Woods & Co: A Tailored Recruitment Agency Serving Across Business Verticals
Woods & Co, a Melbourne-based recruitment agency, serves both job seekers and employers. Founder Tom Woods and his team focus on building lasting relationships with their clients based upon ongoing success in matching job vacancies with the most appropriate candidates, in a timely and cost-effective manner. When their client base needed staffing solutions in the U.S., Woods & Co responded – and when Woods & Co needed reliable partnership building for U.S. expansion, they called Kettering International.
Excellence with Staffing and Personalised Solutions
In a market where transactional employment solutions abound, Woods & Co strives to go above and beyond, working with exceptional talent and organisations that are looking to invest in their people. Woods & Co serves more as an extended member of a company where there may not be in-house functional resources to bring excellence in personnel. This relationship-based business model is a core value shared with Kettering International.
Woods & Co works to meet their clients’ needs with four employment solutions: permanent, temporary, contract, and payroll services. They have teams across many verticals including:
- Sales support and business services
- Technical and digital services
- Legal and financial recruitment
- Hospitality, property, and construction teams
Founded and based in Melbourne, in 2022 Woods & Co opened an office in NYC to assist their client base in solving personnel resource needs. Their 10-year vision included aspirations to open a U.S. location, but with Kettering’s help they successfully launched five years earlier than hoped for.
Expansion Timelines in the United States for Australia-based Businesses
Timing is a common challenge and education point for companies when moving into U.S. markets. Spoiler alert: it takes longer than most companies anticipate. Tom Woods recalls being shocked when peers explained it could take two years to get the proper set-up for bank accounts and visas to work in the U.S. Comparatively, in Australia, after a two-hour visit with one’s accountant a business owner can have an ABN and be operating that afternoon.
It was at this time that Woods recalls hearing about John Crozier-Durham, founder of Kettering International, as a resource for U.S. expansion advice and support. Woods & Co opened in NYC in just shy of 12 months — squaring away all paperwork, such as health insurance and 401ks — by utilising Kettering’s depth of people power and financial resources to expedite the process.
Building Relationships and Expectations in the U.S. Market with Woods & Co
Just as opening an office had a longer lag time in the U.S. — so does the hiring process. Woods recounts that in Australia there may be a screening process one week with a round of interviews the next, and a new employee may start the week after. The U.S. process has an expanded time element with more certifying phases. This required adjusting fulfillment expectations; however, as Woods points out, the U.S. recruitment agencies have been around longer and hold a more seasoned pathway to understanding what is necessary to mark the right candidate for longevity and successful placement. Notably, both Woods and Crozier-Durham embrace the “educate and acclimate” approach to U.S. expansion – a commonality that feeds into the success both companies enjoy in navigating U.S. waters.
Kettering and Woods & Co also hold a similar passion for relationship-focused business and excellence. Tom Woods shares fondly, “Kettering International really came through with trusted connections opening up larger circles for us. This type of outreach is much easier for me in Australia, where I have been active for 35 years, but we have only been in the U.S. for two, so Kettering played a really pivotal role in helping us get connected to the right people on the other side of the world.” It is not enough to have the right process when entering a new market; it is crucial to have the right people.
Benefits of Partnering with Kettering International
Kettering came in to understand Woods & Co’s business strategy. By delving into how that strategy had been playing out in Australia, Kettering was able to help them determine which aspects would translate to the U.S. market – and which aspects needed adjustment. Woods noted: “The staff loved Kettering and felt really supported – which is critical from a staffing perspective for our team to feel that comfortable.”
Kettering helped Woods & Co with business development strategy and implementation, as well as networking for operational success. Kettering’s referral network spans multinational corporations to mom and pop cafes — all tiers of connectivity that are necessary for cultural acclimation and expansion. Woods describes the one-of-a-kind coterie of excellence and support he gained access to: “Kettering has a network like no other.”
Woods credits Crozier-Durham and the Kettering team for helping them tackle obstacles, and giving them the confidence and the organization to be able to meet big goals at an early pace. Woods & Co looks forward to working with Kettering International in the future to expand their growth potential in the U.S. market.
Contact Kettering International Today
Is your business looking to expand into larger circles? Do you value sustainable business partnerships and wonder how a U.S. launch might work for you? Contact Kettering International for more information on assessing your implementation strategy, and evaluating your roll out timeline. Book a free consultation today, and stay tuned for more insights into Kettering International’s circle of success.