Company: Search Wizards, Inc, Atlanta, Georgia
Company Description: Founded in 2000, Search Wizards is a leading global provider of Selective Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO). We keep an active network of 6500+ mid-to-senior level Recruiters, Sourcers and Researchers - these On Demand resources can be seamlessly embedded into your Talent Acquisition team to make an immediate impact in attracting top talent.
Nomination Category: Company/Organization Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Fastest-Growing Company of the Year

Nomination Title: Search Wizards, Inc

1. Describe for the judges the growth of the nominated company during the eligibility period (up to 500 words):

Search Wizards was started in 2000 by Leslie O’Connor. She was managing a
branch for a technical staffing firm, and had spent many hours away from home.
As a mother, she realized she needed to be closer to home, so she left the
corporate world and started her own recruitment agency.

Search Wizards has evolved into a Selective Recruitment Process Outsourcing
(RPO) company, offering a variety of highly specialized and managed services.
In layman’s terms, the company provides additional bandwidth to a client’s
existing Talent Acquisition team through their Selective RPO. These services
are provided to companies of all sizes, and can be a value adding asset to
virtually any organization.

The company’s phenomenal growth has been a result of sweat equity and the owner
surrounding herself with excellence. Search Wizards delivers results, and
attracts the nation’s best recruiting and sourcing talent. With organic growth
comes challenges – challenges that have been met and overcome with internal
process definition and improvement, as well as making strategic investments to
support internal infrastructure.

Growth numbers for the past four years are as follows:

2004: 55% growth
2005: 160% growth
2006: 165% growth
2007: 210% growth

Search Wizard’s clients are entrusted business partners who continuously tap
into the company’s knowledge base to improve efficiencies, minimize cost, and
increase the quality and quantity of hires. The company prides itself on the
use of the latest advanced recruiting and sourcing strategies along with proven
methodologies to recruit top talent and share best practices.

In 2007, Search Wizards was named by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the Top 50
Fastest Growing Women-Led Companies. This accolade came to fruition through
Leslie’s leadership style, management through results, and her passion for all
things recruiting and sourcing.

2. List the URLs (web addresses) of any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that you would like the judges to see that support your entry. IMPORTANT: List each URL on a separate line, begin each URL with http://, and enclose each URL in square brackets. For example, [http://www.yourcompany.com/pressrelease.html]:

Entrepreneur Magazine: top 50 fastest-growing women-led companies.
http://www.entrepreneur.com/magazine/entrepreneur/2007/November/185764-4.html

Interview with Jim Stroud – The Recruiter’s Lounge
http://www.therecruiterslounge.com/2008/07/15/an-interview-with-leslie-oconnor/

SourceCon – The Sourcing Conference
http://www.thesourcingconference.com/default.asp

3. Provide a brief biography of the person or persons who lead the nominated company (up to 100 words):

After a successful business career in direct sales, Leslie started her
Recruiting Career in 1998 in Canada, as an Account Executive with Robert Half
International (RHIC). She held management positions with Robert Half and Darwin
Partners, before leaving the corporate agencies to open Search Wizards in
mid-2000. In 2007, Leslie was named #25 on the Entrepreneur Magazine's listing
of the Top Women Entrepreneurs in North America. In 2007 she launched the
inaugural event for SourceCon, a national conference dedicated to promoting the
Sourcing and Internet Research. Leslie is from Ottawa, CANADA and currently
resides in Atlanta, GA.