Black Enterprise executive recruiter directory: annual roundup of the nation's black-owned executive recruitment firms

Black Enterprise, Feb, 1996 by Fonda Marie Lloyd

Over the years, minority executive recruiters have certainly kept pace with the changing needs of corporate America, and this year is no different. Meeting the demands of corporate downsizing, reengineering and diversity was difficult, but paid off as black-owned executive recruitment firms' revenues doubled over the past two years. Gross revenues of $28 million in 1994, and more than $26 million by the third quarter of 1995 was the reward of our recruiters hard work and good connections. Despite this good news, more than 25% of the recruiters listed lost revenues last year. Yet, this year's recruiters refuse to rest on their laurels when they reap only a fraction of the $4 billion executive recruitment industry pie.

It is no secret that outsourcing has become a strategic operating tool for today's organizations. In fact, temporary and full-time employment agencies generated almost 900,000 of the 4.1 million new jobs created over the last five years. Not to be left on the sidelines, some minority recruiters expanded by adding temporary and contract services as well.

For example, recruiters such as Tony Johnson, director of ACJ & Associates Inc. in Atlanta, have tapped into the lucrative niche market of software contracting consulting services. "The way technology is going, there will always be a need for human intervention and different tools," he says. Like Johnson, our recruiter have looked into different ways to increase revenues, such as providing temporary placement and career counseling.

Even though companies are seeking more diverse candidates, they continue to overlook minority recruiters. A few majority-owned firms have sought to align with a minority counterpart to meet these needs, but that hasn't translated into great gains for minority firms. Instead, white firms have sought to compete with black-owned firms by setting up minority recruitment "divisions" in-house.

The following list of black-owned executive recruitment firms is provided as a service to our readers seeking to expand their career opportunities and companies seeking top-notch executives. Firms are also identified according to their sources of revenue:

[C] Contingency. The firm is paid a fee if their candidate is hired.

[R] Retained. The firm is paid a fee for the search, whether or not a candidate is hired.

[T] Contract. The firm becomes a vendor contractor to the client and is paid a fee for the services of their consultants or vendors.

ACES EMPLOYMENT CONSULTANTS P.O. Box 1513 Linden, NJ 07036 Tel: 908-925-8836 Fax: 908-925-3232

Anita C. Ervin, president. Founded 1989. C: 70% R: 30%. Salary range: $35,000 to $250,000. Industries include financial services, legal and environmental. Firms include Sony, CNBC and Time Warner.

ACJ & ASSOCIATES INC. 1819 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 104 Atlanta, GA 30309 Tel: 800-264-6686/404-355-9664 Fax: 404-355-7266

Anthony "Tony" Johnson, director. Founded 1990. C: 10% T: 90%. Salary range: $45,000 to $168,000. Industries include client/server technology and SAP Peoplesoft applications. Firms include AT&T, Cigna Health and Holiday InnWorldwide.

A.D. FLEMING GROUP INC. 139 Fulton St., Room 720 New York, NY 10038 Tel: 212-227-0909 Fax: 212-349-6086

Alicia D. Fleming, president. Founded 1989. C: 50%. Salary range: $30,000 to $200,000. Industries include banking, entertainment, and publishing. Firms include Chase Manhattan Bank, ABC Capital Cities and the NYC Department of Probation.

ASPEN PERSONNEL SERVICES 6930 Carroll Ave., Suite 507 Takoma Park, MD 20912 Tel: 301-270-3800 F: 301-270-0061

Armentha Cruise-Mills, president. Founded 1988. C: 75% R: 25%. Salary range: $30,000 to $60,000. Industries include communications and financial. Firms include NationsBank, AT&T and the U.S. State Department.

BENFORD & ASSOCIATES INC. 3000 Town Center, Suite 1333 Southfield, MI 48075 Tel: 810-351-0250 Fax: 810-351-8698

Edward A. Benford, manager. Founded 1989. C: 100%. Salary range: $50,000 to $175,000. Industries include automotive, manufacturing and engineering. Firms include Philip Morris, General Motors and Navistar.

BG AND ASSOCIATES P.O. Box 34162 Bethesda, MD 20827-0162 Tel: 301-365-4046 Fax: 301-365-0435

Brian A. Gray, president. Founded 1981. C: 100%. Salary range: $45,000 to $150,000. Industries include mortgage, financial and aerospace. Firms include Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., Merrill Lynch & Co. and Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.

CARRINGTON & CARRINGTON LTD. 39 S. LaSalle St., Suite 1125 Chicago, IL 60603-1557 Tel: 312-606-0015 Fax: 312-606-0501

Marian and Willie Carrington, principals. Founded 1979. R: 100%. Salary range: $75,000 to $250,000. Industries include financial, health care and telecommunications. Firms include Allstate insurance, Ameritech and Amoco Corp.

HOWARD CLARK ASSOCIATES P.O. Box 423 Bellmore, NJ 08099 Tel: 609-467-3725 Fax: 609-467-3384

Howard L. Clark, president. Founded 1976. C: 100%. Salary range: $35,000 to $180,00. Serves all industries. Firms include Viacom, ESPN and Campbell Soup.

RICHARD CLARKE & ASSOCIATES INC. 9 W. 95th St. New York, NY 10025 Tel: 212-222-5600 Fax: 212-222-6204