welcome to Elevate Reserve

THE CHALLENGE:

A second-generation owned construction and facilities management firm had hit a financial ceiling. Their A&F department was bottlenecked: month-end close dragged on for weeks, cost centers were siloed and disorganized, and they had zero margin controls — meaning they couldn't actually see which projects were profitable.

THE PLACEMENT:

We identified a CFO from the logistics industry who had spent years building financial infrastructure for a similar second-generation owned blue-collar operation. He understood not just accounting, but how to organize a business for growth.

THE IMPACT:

She is currently building predictable Month-End close systems, unifying 19 cost centers and bringing clarity to Margin controls across all company projects. The CFO is leading a complete company financial restructure that will become the foundation for their next growth phase.

THE CHALLENGE:

A well-established regional A&E firm was at an inflection point. They had strong studios and solid growth, but they had a leadership vacancy in the C-Suite and needed a CEO lead them into their company's next chapter — someone who could drive multi-studio expansion, increase operational productivity, establish industry leadership, and do it all while honoring the firm's deeply rooted culture and regional identity. The stakes were high. 

THE APPROACH:

Rather than an external search, the firm engaged our Internal Advisory services to evaluate their own leadership bench. We assisted in early interviews, candidate screenings, leadership profile evaluation, and ultimately presented recommendations to the hiring team. The process was rigorous — not about promoting the obvious choice, but identifying the right leader who combined ambition with cultural stewardship. 

THE OUTCOME:

A long-term internal leader was elevated to CEO. Someone who understands the firm's project history, its culture, its values, and its identity in the regional market. A statement to junior employees, that there is a long, successful career path here.

THE CHALLENGE:

An established A&E firm faced a critical leadership transition. Their MEP engineering studio needed someone who could operate at two levels simultaneously: lead complex technical projects with authority and credibility, while also developing the next generation of junior engineers. The role was niche. The market was thin. 

THE SEARCH:

This wasn't a standard placement. We completed a deep, methodical search over four months — screening 661 candidates, conducting 1,500+ outreach efforts across a specialized market. We weren't looking for the obvious choice; we were hunting for the rare combination of technical mastery, leadership maturity, and cultural alignment. 

THE OUTCOME:

We identified a leader who checked every box: technically credible enough to command respect from senior engineers, visionary enough to mentor junior staff, and culturally aligned with the firm's values. Within six months, he was promoted to Principal of Engineering — validation that the hire wasn't just right for the role, but ready for more. 

THE CHALLENGE:

A facilities management firm needed to backfill their Head of HR role — and it wasn't a standard corporate HR hire. They needed someone who could build hiring programs and talent systems for a uniquely complex organization: corporate office staff and nationwide field teams of blue-collar workers. Two completely different hiring playbooks, cultures, and compliance frameworks. 

THE SEARCH:

We screened extensively for the rare combination of skills: construction industry hiring experience, corporate talent systems knowledge, skilled trades expertise, multi-state employment law fluency, and the ability to bridge two distinct organizational cultures. We refined the candidate pool to three finalists for the client's final interviews.

THE OUTCOME:

The successful hire brought exactly what the firm needed: deep construction and corporate hiring experience, skilled trades recruitment capability, and multi-state onboarding and employment law expertise. 1 year in, he had to navigate a company reorg and reduction in headcount, building out a brand new division and architecting the talent and culture systems the firm will need to execute their 5x growth strategy across 20 markets.

THE CHALLENGE:

A second-generation family-owned FM and construction firm was entering a new growth era. Their previous COO had been promoted to President, and now they needed a successor who could drive nationwide expansion while preserving the company culture and strategic client relationships that made them special. They were ambitious — but they needed a leader who understood how to scale without losing their identity.

THE PLACEMENT:

We identified a COO candidate from an industry competitor — someone who had already taken his previous firm to exactly where this firm wanted to go. He understood the playbook because he'd executed it. The catch: his current firm had stalled in growth due to ownership constraints. He was ready for a fresh opportunity where growth was actually the goal. 

THE IMPACT:

Within months, the new COO diagnosed a critical insight: 20% of the company's staff were generating 80% of their $100M revenue. He engineered a comprehensive company restructuring that set the foundation for operational excellence. He was instrumental in hiring a Head of HR to build out the culture and growth infrastructure the firm would need. He identified the critical gap: a CFO to restructure financials and position the firm to break past $100M. And he became the leader everyone wanted to work for — someone who paired ambitious growth with genuine care for the people and culture of the organization.

THE CHALLENGE:

A third-generation oil and gas construction firm had hit a ceiling. They were doing strong work at $100M in revenue, but breaking through to $250M required something they didn't have: sophisticated financial infrastructure. They needed a CFO who understood construction at scale, could architect systems for growth, and brought strategic relationships and industry intelligence — not just accounting expertise.

THE PLACEMENT:

We identified and placed a Fortune 500 construction CFO — someone with deep industry experience, established banking relationships, and project-level financial acumen. This wasn't a lateral move; it was a step into a transformational role.

THE IMPACT:

In his first month, the new CFO correctly calculated the company's true EBITDA — revealing operational inefficiencies and margin opportunities no one had seen before. He implemented changes that generated $7M in immediate savings. Two years later, he's still driving value, architecting the financial systems and strategic partnerships the firm needs to scale toward $250M. And critically, he's preparing the organization for fourth-generation leadership — ensuring the financial foundation is strong enough to sustain the firm's next era of family ownership.