Where We Started
Allen Austin began as a dream in 1995. At that time, our founder had seven years of search experience, was serving as Executive Vice President with an East Coast executive search firm and was well in to developing what we now refer to as the Allen Austin FORESIGHT™ process. From his earliest days in search, Rob Andrews had approached each search from a systematic standpoint. It just seemed to make sense that an engagement with high importance and with the stakes so high should be executed deliberately, leaving as little as possible to chance.
Rob's view of search was heavily influenced by his tenure as a retailing executive. While leading a 516 store division of retail stores, it became clear to him that consistent success depended on a solid strategy, outstanding people and operational systems that were battle tested, simple and proven to work.
Rob was also influenced by coursework taken through the University of Miami Total Quality Management program in 1993 and 1994. W. Edwards Deming taught that if the same operational problems or manufacturing defects occur over and over; that the problem was not a people problem but a systemic one.
Having reentered the world of search in 1994, Rob sought a firm that would allow him to practice his brand of search. After two years at a Tampa-based search firm, Rob had been promoted three times but was still unable to persuade the principals that there was real value in a process that would focus on facilitating a better fit. His thesis was simply that a more deliberate process and better fit would result in longer tenure, higher performance, happier clients, happier candidates and in-short a better world.
The principals of that firm responded with these words: “Rob, you are a very misguided young man. You are all concerned about how long these people stay, how well they perform, how happy they are and how much better the world will be when you succeed at this pipe dream. You have all this passion about the art and science of executive search. We are in the business of executive search. We are making a boat load of money in the business of executive search and we couldn't care less about this process you keep talking about."
Rob made a decision to leave that firm in 1996. After interviewing and finding very similar attitudes at several very large search firms, he was left with no choice but to start Allen Austin.
Since 1996, the firm has practiced as a retained-only executive consulting search firm. We have completed over 1,430 searches since our inception. We now have resources, both in terms of head count and in terms of research capability, greater than 99% of all North American search firms; and yet we are flexible and laser focused. We have the most disciplined, most comprehensive search methodology in the business. We have NEVER abandoned a retained engagement, we offer a minimum one year guarantee on all of our placements; The firm has a 92% retention rate on all executives placed at the two year mark and beyond. The firm's offer acceptance ratio is 98%. In our established practices, over 70% of our business comes to us by repeat clients and referrals.
Allen Austin was admitted into the Association of Executive Search Consultants in 2003. The AESC is the sole accrediting body for retained executive search consulting firms worldwide. The application process is long and the due diligence the association conducts on its member firms is exhaustive. Allen Austin is one of only 120 or so AESC certified firms in the nation and one of 260 or so world-wide.
The firm offers the finest processes, research and technology support in the industry, including a world-class website, inter-company email system, the latest and most up-to-date databases incorporating substantially every business in the country with revenues over $1 million, a state-of-the-art internally hosted resume/client management system, and a network of high quality support associates who stand ready to assist our senior level consultants.