MEMPHIS, Tenn., Oct. 27, 2021 – Vaco’s Memphis office is adding a co-managing partner to its executive team in a strategic move that will allow the recruiting and consulting firm to stay atop the trends of a rapidly changing industry. The new partner, Justin Farmer, is a 14-year veteran of the company and will work alongside current managing partner Kirk Johnston to lead the local office.
“Despite, COVID’s impact on many businesses, the demand for talent in technology, accounting and logistics has remained incredibly strong. As Vaco’s Memphis office prepares for our next stage of growth, we needed to add a strong leader like Justin.” Johnston said. “We are fortunate to have a tenured veteran like him, and I can’t wait to see how his skill, enthusiasm and leadership benefit Vaco, our clients and our community in his new role.”
Farmer, who had served as leader of Vaco Memphis’ staffing division, has seven times been one of the company’s top producers globally. Beyond his skill in driving business development by building relationships, co-workers recognize him as both a mentor and a friend. One of the company’s core tenets is to “Be Electable”, and Farmer has truly embodied the tenet with his ability to build consensus and lead diverse teams to success.
“Vaco has always felt like home to me,” Farmer said. “Recruiting, as an industry, generally has high turnover rates and can be a grind. But not at Vaco. I am so proud to be able to work alongside someone like Kirk to lead as we navigate the constantly changing world in which we work.”
Farmer’s promotion to co-managing partner makes the local office one of just a handful in the Vaco Global family of companies – which includes more than 40 offices in the United States – to have two co-managing executives. But the “early adopter” move fits Vaco Memphis. The local office has historically been among the top producing Vaco firms in the United States, and half of its Memphis-based recruiters were among the company’s top performers last year.
Farmer, who previously worked at Merrill Lynch and at HSBC, will continue to lead the Vaco Staffing and Vaco Logistics recruiting divisions as he joins the local executive team.
Outside of work, Farmer enjoys spending time with his wife, Amanda, and son, Grayson. He is a regular attendee at his son’s youth sporting events and is an active member of the Memphis community, both in professional groups and volunteer organizations.
Vaco delivers critical talent solutions to our clients by providing consulting, project resources, executive search, direct hire and strategic staffing solutions with expertise in accounting and finance, technology and operations. In addition to Vaco, our family of brands includes MorganFranklin Consulting, a methodology-driven global consulting platform; Pivot Point Consulting, a best in KLAS healthcare IT solutions provider; and Focus Search Partners, a retained executive search practice. Since its founding in 2002, Vaco has grown to serve more than 12,000 clients across the globe with 10,000 employees. Vaco has been named to Inc. magazine’s list of the fastest-growing private companies for the past 15 years and was named to Forbes’ 2018, 2019, 2020 & 2021 lists of America’s Best Recruiting Firms.
