Vaco Opens Office in Montreal
September 17, 2019 – Brentwood, TN-headquartered recruiting firm Vaco has opened new office in Montréal, which will be led by managing partner, Sean Bartunek along with partners, Eloi Poudrier, Sebastien Lamarche and Olivier Moureaux. They have been leading the Montréal market in the field of technology recruitment for the past 15 years.
“Vaco endeavors to be the most consultative, relationship driven organization in our industry,” said Jerry Bostelman, co-founder and CEO of Vaco. “It is thrilling to enter a vibrant, entrepreneurial market like Montréal that values that, and with a team that absolutely exudes it.”
“We are excited to create what will become the premier IT and financial recruiting agency in Montréal,” said Mr. Bartunek, who previously served as an IT recruiter for Randstad Canada. “Vaco has a clear history of attracting the best talent and giving them the tools and freedom to be the best they can be. Our goal for next year is to double our team to 40 recruiters, allowing us to serve the very best talent in our industry.”
Montréal International, Greater Montréal’s economic development agency, has supported Vaco’s expansion. “Recruitment is the cornerstone of every company’s success. Vaco will play a vital role in providing companies a competitive edge for the recruitment of skilled workers both locally and internationally and in fueling the growth of Greater Montréal’s innovation hubs with top talent,” said Hubert Bolduc, president and CEO of Montréal International.
Montreal has the second largest economy of Canadian cities based on GDP and the largest in Quebec. Last year, Metropolitan Montreal was responsible for $118.7 billion (Canadian) of Quebec’s $340.7 billion (Canadian) GDP. The city is today an important center of commerce, finance, industry, technology, culture and world affairs. It is also the headquarters of the Montreal Exchange. Industries include aerospace, electronic goods, pharmaceuticals, printed goods, software engineering, telecommunications, textile and apparel manufacturing, tobacco, petrochemicals and transportation.
Growing Firm
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.
Founded in 2002 by Jerry Bostelman, Jay Hollomon and Brian Waller, Vaco partnered with its first private equity partner, Quad-C Management, three years ago. Since then, the firm has experienced significant growth through extending core business lines and entering new markets.
Vaco Acquired by Private Equity Firm
Vaco has been acquired by Stamford, Conn-based private equity firm Olympus Partners. Timothy Billings, a partner at Quad-C, said that Vaco is well positioned for future growth. “In a relatively short period of time, we made significant investments in the company…”
Vaco recently acquired Aventine Hill Partners (AHP), a San Antonio-based advisory, consulting and executive search firm. Together, Vaco and AHP provide talent and solutions across a diverse set of industries to more than 10,000 clients globally. Vaco’s Texas operations have been steadily expanding since 2006 when the firm launched in the Dallas market. The 16-year-old recruitment company now has a strong Texas presence with offices in Dallas, Houston and Austin. The addition of Aventine Hill furthers Vaco’s expansion to serve more than 40 markets across the globe.
Vaco also recently expanded into Denver, Pittsburgh and Winston-Salem/Greensboro, NC. As executive partners, Vaco’s Renee Fisher and Kevin Witt help chart the strategic course in the firm’s many local markets. “Vaco is thrilled to extend our national footprint and bring our consultative approach to talent and solutions to Denver, Pittsburgh and Winston-Salem/Greensboro,” said Ms. Fisher.
Managing director Beatriz Sonnendecker leads day-to-day operations for the Denver office, which focuses on recruiting finance and accounting executives. Vaco’s Pittsburgh office is led by managing partner Phil McGivney, who is focused on growing the Vaco brand throughout the market and driving value for clients and candidates. Vaco’s Winston-Salem/ Greensboro location is led by managing partner Jeff Reynolds, where he and his team bring the firm’s suite of services to the greater Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina.
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
