Miner Lake Partners Launched by Veteran Search Consultants

May 13, 2024 – John Moon and Han Liou have launched executive search firm Miner Lake Partners. “I’m proud to announce Miner Lake Partners, an executive search firm focused on the building products and industrial industries,” Mr. Moon said in a LinkedIn post. “My business partner Han Liou and I are building this firm on a foundation rooted in execution and industry expertise. I’ve worked closely with Han in various capacities over the last 20 years. Our values have always been consistent – we have an unwavering commitment to our clients and are dedicated to being masters of our craft. We bring a unique, business-centric perspective to clients with a relentless commitment to quality, innovation, and results.”

Mr. Moon has more than 20 years of experience as a search and talent executive with both retained executive search firms and Fortune 500 industrial companies. He has led human capital initiatives across a global footprint and has completed hundreds of C-suite and executive-level searches, predominantly with industrial manufacturing and building products clients.

Prior to co-founding Miner Lake, Mr. Moon was managing director at global search firms Teneo People Advisory and ZRG Partners, where he completed high profile executive and C-suite searches for industrial and building products companies. Prior to that, he was vice president of human resources for a multi-billion division of Precision Castparts Corp, a Berkshire Hathaway company and global manufacturing leader. Mr. Moon also previously served as senior consultant, executive talent acquisition at Eaton Corp.

Mr. Liou has nearly 20 years of experience conducting senior executive searches and leading internal executive search teams across industrial manufacturing and building products industries. With extensive search experience across various functions including C-suite, general management, sales, marketing, product development, and finance, he brings a wealth of industry knowledge.

Before co-founding Miner Lake, Mr. Liou served as the at Masco Corporation, leading senior executive searches for brands such head of executive recruitment as Behr Paint and Delta Faucet. Prior to that, he was the global head of executive talent acquisition at Eaton Corp., where he built the executive pipeline strategy, along with the recruitment of critical senior level succession roles. Mr. Liou also served in talent leadership roles at United Technologies Corporation and began his career with another global executive search firm.

“Our approach is rooted in a deep understanding of the unique demands and intricacies of the industrial and building products landscapes,” Miner Lake said. “We recognize that success in these industries requires more than just finding qualified candidates – it demands a comprehensive understanding of market trends and evolving customer needs. We leverage our extensive network and insights gained from years of hands-on experience. We partner with our clients to develop a search strategy and we execute meticulously to assess candidate’s skills, experience, and culture fit to ensure they align seamlessly with our clients’ strategic objectives and company culture.”

Recently Launched

In the past year, a handful of new search firms have been launched. Here’s a look at a recent sampling from the Hunt Scanlon Media archives:

Veteran search consultant Liesl Bernard has launched Kalon Executive Search and Staffing, a new health and wellness recruiting firm focused on the health, wellness, and beauty industries. The firm will concentrate on finding executive talent in all sectors in the market from CPG, food and beverage, vitamins and supplements, personal care, organics, and natural cosmetics. “For the last seven years, our team has been laser focused on establishing CannabizTeam – Executive Search and Staffing as the premier staffing firm exclusively focused on the cannabis industry,” Ms. Bernard said. “I’m proud of the progress we’ve made: we have a database of more than 400,000 skilled workers, have placed thousands of candidates a year at companies across the U.S. and internationally and we offer a range of services – from executive search to temporary staffing to outplacement services.”

Veteran executive search consultant Ross Johnston recently launched Centric Search in the U.K. The firm focuses on founder-led, investor-backed technology companies recruit leadership team members at VP and C-level. Centric works with some of the fastest-growing technology vendors across Europe, typically partnering with companies from seed round through series C+. Hunt Scanlon Media recently asked Mr. Johnston about what led to the creation of his new firm and he pointed out two things. “Early-stage companies were caught in between – needing the quality of a top-tier search firm but the speed, flexibility, and more reasonable price point of a more contingent firm,” he said. “Centric solves this need and bridges this gap. Most search firms are not focused on this stage of growth – they are either functional specialists or big broad catch-all search firms and doing most of their work with later stage or public companies.”

Executive search firm Value Creation Talent LLC (VCT) has been launched by veteran consultant Christopher Langhoff to focus on recruiting corporate officers for private equity and select corporate clients. “The traditional search model has become too transactional leading to misalignment between the interests of the client and of the search firm,” Mr. Langhoff said in a LinkedIn post. “In short, the industry is more focused on its top-line revenue numbers than on learning about clients’ specific needs and taking action to support its value-creation agenda.”

Executive search and HR veteran Howard Glenn has launched Heritage Executive Search in Birmingham, AL. “I’m thrilled to announce the launch of Heritage Executive Search,” said Mr. Glenn. “After countless conversations and a lot of planning, I’ve taken the entrepreneurial leap to start my own executive recruitment and talent advisory business. My goal is to partner with business owners and management teams to attract, hire, and retain transformational talent,” he said. “My guiding principles are simple: have a transparent process, offer a deep level of service, provide flexible fee structures, and deliver on tough assignments. With over a decade of experience in executive search, assessment, and strategy, we can provide a range of customized talent solutions.”