected Candidate Grew Up in North Dakota. Finding Brian Walters was like finding a
needle in a haystack. Dumas, Texas is in West Texas and is a very small community. The people of
Dumas love Brian Walters and his family. In fact, the windshield of Brian’s car
was blown out the day he drove to the airport in Amarillo
to fly to North Dakota.
His current Chairman drove him to the airport knowing he was interviewing in
his home state of North Dakota.
He was talking Brian out of a move that day. They did not want Brian to leave
Dumas, Texas.
3. All Seven Finalists Were Not Actively
Looking For a New Position. All
candidates presented were employed. Each candidate had to be sold on Fargo, North
Dakota.
4. North Dakotans Are Genuine and Sincere.
What you see and experience is like no other place in the United
States. Most people are 3rd generation
and come from very strong family values. They work very hard and they always
tell the truth. They are the most genuine people in the World.
5. Hard Work. Fargo
Cass County
is a growing community in the Northwest United States.
This was PACE’s first search in North
Dakota. Since this search, PACE has completed 5
additional searches in the State of North Dakota from Minot
to Bismarck. We
enjoy this state and their people.
Quotes from Fargo Leaders
Thank you for the very professional manner in which you assisted in our
search. You were most responsive in meeting our time line and very aggressive
in seeking candidates who would meet our requirements. Brian Walters was the
right fit at the right time for our community.
-Bruce
W. Furness – Mayor, City of Fargo
701-241-1310
You are very good at your profession and we enjoyed working with you.
At first I thought we could get the job done on our own, but I was wrong. We
needed you. I am confident Brian will have a successful career with us. I know
our board will give him full support.
-Richard
H. Solberg – President, State Bank of Fargo
701-298-1500
Thanks for leading our presidential search, the outcome was exactly
what I had hoped for and I had pretty high expectations…The belief our board
had was that a top person for our position was probably not unemployed or
looking for another job. This proved to be the case; the people who applied for
the job were in a whole different league than the shinning star you were able
to recruit. The press quoted our new president saying, “I was not looking for
another position”. The best and the brightest love what they are doing and have
future plans for their organizations, it takes someone like you to open up
their mind and excite them about other job options…No one has
questioned the decision to engage your services and I have received many
complements on the process and outcome.
-Rick
Berg – Goldmark,
701-235-2920