Armstrong & Associates enters the executive recruitment sector

Another indication of resurgence in the third-party logistics (3PL) marketplace surfaced yesterday, as a leading industry consultancy entered the executive recruiting sector.

Armstrong & Associates, Inc., long known for its expertise in rating the performance of lead logistics providers globally, has announced the formation 3PLRecruiters, LLC.

“Helping 3PLs to hire new people to build capabilities, manage operations, and drive market expansion is often a natural outcome of A&A’s core 3PL strategic consulting engagements,” said Evan Armstrong, the consultancy’s president.

Kurt Baumann, an executive vice president with Armstrong, will be in charge of the new offering.

“Kurt understands that this new division is an organic outgrowth of our business model,” said Armstrong. “We see this as a natural extension for an industry we’ve served for many years.”

While there are several trusted recruiting companies already active in the 3PL arena, Armstrong maintains that his firm will begin with “key differentiators.” He stressed that his firm has an extensive network of contacts to leverage in finding qualified candidates.

“Remember, we are looking for senior decision-makers, not freight managers,” he said. “We have visited hundreds of 3PL operations and understand what type of person is needed to be a top performer in specific roles.”

Speaking on Logistics Management’s first quarter new webcast last month, Armstrong noted that annual 3PL growth in 2013 is expected to be more than 6 percent, with much of current market activity centered around mergers and acquisitions, with many of the same underlying market fundamentals of 2012.