Vaco Appoints Leader of Denver Office
March 16, 2022 – Brentwood, TN-headquartered recruiting firm Vaco has named Bret Hamilton managing partner of its Denver office, with an eye to fueling its growth and expanding its technology offerings in the Colorado market. “Bret’s professional background includes the ideal balance of results-oriented leadership and motivational energy, both important attributes for a people-focused leader,” said Jim Dimovski, senior vice president and executive partner of Vaco’s northwest region. “He is a tremendous complement to the Denver office and will help provide the leadership needed for the team to thrive.” Denver and the Colorado market are key growth areas for Vaco, which has experienced rapid expansion through the years. The Denver office serves more than 120 clients and its team has placed nearly 320 candidates since 2018.
Mr. Hamilton, an experienced technology executive with nearly a decade of recruiting leadership, will oversee the expansion of Vaco’s technology solutions offerings in Denver and across Colorado. Vaco’s Denver office specializes in technology, accounting and finance, and operations with a full spectrum of talent solutions that include consulting, executive search, permanent placement, and managed services.
Mr. Hamilton previously served as senior managing partner of technology for the Lucas Group, a division of Korn Ferry, where he led strategic and tactical operations of the Houston IT business unit. He joined the group in 2016 as senior partner of IT. Mr. Hamilton was also a senior search consultant in IT for Spencer Ogdon, an energy industry recruiting firm, where he oversaw new business acquisition, account management and partnership development. He began his career as manager of Smart Circle International, a sales and marketing firm, where he led business expansion into South Carolina and the establishment of a regional office there.
“I am energized and honored for the opportunity to lead the Denver office through its next phases of growth, as we build upon the momentum created by expanding and deepening our customer footprint in the regional market,” said Mr. Hamilton. “Our focus will be on curating an exceptional customer experience through customized and innovative partnerships that strengthen businesses, advance careers, and positively impact lives. Ultimately, success is knowing we have better positioned our clients, candidates and consultants to reach their goals and achieve their dreams.”
Founded in 2002 by Jerry Bostelman, Jay Hollomon, and Mr. Waller, Vaco provides boutique-level service with global reach in executive search, consulting, permanent placement and strategic staffing. Its areas of expertise include accounting, finance, technology, healthcare IT, operations, administration, and managed services. The firm operates more than 35 offices, with 780-plus employees and 4,300 consultants worldwide.
Recent Acquisitions
Vaco recently acquired Bay State Search, a Boston-based national talent acquisition and outsourcing firm. The deal gives Vaco a foothold into the Boston market and complements its Northeast growth, following the launch of its technology and staffing divisions in the tri-state area last year.
Bay State Search, founded in 2013, serves the accounting and finance, banking and financial services, information technology, customer service, legal work and administration sectors. The transaction closed Oct. 29; terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Bay State Search will transition to the Vaco brand in 2022, and its executives will remain with the company. Vaco said it has been looking at Boston for a long time. “Once we met [Ryan Murphy, principal and founder of Bay State Search] and the Bay State Search team, we knew we’d found the right partners,” said Vaco CEO and co-founder Brian Waller. “Like Vaco, Bay State Search puts people and relationships first, and this is the perfect partnership to bring more value to both clients and candidates in the Boston market.”
This follows Focus Search Partners, a Vaco company, acquiring Dallas-based Southerland Group, complementing its existing expertise across the healthcare industry. Southerland Group is a nationally recognized retained executive search firm with specialization in complex integrated delivery systems, hospitals, academic medical centers, children’s hospitals, and payer organizations.
Under the agreement, Southerland Group’s founder Keith Southerland and his team joins Focus Search Partners’ leadership team. Mr. Southerland brings more than three decades of experience leading executive search for healthcare provider organizations to the firm and has conducted more than 1,100 searches for non-profit multi-hospital health systems, professional associations, pediatric health systems, public hospitals, academic medical centers, and managed care organizations.
Related: Vaco Opens New Office in Vancouver
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
