Accountability, transparency, and execution are at the heart of our story at Manhattan Resources. We are on a mission that is based on trust and rooted in values. First, to be accountable to our clients. Naturally, to be transparent in our performance. And always, to execute our commitment as promised.
Manhattan Resources is trusted for its ability to make smart decisions and serve its fast-growing client base. Why waste valuable time with a cookie-cutter approach to find the executive talent you need to grow your business? You are not a one-size-fits-all business, and neither are we.
The Story of Manhattan Resources
Manhattan Resources was born in the energy industry in Houston, Texas, more than two decades ago. It was at the beginning of a most tumultuous time in global economics. But in many ways, it was a fortunate place and time for a new recruiting firm to take root.
The energy industry was coming out of a downturn and was about to enter two busy decades of global growth. New technologies combined with the tightening of regulatory requirements create a host of new fields and jobs. Over the next 20-plus years, Manhattan Resources is poised at the forefront of an amazing period in hiring history.
Ahead of the Times with Accountability, Transparency, Execution
At the start of his Manhattan Resources venture in 1999, Chris Schoettelkotte pledges to honor all professional commitments. At the same time, he commits that every project will provide real value to each client. This meant re-imagining the search process to ensure transparency and lasting results.
The world was in the midst of the tech crash, 1999-2001, and on the brink of many major corporate accounting scandals from 2000-2004. However, Manhattan Resources was ahead of its time with a values-based business.
“I wanted our clients to see a search strategy and process that were transparent to them,” Chris recalls. “And that is still our strategy today. Yes, it was different from the rest. But it was important to do things differently even if that meant shaking up the status quo.”
Rapid Growth in the Energy Sector
During its two decades of rapid expansion, there is a wide and diverse range of industry expertise that has become associated with oil and gas including the sciences, geosciences, engineering, technology, marketing, trading, finance, environmental, chemical, construction, architecture, naval architecture, biology, safety, medical, and firefighting. The list grew with the upstream, midstream, and downstream aspects of the business.
For firms like Manhattan Resources, it was a quick call for expansion in expertise. Fortunately, one that would be ideal for growth in later years as it positions the company for industrial diversity. This expansion in expertise also allows the growth of high-performance teams. As a result, Manhattan Resources fosters professional relationships with its clients through a host of support services that provide a solid framework for its suite of business advisory services.
Values-Based Professional Services Business
Chris went on to hire a leadership team that he felt well represented the values of transparency and integrity that Manhattan Resources modeled. “All of our clients see and approve our approach and strategy to solving their issues upfront. We share not only our marketing and search strategy but also our clients. Both the companies and candidates we will target for the position in question hold us accountable for these deliverables on time and on point,” Chris added.
Other values and tools that have been foundational to the success of Manhattan Resources include maintaining strong client communications, possessing real-world functional expertise, and ensuring a good cultural fit between company and candidate. In addition, using gap analysis for each candidate to cross measure organizational fit and providing extended guarantee periods for permanent placements, including a 6-month guarantee on tactical hires, and a full-year (365-day) guarantee on strategic hires, are core practices.
Sticking to Our Principles of Accountability, Transparency, Execution
Today, just as in the beginning, the leaders at Manhattan Resources and everyone on the team continues to make good on these foundational promises. The values and tools of Manhattan Resources are critical to the company’s success as an executive search, interim professional solutions, and business advisory services firm. The entire team works to fulfill these obligations as core standards that differentiate them from competitors.
A Vision for Unparalleled Performance
While Chris remains active in the planning and oversight of Manhattan Resources, he is equally involved in the day-to-day operations. His go-forward plan is to continue focusing on the company’s mission of helping clients build high-performance teams that enable them to achieve their objectives.
“I want to ensure the client can clearly understand the vision and the difference Manhattan Resources provides. And, that we continue to apply that vision to our extended practices in interim solutions and the new technologies that are so much a part of the industries we represent now, and in the future,” he said.