Strategic Careers helps companies find quality technology personnel

Specializing in executive search in the industries of sales, marketing and information technology personnel, Strategic Careers has made a name for itself by being able to provide quality executives at a variety of levels.

The company, founded in 2000 by principals Bobby Lowe and Michael Guynes, provides permanent placement, technical consulting and managed services. Strategic Careers started in an office in the Galleria area, but recently moved downtown.

"We have a commitment to Houston, we are a Houston-based company and we wanted our clients to see that commitment, so we wanted to be in the thick of it," Lowe says.

Both Lowe and Guynes, Strategic Career's vice president of sales and marketing, had previously worked for another search firm, so when they decided to form their own company, a non-compete agreement forced the two to look for other clients.

Another challenge was the fall of the technology market in 2001, but Strategic Careers was able to stay on top.

"As we grew, we added divisions that would continue to help us expand," Guynes says. "We pushed marketing, looking at our business and figuring out how to keep customer-focused."

And grow the company did. Strategic Careers finished 2002 with a revenue of $1.06 million, up 119 percent from 2001.

Growth did not come without effort. The company took time to do the research to find the niches that were doing well, Lowe says.

"We want to be able to do what we say we are going to do, which is key for a viable organization," he adds. "This isn't just about revenue, we want to provide a great service."