Executive Resumes Atlanta

Executives in Transition: Target Growth Industries

Executives contemplating a career transition – whether prompted by a desire to seek "greener pastures" or exiting a challenge industry impacted by the economic downturn – may shorten the search by targeting those industries expected to enjoy faster than average growth in 2010.

According to projections recently released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, those industries include:

·       Biomedical and environmental engineering

·       Advertising, marketing, sales, promotions, and public relations

·       Computer and information systems management

·       Medical and health services, particularly personal and home care services

·       Management and financial analysis

Companies in the management, business, and financial sector can expect only average growth this year. In general, top executive jobs are anticipated to increase 15%, with relatively little turnover. With a surplus of qualified applicants for top positions, executive-level job seekers can expect steep competition in the market.

Executives seeking a career change should wage a strategic, no-holds-barred search and anticipate a longer than average search, as competition increases exponentially when a candidate seeks to enter a new field. A component of that strategy should include an assessment of the market to target those industries projected to provide the most opportunities.

Colleen Reyerson is an Executive Resume Writer in Atlanta, GA. She is one of only 12 Certified Expert Resume Writers (CERW) in the U.S., and the sole CERW in the state of Georgia. Colleen is the principal of Executive Resumes Atlanta (www.ExecutiveResumesAtlanta.com), an Atlanta, GA executive resume writing service specializing in career marketing documents for senior-level job seekers. Executive Resumes Atlanta is a member of the Better Business Bureau with an A+ rating.

Top Women Execs in GA a Minority

According to a recent study released by the Board of Directors Network (BDN), women have made little to no progress on the boards or in the executive suites of Georgia’s public companies.

The Board of Directors Network is a nonprofit research and advisory organization seeking to increase the number of women in executive leadership and on corporate boards.

For the past 17 years, the BDN has been tracking the status of women in corporate boardrooms and executives suites. During that time, the percentage of women named as corporate officers and directors has for the most part remained flat, despite the significant changes among Georgia’s publicly held companies over the years, as some organizations have gone private and others have been acquired.

The 2009 study shows that only 45 percent of Georgia’s 160 public companies have at least one woman on their board — the lowest percentage in seven years. In 2004 and 2007, that percentage was at 49 percent, the highest it’s ever been. The percentage of women-held board seats are: 7.6% in Georgia public companies, 9.7% in Georgia Top 50 public companies, and 15% in Georgia companies in Fortune 500.

Miriam Burgess, BDN's 2009 president, said, "The lack of progress is very disappointing. Women directors and women officers are good for business."

The BDN study also reported that among 160 public companies, only two have women as chairs, and only three have women as CEOs, a number that has remained unchanged since 2007.

Rona Wells, BDN's executive director said, "The pace of change is pretty glacial. Unless we do something different, it's going to stay at the pace we are in adding and losing women directors. It's not ever going to move a whole lot."

Sources: Board of Directors Network (www.boarddirectorsnetwork.org) and Atlanta Business Chronicle (October 23, 2009)

Colleen Reyerson is an Executive Resume Writer in Atlanta, GA. She is one of only 12 Certified Expert Resume Writers (CERW) in the U.S., and the sole CERW in the state of Georgia. Colleen is Managing Director of Executive Resumes Atlanta (www.ExecutiveResumesAtlanta.com), an Atlanta, GA executive resume writing service specializing in career marketing documents for senior-level job seekers. Executive Resumes Atlanta is a member of the Better Business Bureau with an A+ rating.

Atlanta Business Growth Expo

The Atlanta Business Chronicle is hosting a business expo at the Cobb Galleria on Thursday, October 29 from 7am-2:30pm. The event is expected to attract 3,000 executives seeking business growth insights, strategies and inspiration, as well as networking opportunities.

Events will include a Disney workshop (Disney's Approach to Leadership Excellence), an Economic Forecast Panel Discussion, and a Customer Service Leadership presentation by Hal Becker (a leading national speaker on sales and customer service).

Tickets for the event are $49 (non-refundable).

Colleen Reyerson is an Executive Resume Writer in Atlanta, GA. She is one of only 12 Certified Expert Resume Writers (CERW) in the U.S., and the sole CERW in the state of Georgia. Colleen is Managing Director of Executive Resumes Atlanta (www.ExecutiveResumesAtlanta.com), an Atlanta, GA executive resume writing service specializing in career marketing documents for senior-level job seekers. Executive Resumes Atlanta is a member of the Better Business Bureau with an A+ rating.

Supercharge Your Networking with LinkedIn.com

LinkedIn is an online business networking site which connects executives and business professionals. A free service which allows members to create a professional profile that can be shared with other members, LinkedIn can be a powerful tool in your job search arsenal. By building online network of contacts, you increase your connections with professionals who can then recommend you and help you network your way into a target company.

Founded in 2003, LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com) now has more than 48 million members in over 200 countries. Executives and business professionals from all Fortune 500 companies can be found among the membership.

Features include automatic notification to your network when you make a major change to your Profile (e.g., announcing an event in your professional life), posted job listings, and a search feature that allows you to not only research companies, but find information on target companies from other members (e.g. why they left a company and what they did / did not like about it).

Maintaining a LinkedIn Profile enables you to establish a professional online presence and create a personal brand, strengthening your overall credibility and providing a vehicle for others to easily access information about you. For example, more than 70% of recruiters Google candidates to find out more about them.

Other online business networking sites include http://Xing.com, http://Ecademy.com, and http://Ziggs.com.

Colleen Reyerson is an Executive Resume Writer in Atlanta, GA. She is one of only 12 Certified Expert Resume Writers (CERW) in the U.S., and the sole CERW in the state of Georgia. Colleen is Managing Director of Executive Resumes Atlanta (www.ExecutiveResumesAtlanta.com), an Atlanta, GA executive resume writing service specializing in career marketing documents for senior-level job seekers. Executive Resumes Atlanta is a member of the Better Business Bureau with an A+ rating.

Georgia's Largest Investor Conference Oct 13-14

Venture Atlanta, Georgia’s largest investor showcase (http://www.ventureatlanta.org) is a forum where Georgia’s top technology innovators have an opportunity to meet top-tier investors from around the country. The event connects local entrepreneurs with venture capitalists, bankers, angel investors and others who can help them raise capital to grow their businesses.

In its second year, the annual non-profit event is co-hosted by three top state business organizations: the Atlanta CEO Council, the Metro Atlanta Chamber and the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG).

Venture Atlanta attracts top-tier venture firms from across the U.S., including Silicon Valley, Boston, Washington D.C, North Carolina, Texas, Florida. Participating VC firms include Arcapita Ventures, C&B Capital, Canaan Partners, Council Ventures, Greenhill SAVP, Grotech Ventures, H.I.G. Ventures, IDEA Fund Partners, Intel Capital, Kinetic Ventures, Noro-Moseley Partners, Novak Biddle Venture Partners, Sierra Ventures, SSM Partners, TechOperators, Trident Capital, Total Technology Ventures and Wellington Financial.

Event highlights will include 24 companies to open the event, 22 presenters, and speakers Pete Kight of Fiserv and Jeff Sprecher of IntercontinentalExchange (ICE). Entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to network with the entire Atlanta technology community.

According to the National Venture Capital Association (http://www.nvca.org), approximately 90% of venture capital invested in Georgia companies come from out of state. Atlanta is an attractive investment market due to its low operating capital, pool of entrepreneurial talent and young work force.

Kraft Eyes Atlanta for $50M Development

According to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, Kraft Foods, the largest food company in the nation and second largest in the world (behind Nestle SA), is targeting Atlanta’s South side as a potential site for a $50 million development. Kraft is looking for a nearly 90 acre site for an up to 1.1 million sq. ft. warehouse and distribution center. One of the sites Kraft has looked at is an 850,000 sq. ft. building in McDonough, as well as a 187-acre property in Henry County. While not yet confirmed, the move could be as far south as Macon. It is estimated that this move would create 200+ new jobs.

Georgia Drives Biotech Industry

The Atlanta Business Chronicle reported in its June 12 edition that Georgia may be one of several states competing for a significant biotech development that could be located on more than 100 acres and employ at least 1,000 in metro Atlanta. If The vaccine or pharmaceutical manufacturing operation – as yet unidentified – could be a boon to Georgia’s drive to enhance its biotech credentials.

According to a recent Atlanta Journal-Constitution article, Georgia currently falls behind state industry leaders in bio-engineered medicines, fuels and foodstuffs, which include California, Massachusetts and North Carolina. The state is moving to significantly increase its status in the biotech industry, and so has placed the lucrative and competitive life sciences field atop its economic recruitment pyramid. In May, Georgia hosted the world’s largest biotech conference, the 2009 BIO International Convention, which was attended by more than 14,000 industry leaders and convention-goers from 58 countries and 48 states.

Charles Craig, the president of Georgia Bio, a nonprofit that promotes the biotech industry explained, “What this convention has done is really shine a light on Georgia and helped change peoples’ perceptions of Georgia. There is a huge growth potential for Georgia. We’re headed in the right direction.”

Although not a state biotech leader – 70 percent of Georgia’ 300 biotech companies generate revenues of $10 million or less – Georgia does boast Big Pharma manufacturers, such as Solvay. Marietta is the U.S. corporate headquarters for the Belgium-based $13 billion chemical and pharmaceutical producer. Additionally, Atlanta is home to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Emory Vaccine Center, one of the largest academic vaccine centers in the world.

NCR Relocating to Atlanta

Fortune 500 company NCR Corp., a leading producer of ATMs and business automation equipment, recently announced that it is moving to Gwinnett County (Duluth) after 125 years in Dayton, as reported in the Dayton Daily News. Georgia communities that submitted proposals to the $5.3 billion-a-year automation giant included Gwinnett, DeKalb, and Fayette counties, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

 

A spokeswoman for the Atlanta Development Authority (ADA), Sonya Moste said the city pledged $1.5 million in grants and 10 years of property tax abatements for NCR. Ms. Moste related that the ADA, at the request of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, had submitted a bid for the automation giant approximately a year ago.

 

According to the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce, NCR’s relocation and expansion of its existing Southeastern presence will create 1,250 new jobs for the Gwinnett community.

NCR will join several other major technology companies located in Gwinnett: Cisco Systems (formerly Scientific Atlanta), EMS Technologies, Quality Technical Services, Sage Software and CCP North America.

Backshoring to Impact IT & Manufacturing

According to recent articles on sites such as CIO.com, some U.S.-based companies are canceling their offshore outsourcing contracts and bringing work back home, a process called backshoring (also called “on-shoring”). Economists are saying this trend is occurring in part to the consumer backlash against offshoring, and believe it will help the U.S. and other foreign economies emerge from the recession much more quickly.

Several major U.S. companies such as Sallie Mae, Delta, Dell and the Home Shopping Network are moving some of the work that they had offshored back home, says Computer World. Some economists are advocating return of overseas work back to the U.S. “not as a protectionist trade policy-but as a strategic move designed to conserve a market (namely, U.S. consumers.)”

The Atlanta Business Chronicle recently reported that Georgia is one of several states seeing its economic prospects improve due to offshoring. Economic development officials say the drivers include decreased savings in moving jobs to China (wages there have increased); increased shipping and transportation costs; and safety and quality issues.

Two companies are opting to bring jobs to Georgia that had been considered for offshoring. Automation giant NCR Corp. (slated to relocate its headquarters to Gwinnett County), is bringing 900 jobs to Columbus, GA, and a subsidiary of Chicken of the Sea, Thai Union Frozen Products PCL, will create 200 jobs in its canning operations in Lyons, GA (located between Macon and Savannah).

Heads Up -- New Opportunity for Senior Operations Execs

According to a recent article in the Atlanta Business Chronicle, international food retailer and discount supermarket chain ALDI is rolling out a 781,000-square-foot distribution center in Jackson County.

Thanks in part to the nation's economic woes, ALDI has grown significantly, adding 20 new Atlanta-area stores to its operation since it entered the market in 2001.

Now would be a great time to capitalize on this growth -- get your resume and cover letter ready to go!

Key company figures and contact information:

ALDI, Inc.
1200 North Kirk Road
Batavia, IL 60510
phone 630.879.8100
fax 630.879.8410

Chief Executive Officer: Mr. Vern Frazier
President: Mr. Chuck Youngstrom
Chief Financial Officer: Mr. Terry Pfortmiller
Administration Executive: Ms. Kimberly Shanner
IT Executive: Mr. Ken Moyner