Our Company
Kimmel & Associates, Inc., established in 1981, is a national executive search firm specializing in the Construction, Waste, Architecture/Engineering, and Logistics and Supply Chain industries. The Mission Statement of Kimmel & Associates encompasses the values and ethics that dictate the way we conduct ourselves.
Company History
The organization known today as Kimmel & Associates remains the same at its core as when it began in 1981, but more than 29 years of successful service and growth in the executive search industry have demanded and wrought significant changes.
In 1981, Joe Kimmel and a partner founded Gulf Search, Ltd., in New Orleans, Louisiana, forming a two-man operation that was one of the earliest executive search firms to concentrate solely on the construction industry. In 1984, the operation moved to Asheville, North Carolina, trading in the historic Crescent City for the beauty of the Appalachian Mountains. To mark the change, the company was renamed Kimmel & Fredericks and operated as a growing enterprise headquartered on a farm just south of Asheville.
By 1990, the organization had expanded to 30 people working as recruiters in the construction industry, and in 1991, the company moved to downtown Asheville. The other noteworthy landmark of that year saw the development of a philosophy of specialization, wherein each consultant focused on knowing his or her market and serving the clients in it with great dedication and knowledge.
By 1996, Kimmel & Associates felt the need to develop training programs specific to the separate divisions working within the company, so that specialists in, for example, the heavy-civil industry were trained specifically for that work.
By 2000, Kimmel & Associates became the largest search firm dedicated to serving the construction industry.
Kimmel & Associates is now home to more than 75+ employees who are trained to meet the Mission Statement that drives our work. Twenty-five years after the founding of the company, Joe Kimmel demands the same commitment to service and professionalism that has been the trademark and the guiding principle of the company.
Our Goals
The goal at Kimmel & Associates is two-fold.
First, we strive to assist companies in identifying candidates with outstanding records of success.
Second, we strive to work with candidates who are exploring new long-term career opportunities which challenge their capacity for growth and innovation. To accomplish this goal of matching a vital and growing company with a dedicated and able candidate, we rely on a network of long-cultivated business relationships and a database of more than 600,000 talented candidates.
We are uniquely acquainted with the most accomplished construction professionals across the nation.
We devote extra care and persistence to our searches; our diligence in interviewing and reviewing professionals ensures that we present a handful of excellent candidates who reach the level of ability and ambition which our clients expect.
For these reasons, over 90% of our business is repeat business.
Our Training
Further, to maintain the best-trained recruiters in the national executive search business, Kimmel & Associates demands every recruiter and consultant be involved in its in-house Certification Program. During the 2-month Certification Program, which is conducted twice annually, less experienced recruiters take 50 classes taught by the seasoned consultants and team leaders here at Kimmel & Associates.
The Certification Program goes to the heart of the two-sided high standard to which we hold ourselves. That is, Certification does teach the technical side of recruiting but also places emphasis on doing things the right way, acting honestly, and working with an attitude of service. A Mentoring Program was established at Kimmel & Associates to pair veteran consultants with less-experienced consultants and recruiters.
In 2008, in response to changing market conditions, a series was created to assist and inspire both consultants and recruiters. These classes are brief and dedicated to a single subject to provide strategies and ideas in the current economic climate. The series is led by the top producers and senior management at Kimmel & Associates.
The topics include:
- The Importance of Serving our Clients
- The Most Placeable Candidates
- Teamwork
- Confidence, Work Ethic, and Attitude
- The Fundamentals of the Search Business
- Consistency in Sales
- Tools for Marketing
A Toastmasters Club was chartered in June 2009 to assist employees in learning more about public speaking and constructive evaluation. The response has been positive and more than 20 employees have benefitted from the program. It creates an atmosphere that fosters camaraderie by sharing experiences and lessons specific to executive search and recruiting.
Kimmel & Associates requires all consultants and recruiters to attend a weekly operations meeting that focuses on the latest industry trends and developments. We recognize that it is a challenging and dynamic market in construction and for the sake of our clients and candidates, we must be aware and informed of all the factors that have an impact on our business every day.
In partnership with Western Carolina University, Kimmel & Associates offers quarterly meetings that emphasize construction and continuing education. The topics include: Hard Bid vs Conceptual Estimating; Trade Divisions in Construction; Bid Planning and Preparation; Construction Software; and Project Management and Scheduling. This provides extra value to our clients and enhances our ability to serve their needs.
Kimmel & Associates training also includes our Leadership / Professional Development program. This program was developed to raise the bar of the organization in our quest to be the best Executive Search firm in the world. This program was developed to better serve our clients through developing a company of leaders and a level of professionalism second to none. The backbone of this program encompasses the emphasis of character, integrity, and respect in serving our clients. The One-on-One Coaching segment of this plan focuses on developing each consultant's skills and professional attributes not only to better provide service to our clients but for each employee to become a leader in their community.
Industry Involvement
The industries served by Kimmel & Associates represent growth and movement, development and progress. We have an obligation, therefore, to remain as well-trained and relevant as the companies in these disciplines. In the past few years, Kimmel & Associates:
- Formed a research group to develop promising leads to assist construction companies in the current economic climate. Their results can be found here.
- Published an article entitled GRAY POWER can give you an EDGE by Vice President Alan Laibson in ENR magazine.
- Published an article: A Guide to Hiring Forwarder Talent by our consultants Anne Watkins, Allie Wall, et. al in the CNS Focus Magazine.
- Published an article by J. Alan MacNair titled Construction Companies Can Become World-Class.
- Participated in the Owner's Summit in New York City.
- Sent a team to the Air Cargo Conference sponsored by the Air Forwarders Association.
- Attendance at the Waste Expo for 15+ years.
- Sent a team to several NSWMA Regional Conferences.
- Active in the Logistics and Supply Chain Forum.
- Maintain membership in good standing in NAPS.
- In 2007, the American Council for Construction Education (ACCE) awarded its first annual Founder's Award to Joe W. Kimmel.