Search Mandate
This certified B Corp company was founded in 1992 on the belief that whole foods and botanicals can powerfully supplement the healing force within us all. Ever since, The Synergy Company has innovated new ways to uplift and sustain the health of individuals and communities through natural and effective dietary supplements.
In 2022, to continue building on decades of success, the executive team was looking to recruit a chief financial officer who would help establish a future business model that upholds core values while promoting human wellness long into the future. The ideal new CFO would be aligned with the organization’s human-first mission when it comes to employees as well as customers, and would apply deep expertise to ensure that the company continues to prioritize purpose alongside profit.
In a world where many CFOs take roles with an eye toward realizing equity upsides, The Synergy Company needed something different. They turned to Noto Group, whose status as a fellow B Corp ensured strongly aligned values throughout the recruiting process.\
Our Approach
Noto began by immersing in requirements-gathering conversations with the client leadership team. A competency modeling exercise and subsequent discussion informed development of a customized “success profile,” which was used throughout the selection process. It included interview guides, as well as rating tools that created equity by ensuring everyone assessed candidates according to consistent metrics that tied back to articulated goals for the role.
The mandate was to place a leader who was not only purpose-led, but also brought both strategic and hands-on financial experience — a combination of core requirements that made this CFO search uniquely challenging. To succeed, we developed and implemented a national recruiting strategy with a focus on the intermountain region. Noto Group filtered through a large volume of potential talent, identified through research, to find a range of top candidates who had the needed mix of skills coupled with authentic interest in The Synergy Company’s mission.
“Noto Group’s shared commitment to purpose really stood out in the quality of the candidates they surfaced. They dug in to understand our company, and applied a personal, adaptive approach to get the best results.”
— Thatcher Vagts, CEO, The Synergy Company
Results
The Synergy Company is based in the stunning sandstone environs of Moab, Utah, far off the beaten path of most financial leaders. As part of our recruiting strategy, Noto Group conducted a national search for candidates willing to relocate to Moab or to work from a satellite office in Boulder, Colorado, which is where the ultimate hire is based.
Julie Albrecht’s in-person presentation to the full leadership team made it immediately clear that she was the perfect fit, and she joined as the fourth key executive leader in mid-July 2022. “She’s brought enthusiasm and fun to the company,” says Vagts. “Along with the rigor and precision she applies to data, she’s dramatically improved automation of routine tasks and continually applies valuable industry insights to the running of our growing business.”
“In every proactive communication from Noto, I saw real care about finding the right fit, not just for the organization but also for the candidate. And I appreciate how they’ve maintained a connection with me long after helping me secure a fantastic role.”
— Julie Albrecht, CFO, The Synergy Company
For her part, Albrecht wouldn’t have considered the role if it wasn’t aligned with her personal values around people, place and planet. Based on grounding from Noto Group, she felt confident that The Synergy Company truly shared those values, and meetings with executives made it clear: The fit was authentic. The future of The Synergy Company is now being co-created by an executive team that includes a standout CFO, due in part to strategic support by Noto Group.
