"We recently retained Peter to assist us in hiring a new executive director for CASA for Children. The Selection Committee was thrilled with the result. Peter guided us through the process, identified stellar candidates, and always kept us informed. We were very impressed with the knowledge he developed about CASA, the speed and efficiency of his work and especially his overall responsiveness. As a result of Peter’s efforts, we were able to hire a candidate we believed to be a perfect fit for our organization. While we have a tight budget, the value we received from Peter was well worth the investment."
~Rebecca Graham, Board President, CASA for Children
"Peter is a perceptive and efficient resource for finding high level talent for non-profits. When I was the Executive Director of Rural Development Initiatives , a statewide non-profit based in Eugene Oregon, Peter helped us find two talented senior level staff : a finance director and a fund development director. In both cases, we had conducted an advertising and web based search without success. Peter was able to use his diverse networks to locate multiple qualified candidates for each position, and we were very happy with both of our subsequent hires. I really enjoyed working with Peter. He quickly 'got' what we were looking for, and provided feedback to help us further clarify our priorities. He pursued our project without delay and pro-actively communicated his progress. His fees are very fair in the marketplace, and I recommend him with enthusiasm!"
~ Kathi Jaworski Executive Director, Rural Development Initiatives
"I've run my own for-profit business for thirty years, and been in non-profit leadership for many years as well. Peter guided us through the best search experience I've had in all that time! I generally find the interview/hire process to be one of the least joyful part of business management. Peter made it fun! The candidate that Peter found is superb, and we would never have found her without Peter. Despite an extraordinarily well connected board and staff, and high visibility in the media, we did not attract the right candidate until Peter came on board and worked his magic. He worked with me to get clarity from my board on job parameters, stayed with me through offer/negotiation, even through the first orientation session. I've never been a proponent of using professionals to do searches before. Now, I intend to go to Peter every time we have hiring needs, without hesitation. I'll then enjoy the confidence that my organization will get the best possible fit that is available."
~ Barbara Sidway, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors, Oregon 150
"Peter recently assisted Oregon Food Bank with concurrent outreach, recruitment and hire efforts for two key senior management positions. Throughout the entire life cycle of both recruitments, he kept us well informed regarding the processes he was implementing, as well as providing professional insights and guidance. Peter has that special ability to truly listen to and act on the needs of the clients he serves. He is passionate about finding the “win-win” result that works both for the candidate as well as for the hiring organization. As a result of his good work, Oregon Food Bank hired two professionals who are tops in their fields. Without reservation, I can recommend Peter Wendel for your recruiting needs….he is the best!"
~Janeen Wadsworth, Chief Operating Officer, Oregon Food Bank
"Working with Peter and the Whitefox Group on a senior management search was a very positive experience. Peter sourced excellent candidates and his follow-through was outstanding. He even provided very thorough references which was helpful in making the final selection. Peter communicated with me regularly throughout the entire search process....... I would definitely use his services again."
~Kregg Hanson, National Executive Director, Friends of the Children
"I've now worked with Peter Wendel on two very different searches--and I'll call him the minute I need to do a third! So far, he's found Ronald McDonald House Charities a Marketing Manager (a new position for the organization) and a Director of Operations (the replacement for a long-tenured and well-loved staff member). In both cases, Peter quickly attracted and qualified an outstanding pool of candidates, which were ultimately narrowed to a pair of finalists who made the selection committee's work very difficult--the ideal climax to any search. He's comprehensive, cost-effective, and best of all, a real pleasure to work with. Unfortunately, despite my best effort, I was unable to hire him for one of those two positions (which would have made for an extraordinarily short search). But I suppose that's a good thing for all of his future clients--including me in the long run!"
~Tom Soma, Executive Director, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Oregon and Southwest Washington
"Replacing an organizational Founder/Executive Director is never easy; no one quite measures up. With Peter's help we were able to bring in a strong group of finalists and hired a new Executive Director that we feel absolutely terrific about. Peter kept us informed on the progress of the search at each step along the way. He was professional, detailed, easy to work with and in the end got the job done to everyone's delight!"
~Mike Mercer, Board Chairman, Northwest Earth Institute
"Peter is a clear thinker who will help you define the job description for the position you are seeking, energetically seek candidates to fill the position, and help you screen the candidates until you find the right fit. Peter does all of this with flexibility to meet your needs and timeline, and with a terrific sense of humor. He makes it his own personal cause to find the right person for you!"
~Glenn Lamb, Executive Director, Columbia Land Trust
"Peter, I just wanted to drop you a note and thank you for all you have done in my behalf. I enjoyed our conversations and appreciated meeting you in person. I like the way in which you present a low-key, yet thorough, friendly approach to the business of trying to match people with openings. I told my wife last evening, 'I'll bet Peter has never matched a person to a job they didn't like.' I am very impressed with the way you approach your business. I wish you the best of all things. I will be forever grateful."
~Alex, Director of Communications at a mid-sized school district
"Our hiring process would not have succeeded without Peter's able assistance. He asked incisive questions to insure that we had refined our search sufficiently. He helped us clarify our highest priorities. His doggedness in really getting candidates to clearly express themselves helped immensely in knowing whether or not they were worth interviewing. And he provided us with well organized and comprehensive materials on each of the candidates in advance of the interview process. Distilled to its essence, the process was effective in the use of time and resources. And we achieved the result we were seeking."
~David Porter, Executive Director, Clackamas Heritage Partners
"Peter Wendel was just the person we needed at Clackamas Heritage Parnters . Without the exhorbitant costs and hype of the typical head-hunting approach, he was able to provide Clackamas Heritage Partners with 5-6 candidates for a development position in a major sellers market. We hired a person who is top notch and would never have emerged without Peter's good connections and detective work."
~David Dickson, Executive Director Clackamas Community College Foundation, Clackamas Heritage Partners Board Secretary.
"When Volunteers of America Oregon had a need for a fast, efficient search for a new Director of Finance, Whitefox was interviewed and hired. Whitefox, led by Peter Wendel, performed an exceptional outreach that resulted in five top candidates for the position. Peter Wendel effectively screened, interviewed and ranked the candidates for our consideration. Our senior managers and I were delighted to use his information and process to hire a top-notch candidate for our position. It was a timely process as well. We are quite pleased."
~Kay Toran , President/CEO , Volunteers of America Oregon
"Cascadia is one of the largest community-based nonprofit providers of social services in the Portland area. Its mission is to assist low-income individuals who suffer serious mental illnesses and addictions. As a result of numerous mergers and reorganizations, we instituted a fiscal Business Manager model in our accounting department as a means of working more directly with the program managers at our various sites."
We asked the Whitefox Group to recruit several individuals for this new position. Peter's special skill is his earnest effort to understand the culture of the organization. The candidates are screened not only for a specific skill set but also for their ability to work within the Cascadia environment. Peter did an excellent job of fulfilling our needs. He really listened to what we wanted."
~ Debra Humphrey-Keever, CFO, Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare
~ Gloria Mackay, Controller, Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare
"Our Board Treasurer and I led a search for our new CFO this year, enlisting Peter Wendel at The Whitefox Group as our lead consultant on the recruitment effort. Peter more than met our expectations. From our initial meeting to define our vision and requirements for this high level position in the organization, to the final interviews and deliberations - Peter offered strategic advice, took on key tasks at critical times, and moved the process forward at a rapid pace but all the while with great thoughtfulness and insight. In the end, we hired a CFO who is a perfect fit for the organization. We are thrilled. I would wholeheartedly recommend Peter's services to any organization looking for top talent."
~ Cynthia Guyer, Executive Director, Portland Schools Foundation
"As treasurer of the Portland Schools Foundation, we found ourselves in need of a new Chief Financial Officer after the tragic death of our existing CFO. We decided to use an outside firm to help us recruit our new CFO. We selected Peter Wendel at The Whitefox Group. Peter interviewed members of the Board and staff to better understand what we wanted and needed in order to develop a job description that fit our needs. He recruited a number of talented candidates, ultimately recommending two finalists for the Finance Committee to interview. After the interviews, we realized we had two superb candidates and left the final decision for filling the position to our Executive Director telling her we were very confident either would be an excellent choice."
"Peter brought to us a number of qualified candidates but took the additional step of recommending finalists. At his recommendation, we interviewed several people from his list including the two recommended finalists. Based on our initial interviews, it was clear to us that Peter understood exactly what we were looking for. As an additional service to us, Peter provided us with CFO salary ranges based on our foundation's size, and he developed a series of interview questions from which we could choose our own questions for the actual interviews. At every step of the process he exceeded our expectations, he was very affordable and he respected our feelings regarding the loss of our former CFO. Of course the best part of the story is that we hired our new CFO and he is working out extremely well. I offer my highest recommendation for Peter Wendel and The Whitefox Group."
~ Tom Fuller, Treasurer, Portland Schools Foundation
"Our private, non-profit preschool was in critical need of a new executive director during a time of major organizational change. After two board-based recruiting efforts failed to produce satisfactory results, we turned to Peter Wendel for assistance. Peter helped us clarify our needs, draft a new position announcement and significantly expand the reach of our recruiting efforts. He conducted an initial screening of applicants to identify qualified candidates, coached us through a thorough, efficient interview process, and provided crucial advice on our hiring agreement."
"We were very satisfied with Peter's services. We were impressed not only by his knowledge, but by his ability to quickly understand our organization, his attention to both process and product, and his willingness to go the extra mile to get the job done."
~ Pam Wiley, Board Member and past President, Childswork Learning Center
"By bringing Peter Wendel into our search process for a chief staff officer of our organization, we obtained invaluable insight and expertise. Peter quickly gained an understanding of our needs. He helped us to write a new job description and to evaluate a significant number of applications. Peter then conducted initial interviews and recommended the top candidates for on-site interviews. He was able to help us find the perfect person for the position."
~Robin White, Executive VP, Portland Metropolitan Association of Building Owners and Managers
“We retained Peter at a time when the rapid growth of our conservation-oriented nonprofit was threatening to outstrip our accounting infrastructure. Peter performed a successful national search for a CFO. In the process, he helped us realize that we needed someone who had not only solid financial and accounting skills, but also strong business acumen and leadership abilities. With Peter's guidance and methodical approach, we were able to zero in on and hire the most qualified candidate for Ecotrust – in record time and under budget. I highly recommend Peter to anyone who is looking for financial executive recruiting talent.”
~ Spencer Beebe, President, Ecotrust
"Our organization, a private nonprofit alternative school, had determined that it needed senior, full-time, development and fundraising skills to round out its executive team. We retained The Whitefox Group to conduct a search for a new Development Director to fill this need. From the outset, Peter Wendel helped guide us through the process. By asking the right questions and listening, Peter was quickly able to understand the organization's mission, its culture, and its needs. He helped us flesh out the job description, wrote and placed ads in both print and on-line media, and conducted initial interviews. He saved us a tremendous amount of time and found us the perfect candidate!"
~ Carole Smith, Executive Director, Open Meadow Alternative Schools
"I run a bookkeeping service exclusively for nonprofit clients. I was in a sudden need of a new accounting assistant, and turned to The Whitefox Group for help. This position was a tricky one to fill because it required a high level of maturity, dedication, and especially, accuracy. I didn't have time to rifle through the hundreds of resumes I knew we'd get, and I certainly didn't have the time to do many interviews. Peter Wendel filled this role wonderfully. Within weeks we had the right candidate. Peter was thorough and a pleasure to work with."
~ Susan Jones, Susan Matlack Jones & Associates
“A major funder of ours had recommended we beef up our finance and accounting capability in order to give us more credibility, so we embarked on a thorough search for a CFO. We asked the Whitefox Group to perform the search, having heard about the successful search Peter Wendel did for another nonprofit. The key success factors for our CFO position were, aside from the required accounting and finance skills, chemistry, fit, and a passion for our mission – i.e., understanding and preserving the salmon ecosystems of the Pacific Rim . We found Peter Wendel to be very organized and thorough, and sensitive to the importance of Wild Salmon Center 's culture in the selection and presentation of candidates. We were very happy with the Whitefox Group, and would certainly use them again.”
~ Guido Rahr , President, The Wild Salmon Center
"I want you to know what a great experience it was to work with you. When I discovered that a “head hunter” was handling the job I was seeking, I almost did not apply. I had harbored a bias regarding the outsourcing of the hiring process. My experience was totally different than I expected. I thoroughly enjoyed (and was challenged) by the initial interview with you. You asked great questions that really made me think. Throughout the rest of the process, I felt respected and even supported by you. Your intermediary role in the salary negotiation process was very helpful to me. Now that I have landed the “job of my dreams”, I want to thank you for your role in this most enjoyable hiring process."
~ Emily Munro, Candidate
“Our online consumer-oriented automotive business required a CFO who had experience with mergers and acquisitions, negotiating contracts with new business partners and raising capital, as well as a strong accounting background. Peter Wendel wrote the job description, wrote and placed the ads in various national media, and filtered the more-than-300 resumes that the ads yielded. Peter's phone interviewing skills then ensured that we saw only the most qualified candidates. His efforts and recommendations led to our hiring a CFO who was a perfect match for our requirements.”
~Peter Steinlauf , President, Edmunds.com