SearchWide Assists USA Archery in CEO Hunt
March 2, 2018 – SearchWide recently recruited Rod Menzer as the CEO of USA Archery in Colorado Springs, CO. He had held the position since Denise Parker left to join the U.S. Olympic Committee in September.
Mark Gnatovic, senior vice president at SearchWide, led the assignment.
“After an exhaustive search, which uncovered an exceptional set of candidates, the board of USA Archery is confident Mr. Menzer is the right leader for the organization as we look to continue our trajectory of growth and excellence,” said the group’s board chair, Julio Mazzoli.
USA Archery was seeking a strong leader with a preference for current executive-level experience in the sport/outdoor/recreation industry. The organization wanted a strategic thinker with a proven track record for effective management and the ability to lead its new four year strategic growth plan.
After an extensive application period, the Stillwater, MN-based search firm narrowed its large candidate pool to a shortlist of candidates that was presented to the board in December. SearchWide and the board conducted thorough interviews over several months.
Exhaustive Search
Mr. Menzer previously served as head of USA Archery’s board. He had been hired as the organization’s director of marketing last May. In addition to his roles within USA Archery and a career in sales and leadership in the food and beverage industry, Mr. Menzer also represented USA Archery internationally as recently as two years ago. He was world archery field champion in 2008.
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“This position will directly affect the sport and participation of archery at all levels,” said SearchWide’s Mr. Gnatovic. “It offers an opportunity to collaborate with many and to strategically evolve the sport of archery that will not only impact Olympian hopefuls, but your daughter, or son or neighbors kids that are recreation athletes at the grassroots level. Generations of archers will be affected by the work and passion of this position and the passion of the entire team at USA Archery.”
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Mr. Menzer said he was humbled and excited to be selected for the role. “I look forward to working with the USA Archery Board and staff to enable our athletes to achieve sustained competitive excellence and to promote and grow the sport of Archery in the United States,” he said.
Describing the organization’s archers as “our lifeblood,” Mr. Menzer said USA Archery must continue to find ways to help its athletes succeed and make the pool of archers deeper. “We have programs and events for all our members to enjoy and we need to continue to offer and communicate those opportunities to our members,” he said. “Archery is fun for the whole family regardless if you shoot it as a hobby or have dreams of Olympic gold.”
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The archery group’s mission is to enable U.S. athletes to achieve and sustain competitive excellence in Olympic, Paralympic, world championships and international competitions and to promote and grow the sport of archery in the U.S.
Experienced Recruiters
SearchWide is a full-service executive search firm focused on the travel, tourism & convention, hotel & lodging industries and sports & entertainment sectors. It specializes in C-level, director and management level searches for Fortune 500 corporations to mid-sized public and private companies.
Mr. Gnatovic leads searches for the convention, tradeshow and experiential marketing and event industries, as well as convention centers, stadiums, arenas and performing arts facilities. Prior to joining SearchWide in 2006, he spent more than 15 years in the convention industry.
Recently, SearchWide unveiled a new recruiting service specifically for customers looking to fill management roles quickly. The new service, SearchWide Connect, will bring speed of placement to the market, without sacrificing the quality of candidates, said the search firm. “This division of SearchWide is led by a team of young and smart industry professionals who exhibit the ability to quickly find tomorrow’s industry leaders,” said Mike Gamble, president and CEO of the firm. “With unemployment at an all-time low and the war on talent at an all-time high, speed to market is critically important to many of our clients, especially in the hotel and resort sector.”
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor; and Andrew W. Mitchell, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
