Craig Macdonald
Not-for-Profit, Manufacturing and Forest Products
Craig Macdonald, President, Corporate Strategies Search, LLC, is a native of Tacoma, Washington, and holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Puget Sound (English), and a Masters degree from the University of Iowa (Journalism / Communications). He has been recruiting managers and executives since 1975, including six years with Weyerhaeuser Company as a Human Resources Manager in both the Forest Products and Paper Companies. For a period of three years, he was Human Resources Manager for Weyerhaeuser’s Bleached Paper/Consumer Packaging Division that manufactured and marketed milk cartons both domestically and internationally, and for Weyerhaeuser’s Secondary Fiber/Recycling Division.
After leaving Weyerhaeuser, Craig was a co-owner and operator of a personnel consulting/executive search firm in Federal Way, Washington. His consulting emphasis was centered on assisting small businesses with human resources policy and procedure development, interview and selection process development, communications facilitation, performance appraisal systems, outplacement and career counseling, and organizational planning. Craig was also a partner in the Bellevue search firm of Houser Martin Morris, for 12 years where he headed the firm’s retained, senior-management search practice.
Over the last 30 years, Craig has conducted successful searches in wood products, pulp and paper, heavy manufacturing, construction, environmental engineering, food and beverage, technology, retail, healthcare and not-for-profit organizations. He has specialized in consulting with Boards of Directors on CEO/Executive Director searches in both for-profit and non-profit organizations.
Craig, and his wife Leslie are residents of Kirkland, Washington.
Company Profile
With experience that spans more than a quarter century, CSS provides a customized, reliable and common sense approach to the boutique retained executive search field in the Pacific Northwest. Our specialty is in understanding the nuances of the recruiting-qualifying-interviewing-selection-due diligence-negotiation spectrum, and in establishing long lasting relationships with clients that have endured over as many as two decades, in several instances. Our clients know that we understand their cultures, and come back to us again and again because they appreciate that we don’t have to “reinvent the wheel” with each project.
CSS has conducted searches from the Director level through C-levels for clients in industries as diverse as Forest Products, Distribution, Construction, Food Service, Education, High Technology, Native Alaskan Corporations and the Non-Profit sector. While we recruit nationally, our client focus and historical experience is in Washington (both Western and Eastern), Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Northern California and Alaska.
Testimonials
"Our Company is a mid-sized private OEM with facilities in 7 countries. The international aspect of our business has an important influence on our staffing decisions. Many of our North American salaried positions must work across cultural, language and social boundaries in dealing with their international colleagues and customers. Our Corporate culture has developed to embrace cultural differences and use them to improve results. When we fill a salaried position, we have learned it is critical to the success of the candidate that we have an excellent fit with our team and our culture, in addition to being competent to perform the expected duties.
Craig Macdonald has been my recruiter-of-choice since 1992. He does all our work in North America. We wish he would do work in Europe. His work for us includes recruiting our current CFO, three division Presidents, and department managers in manufacturing and sales. National statistics indicate a 50% failure rate for recruited leaders. Since 1992 we have yet to have a failure with a recruited leader. We have lost some recruited personnel over time to better opportunities, but as a percentage, no more than non-recruited personnel.
I believe the key to Craig’s success in our Company is the investment he has made, and continues to make, in knowing our key personnel and our Company culture. Craig has invested many hours with our key people, understanding how we manage our business and who we are. When we start a search, Craig forces us to do our homework at the front-end, helping us focus upon the critical requirements of the role and the keys to success in it. When we finally speak with a candidate, we have great confidence the interview will be a wise investment of time by all. When we become serious about a candidate Craig guides us through in-depth analysis of the results of reliable personal profiles, background and reference checks. When the process is complete, our team has great confidence in the decision made.
We view Craig as an extension of our senior management team. He is a known quantity whose counsel and advice is sought and trusted. His initial relationship with the Company was with me, but if I was no longer here, I am confident his relationship with Northern Industrial would continue unchanged. We feel fortunate to have Craig as part of the Northern Industrial team."
Scott Howell, CEO, Northern Industrial, Inc
Seattle, WA
"I want you to know how pleased I have been with the services from Corporate Strategies Search. Twice now I have been challenged with finding nationally recognized CEOs to take on highly visible projects in our rural community. I know how difficult it is to recruit and compete for this caliber of leadership. In both instances you took on the challenge and accomplished the impossible. Thanks, Craig, for the leadership you have recruited for Yakima. Not only did you lead us in successfully completing these two searches; you gave us several applicants to choose from. I am personally indebted to you. I also want you to know that I have received positive feedback about you from out applicants. I was told many times that they were treated respectfully by the way you kept them engaged in ongoing communication about the search process. Please know I will be calling on you again."
Jane Gutting, Superintendent, Educational Service District 105
Yakima, WA
"On behalf of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties, I want to express our appreciation to you for the exceptionally professional job you did conducting the search for our new Executive Director.
Given the divergence of opinion among the board of directors and membership at large relative to which search criteria was of most importance, this search quickly became a difficult and complex assignment. You proved extremely adroit at filtering through the political crosscurrents among staff and membership, eliciting and distilling those commonly expressed concerns and requirements, and developing from that material a workable, realistic position profile.
Further, you played a pivotal role advising the search committee on the appropriate base salary and incentive bonus package needed to attract the right type of candidate, devising a useful interviewing process and then guiding all the search committee members through the evaluation and selection phases. Throughout a number of frustrating “mid-course corrections”, you remained the balance facilitator.
In the end, the MBA found the best conceivable candidate available to fit our current needs and this was largely due to your creative stewardship. We unhesitatingly recommend you to other clients who have a need for this type of high-level executive search expertise."
Zakir Parpia, President, Master Builders Association
Seattle, WA
