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How scalable systems can be used to find the right people, bring a new product idea to life, and help it grow quickly and profitably. Scalable systems for talent acquisition
S tarting a new company that disrupts the status quo in a conservative industry is challenging at best, but developing it in such a way that it can grow quickly while maintaining its entrepreneurial, “can do” culture requires systems and procedures that are smart, effective, efficient, and, most importantly, scalable. This is how Mitrex tripled employee headcount to more than 100 people in fewer than 18 months while maintaining a methodical, systematic approach to growth to capitalize on the sales momentum generated by the company’s innovative and affordable solar cladding and glass products.
Jim Pappas
Building a new $120 million manufacturing plant, launching new building-integrated photovoltaic products, and keeping up with rapid sales growth is not for the faint of heart. At Mitrex, we knew that the only way to maintain control under such dynamic growth conditions was to systematically and simultaneously grow headcounts in almost all departments – marketing, sales, design, R&D, estimating, production, and project management. The key to supporting this multi- faceted expansion was to develop customized systems and processes that would help the company maintain order and effectiveness while achieving immediate, intermediate, and long-term goals. These are the steps we followed to create
a customized system for talent acquisition and management that met all of our needs: ❚ ❚ Start with the end in mind. Mitrex Inc. was a start-up that was incubated within GCAT Group. With that incubation came some of GCAT’s inherited systems and procedures – not ideal for Mitrex, but workable. The goal for talent acquisition and management was to infuse the company with an entrepreneurial and can-do mindset, one that would carry it through its growth to 1,500 employees by 2026. The end goal was to create a workable system that was effective, efficient, and could easily expand as the company grew around the world.
See JIM PAPPAS, page 10
THE ZWEIG LETTER AUGUST 30, 2021, ISSUE 1406
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