The young CEO of a $260 million distribution company hired Coleman Lew & Associates to find an executive who could operate the company in case he was "hit by the proverbial truck." After a nationwide search, Coleman Lew recruited an executive vice president who - alongside the CEO - made several major acquisitions and grew the business from $260 million to over $2.5 billion in sales. The executives transformed the company into a holding corporation. Ultimately, it became the largest privately-held company in its trade area.

Over the next two decades, this company enlisted Coleman Lew to conduct more than 30 searches for outside talent, including four presidents, a VP of human resources, a CFO, and a senior VP of legal affairs. As a result, the business was able to upgrade human resource and IT functions and launch a legal department. The investment in human infrastructure allowed the company to transform itself into a high-growth holding company.