The Power of Strategic Partnership | Duratrack Case Study Part 1
Case Study: Chatfield Global LLC and Duratrack
Part 1: The Power of Strategic Partnership
Who is Chatfield Global LLC?
Chatfield Global LLC is a full-service human resources and organizational development firm that provides flexible and tailored solutions to meet the specific needs of their clients. The firm leverages decades of experience and a comprehensive approach to partnering with their clients from strategy through execution. Whether clients require day-to-day HR and talent support or embark on significant business transformations, Chatfield Global operates as an extension of the client’s team, developing and delivering customized, practical solutions that drive success.
Who is Duratrack?
Duratrack, a premier steel fabricator, operates a 63,000-square-foot facility in the Chicago suburbs. With a rich history spanning 75 years and an impressive average employee tenure of 13 years, Duratrack has built a reputation for precision, reliability, and expertise. The company specializes in overhead track and trolley systems, custom metal blanking and stamping, industrial laser cutting, and precision CNC turning and screw machining.
“Can You Find Me an Engineer?”
Russ Scott, President and Owner of Duratrack, faced a significant challenge as his company moved into a larger building, looking to enable growth opportunities. The expansion meant new personnel, strategies, and behaviors. Expressing his concerns about hiring additional personnel to a key manufacturing association contact, Scott learned that the association members in a similar situation have found exceptional success working with Chatfield Global to find and hire for key positions.
The Chatfield Global and Duratrack partnership began with a straightforward need: Scott asked, “Can you find me an engineer?” Chatfield Global’s customized recruiting solutions and proven track record led to their initial engagement. The collaboration soon expanded, allowing Duratrack to leverage Chatfield Global’s expertise in HR management and business growth support. "Two things were clear after my first conversation with Chatfield Global," says Scott. "They focus on building successful partnerships at an extremely fair cost. And their expertise extends far beyond recruiting. They are now helping my company in many different ways."
Uncovering Further Needs
Duratrack was undergoing a significant transition when Chatfield Global first engaged with them. "What made them unique at the time we first met was that they were in the middle of moving facilities, which is a massive workload and significant change for the business and all the employees. And Duratrack leaders were making the change on one of the most aggressive timelines I’ve ever seen," remarked Marcy Brajkovic, President of Chatfield Global.
As Marcy began conversations with Russ, the scope of their discussions quickly expanded. "As I started talking with Russ and he learned about Chatfield Global‘s capabilities, and I learned about Duratrack’s opportunities for the future, our conversations shifted from simply hiring someone to fill an open role to how can we grow this organization, develop our people, and be bigger and better than we were in our prior building," Brajkovic explained. Russ was keen to explore these broader questions, and through a series of conversations, they built a mutual understanding of how they could work together to significantly impact Duratrack’s trajectory.
“Chatfield Global has been instrumental in developing Duratrack's overall business and marketing strategies, providing training to enhance our interpersonal skills and leadership performance, writing procedures to improve our onboarding process for new employees, and advising on beneficial changes to HR practices,” Scott notes. "They are very easy to work with because their goal seems to be to provide support only when needed and desired by their client. This has become a true win/win relationship."
"The bottom line," Scott concludes, "is that the changes I envisioned happening when we moved into our new building are happening faster than I planned. I feel very fortunate to have started a working relationship with Chatfield Global."
Find Grow Keep
Chatfield Global LLC organizes its work into three focus areas: Find, Grow, and Keep. These are more than just divisions of work; they form the framework through which Chatfield guides their clients to success. As outlined below, the remainder of this four-part case study series delves into how Chatfield Global has and continues to support Duratrack in each of these areas.
- Find: Explore how Chatfield has helped Duratrack develop a dynamic strategy for identifying and recruiting new talent in a time of expansion and rapid growth.
- Grow: Learn how deliberate and focused onboarding, training, and coaching prepared Duratrack’s employees for success in their current roles and positioned each team member to take advantage of professional growth and development opportunities in front of them as Duratrack grows.
- Keep: Examine the behaviors and techniques Duratrack has adopted to drive process change adoption, retain team members in the long run, and ensure continued growth and success.
Learn more about Duratrack: http://www.duratrack.com/
