Krauthamer & Associates Selected by Port Authority of Allegheny County
July 13, 2017 – The Port Authority of Allegheny County has enlisted executive search firm Krauthamer & Associates to find its next CEO. The Hillman Family Foundation agreed to provide $100,000 to cover most of the cost for the Pittsburgh-based port authority to hire a search firm to help find a new CEO, said Adam Brandolph, authority spokesman.
The agency, in turn, selected Maryland-based Krauthamer to conduct the national search to replace Ellen McLean, who was voted out by the authority’s board of directors in February. The search could cost up to $111,575. David Donahoe, former executive director of the Allegheny Regional Asset District, is serving as the authority’s interim CEO.
The Position
The CEO is responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the port authority’s operations as well as any planned expansions, the agency said. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of managing a large, complex and diverse organization that operates to provide the highest quality of service to its customers. Additionally, this individual will have outstanding business skills as well as strong financial management, strategic planning, public relations, community relations and governmental relations skills.
The successful candidate will have a minimum of 10 years’ executive management experience with a major transit agency or another public or private entity of comparable nature, complexity and size to the port authority. A bachelor’s degree in transportation, transportation management, engineering, business management or equivalent is required. An equivalent combination of education and experience consistent with the required qualifications will also be considered.
“We’re looking for a very specialized individual. It’s a very specialized field,” said Allegheny County executive Rich Fitzgerald. “However, the best candidate may not be someone currently working directly for a transit agency.”
Port Authority of Allegheny County is a public transit authority that provides fixed route transit and advance reservation paratransit services in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, PA. Located in the second largest metropolitan area in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the port authority is the nation’s 26th largest transit agency and provides its fixed route transit services through utilizing light rail, buses and inclines.
Veteran Recruiters
Krauthamer & Associates serves a wide range of industries, including: aviation, consumer products, healthcare, industrial, natural resources, professional services, public sector & non-profit, real estate, technology and transportation.
Gary Krauthamer, who founded the firm in 1971, has completed more than 1,000 search assignments throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Over the last 30 years, he has worked extensively within and across the public and private sectors. His clients can be found in the aerospace industry, federal government, entrepreneurial organizations, middle-market entities and large multinational Fortune 100 corporations.
Transportation Companies Turning to Search Firms
Over the past several months, an expanding number of transportation companies have turned to executive search firms to help them find senior talent. Here’s some recent examples from the Hunt Scanlon Media archives:
ADK Consulting & Executive Search has been retained by the Columbus Regional Airport Authority to lead its search for a chief development officer. This position offers a compensation package in the range of $190,000 to $220,000. The Columbus Regional Airport Authority supports nearly 40,000 jobs and provides for more than $4.6 billion in total annual economic output.
Heidrick & Struggles placed Mark Thurston as CEO of High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd., the company behind the U.K.’s planned £55 billion high-speed rail network. His appointment came after a five-month global search led by Heidrick, which reviewed some 20 potential candidates working on projects in America, Australia and Asia, as well as in the U.K.
TillmanCarlson recruited Scott Cousins as chief information officer of Roadrunner Transportation Systems. Founder Rob Tillman and managing director Kelly Carlson led the assignment. Roadrunner Transportation is an asset-light transportation and supply chain solutions provider offering a full suite of services.
Aviation Search Group placed Steven McNeeley as safety and security executive officer at AirMed International, LLC. Executive recruiter and client manager Jaime Truxal led the search. AirMed is one of the leading air medical transport companies in the world, with more than 20,000 missions completed in all 50 states and over 150 countries on six continents.
Spencer Stuart tapped Iftikhar Ahmad to lead T.F. Green Airport and serve as president and chief executive officer of the Rhode Island Airport Corporation (RIAC). The position attracted high levels of interest with more than 100 candidates applying for the job, said RIAC Patti Goldstein, senior vice president of marketing and communications.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor; and Will Schatz, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
