As Brent Williams walks into St. Paul’s iconic First National Bank Building and rides the elevator up to his office on the fifteenth floor, he mentally scrolls through his day. A compliance officer at investment firm Mairs & Power, he remembers he has a call with Ambrion, the recruiting agency that helped him learn about this job at Minnesota’s oldest continuously privately-owned investment firm.
“I didn’t know where to start.”
“I knew I was ready for the next level in my career,” Brent says, “but I didn’t know where to start. Ambrion’s team had access to roles and positions that weren’t even on my radar.
That’s because Ambrion has cultivated time-tested, authentic relationships with some of Minnesota’s most respected businesses, including Mairs & Power. In the last four years, the team has delivered a fill rate — meaning they’ve found the right candidate for the job — 100% of the time. More importantly, all of those candidates are still at the investment firm — thriving.
Brian Carlson, MBA, CPA (inactive), president of Ambrion, says this success rate stems from the relationships Ambrion’s recruiters build with their candidates.
“We sit down with each of our candidates and get to know them beyond their resume,” he says, explaining that this allows the team to match candidates’ exceptional skillsets and personalities with the right company. “The reason a truly great company like Mairs & Power works with Ambrion is because we take the time to get to know the organization’s culture and values.” He notes that finding that cultural fit is the reason why nearly all candidates truly excel after joining Ambrion’s partnering clients.
Recruiting candidates with a long-term approach
Tommy Hansen, one of Ambrion’s executive recruiters, echoes this. He says he makes a point of grabbing coffee with each one of his candidates. “I dive into their backgrounds, their accomplishments, and goals,” he says. “I focus on a long-term approach, making sure each candidate will fit with each specific organization’s culture.”
This approach takes the pressure off organizations and companies and allows executives, like Mairs & Power’s Collyn Iblings, assistant chief compliance officer, to be more efficient in their own work.
Collyn Iblings and Tammy Osman, executives at Mairs & Power
“They took the burden of hiring off my plate.”
“I’m not a recruiter,” Collyn admits, which is one of the main reasons her staff turned to Ambrion. “The team made time to learn about our culture and what makes us different from other investment firms. They took the burden of hiring the right candidate off my plate.”
This frees up Collyn’s schedule so she can more efficiently manage the compliance program that protects the assets the firm manages for individuals, employee benefit plans, and foundations. Besides that, she’s even created time to learn about mindful leadership.
“Through meditation, pausing, and clearing our minds, we’re able to open up and have more clarity, creativity and compassion,” Collyn says. “From a leadership perspective, these are powerful tools.”
Aside from being more mindful and intentional at work, Collyn can do the same outside of the office.
Space to be mindful and intentional
Take her morning routine. She slowly wakes up to an alarm that sounds like ocean waves. After feeding Finn, her miniature golden doodle, she sits in her big, fluffy chair and meditates. For 15 minutes. Before she leaves for work.
Tammy Osman, Mairs & Power’s human resource and administration manager, says the same is true after the closing bell rings.
“We end our day around 4:30,” she says. “I pick up my son and head home to make dinner and help him with homework.”
Collyn echoes that. “I play volleyball two nights a week. And I also practice yoga.”
One reason Collyn and Tammy can have peaceful morning routines and fulfilling evenings is because of the help they receive from Ambrion.
Ambrion recruiters like Tommy ensure that clients like Collyn and Tammy can focus on their work. This means they can also focus on their lives outside of work. They have time for meditation. They have time for volleyball and yoga. They have time to make dinner with family. Because Ambrion is doing the hard work of recruiting for them, they have time to focus on the important things life has to offer — in and out of the office.