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Business Excellence Awards 2019

JBK Associates – “Connecting Great Leaders to Great Companies”

JBK Associates – “Connecting Great Leaders to Great Companies”

Why wouldn’t companies want to have a better business ROI? – asks Julie Kampf, Founder and CEO of JBK Associates. For this, she advises businesses to double down on the investment in their best asset –their talent. It is a tangible and palpable asset to organizations, because, skills or abilities of an organization’s people are paramount to everything related to growth and innovation. Ms. Kampf’s company, JBK Associates International, Inc., provides executive talent solutions which begins with executive search. They deliver full-service executive talent solutions across a wide spectrum of industries and functional responsibilities with a laser focus on diversity.

The award-winning, certified woman-owned and led business, has earned an international reputation for innovation and diversity in the executive recruitment industry. Ms. Kampf founded the firm in 2003 with intent to raise the bar in the executive search industry, which, she felt was very transactional. She built JBK on the pillars of diversity and corporate responsibility – two extremely important aspects that most companies failed to address, she said. “It was also really important to me to elevate the care of the candidate,” she added.

Ms. Kampf led JBK through multiple economic downturns including the Great Recession, and as a visionary, supports the company to stay ahead of the competition always. Today, JBK is a multimillion-dollar business and the recipient of numerous awards and honors. JBK was recognized as one of the Top 500 Women-Owned Businesses in the U.S. by DiversityBusiness.com. It was also one of the Diversity’s Top 100 Owned Companies in New Jersey.

The team at JBK boasts more than 200 years of combined expertise in executive search and human resources. They have helped the company maintain performance benchmarks well above the industry norm: the firm fills 94% of its searches and around 92% of the candidates they help recruit stay with the organization for at least three years, which in today’s fast turning employee population is stellar.

The company offers a full portfolio of services, including board search, executive search and retention, succession planning, diversity initiatives and leadership coaching. Industries they majorly serve include life sciences, consumer products, financial services, technology, healthcare, retail, and nonprofit sectors. Additionally, JBK (AmropJBK) is a member of Amrop, a global executive search organization with offices around the world.

What Makes JBK Stand Out From the Crowd?

“Diversity is our specialty,” notes Ms. Kampf. “Our main focus is presenting to our clients, the best candidates in the industry, all while ensuring diversity is front and center.” Diversity is important for recruiting, but more important for business results for clients. Research from well-established consulting firms such as McKinsey and BCG prove that the companies with greater diversity in leadership positions out performed organizations that were less diverse–especially at the executive and top management level.

JBK has focused its executive search practice around diversity for more than 15 years, and has partnered with some of the top Fortune 100 companies to help make the diversity and inclusion vision a reality. The company provides access to talented and accomplished diverse candidates who are included in more than 90% of their slates, with at least a 70% successful placement rate. JBK was honored with the Diversity Leader Award by the Profiles in Diversity Journal. JBK has been a heralded presenter and host for The Multicultural Forum on Workplace Diversity, the Linkage Summit on Leading Diversity, and the East/West Bio Summit with a focus on diversity. According to Ms. Kampf, there is nothing more important than to deliver the best possible service to clients – courtesy, timely responses, and proactive follow-ups. While many search firms have decided to focus on things that don’t really measure success – like calls made, emails sent, and transactions, etc. JBK, focuses on delivering value to a client by placing candidates more quickly and effectively, and being a full-service consultant to our clients. JBK does it by valuing the client with expeditious response time and making follow-ups sincerely – “and this sets us apart from the rest,” says Ms. Kampf. Ultimately, the client cares a great deal about the relationship and their deliverables. As a next step, JBK partners with clients to develop retention plans to preserve the talent they have worked so hard to attract, and also provides talent management solutions that drive growth.

Diversity Extended – JBK’s Culture of Excellence

Diversity is again a top priority in JBK’s own culture. At JBK, people are exceedingly passionate about workplace diversity. And when it comes to social responsibilities, JBK is committed to environmental sustainability and philanthropy. “Sustainability is part of our pledge… and… Philanthropy is a founding principle of our firm,” the company notes.

Ms. Kampf’s mantra to build a strong workplace culture is to “decide what you want the culture to represent, model it and then hold people accountable for achieving it.” Things are no different at JBK. The company’s workplace culture is “inclusive and respectful,” says Ms. Kampf. “We strive for excellence, and although we are far from perfect, we are committed to getting there.” JBK was recognized as one of the Fastest Growing Companies by INC for four consecutive years, recalls Ms. Kampf. She considers it as a milestone in JBK’s history and said it was a team effort so the award “validated the hard work that everyone puts into the business.”

As a company that strives to achieve 100% customer satisfaction by giving 100% every day, JBK realizes the need to upgrade itself every time the talent landscape evolves due to various factors, including the changing demographic landscape. “This approach is critical as we wish to serve our clients even greater every day,” the CEO said. Get in touch_ www.jbkassociates.net 201-567-9070

More than just an Entrepreneur – Julie Kampf, Founder & CEO

Prior to founding JBK, Ms. Kampf spent three years in senior roles at three Greater NYC-area search firms. It helped her build relationships with Fortune 500 companies, and she also learned the traditional search management practices – the very reason why JBK was formed, to surpass it. Ms. Kampf is an expert on creating more effective and inclusive workplaces and speaks regularly in forums such as the Fairleigh Dickinson Rothman Institute of Entrepreneurship, the Rutgers Business School, Yale School of Management and many others.

Apart from everything she is – Ms. Kampf brings her commitment to women and diversity to her many volunteer activities. She is a founding member of the Bergen County (NJ) chapter of Women United in Philanthropy. She was also the President of the Metro chapter of the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association and is an active member of BioNJ. Ms. Kampf earned a BA in Political Science from the University of Rhode Island, where she minored in Marketing.

JBK owes its success to the brilliance that guided them to become an industry leader – Ms. Kampf. She is the recipient of the Women Worth Watching Award from Profiles in Diversity Journal. She also serves on the Board of Visitors for the Howard University John H. Johnson School of Communications.

"As access to technology becomes universal, talent is what will set your organization apart."


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