R.M. LUCAS – CEO

client success story

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COMPANY OVERVIEW

  • Founded 1912
  • Headquartered near Chicago, IL
  • Industry: CASE (Coatings, Adhesives, Sealants, and Elastomers)
  • 60+ Employees Globally
  • Estimated $40+ Million in Revenue
  • Subsidiary of Artemis Capital Partners

Founded in 1912 and headquartered near Chicago, Illinois, R.M. Lucas has been driving coatings and sealants innovation for over 100 years, serving customers with high-quality service and leading technology. The company manufactures professional-grade coatings, sealants, and adhesives for exterior building envelopes, waterproofing, roof repair, and restoration. Branded products are used in roof repair and restoration and are sold through distributors in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

In 2021, Artemis Capital Partners (Artemis), a Boston-based private equity firm focused exclusively on partnering with differentiated industrial tech manufacturers, acquired R.M. Lucas, Co. Under Artemis’s ownership, R.M. Lucas will continue to operate as an independent company from its headquarters in Chicago, IL.

THE CHALLENGE

In anticipation of completing a deal to acquire R.M. Lucas, Artemis needed to identify a highly capable executive to manage day-to-day operations as a Chief Executive Officer within its newest acquisition, while simultaneously growing the business through an aggressive buy-and-build strategy. The right candidate needed to be ready to build and model a great company culture, provide inspired leadership to the executive team, establish a great working relationship with the board of directors, and set a course for sustained growth.

THE SOLUTION
Developed over 35+ years of prior market knowledge, Ropella leveraged its in-depth understanding of the CASE market to organize and present a search solution proposal that included ideal candidate benchmarks from Ropella’s personal network. Through the execution of Ropella’s SMART Search System®, a search was conducted to uncover, engage, recruit, and assess a group of best-in-class candidates who could step in on day one to unlock hidden value immediately for the new owners. Ropella quickly canvased their extensive network and ultimately solved the search with a benchmark candidate who possessed experience with corporate governance, understood human resources (and personnel management), and had the ability to quickly execute on Artemis’s aggressive growth strategy.

DELIVERABLES
OPPORTUNITY MARKETING PIECE
Custom created for Artemis, the Opportunity Marketing Piece was used to attract passive (employed and not looking) candidates from a select group of highly-targeted companies. The Opportunity Marketing Piece enabled Ropella’s Executive Search Consultants to present a world-class overview of R.M. Lucas, the unique challenges facing the new CEO, and the incredible opportunity to join a rapidly growing leading manufacturer backed by Private Equity.

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DELIVERABLES
SKILL SURVEY
This custom-created Skill Survey equipped Ropella’s Executive Search Consultants to effectively gather information from a large pool of candidates. This step was critical to identify and select the most qualified A-players for final submission.

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DELIVERABLES
SCORECARD
Ropella thoughtfully scored all candidates during the screening and interview process, using a custom-created Scorecard. These scores determined each candidate’s skills and experience, cultural dynamic, management style, compensation, relocation fit, and other attributes.

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DELIVERABLES
COMPENSATION COMPARISON CALCULATOR

Ropella’s proprietary Compensation Comparison Calculator compiles a variety of complex compensation factors into a concise Offer Strategy Summary, thereby ensuring that clients don’t lose the perfect candidate to ineffective “negotiations” and/or a current employer counteroffer or other “competing” offers.

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Results Delivered

Ropella identified and engaged with 220+ prospects on behalf of Lucas. From there, Ropella submitted 9 candidates, 5 of whom were interviewed.

9 Business Days
To Qualified Candidates
35 Business Days
Speed to Placement

With multiple A-player candidates interviewed, Ropella assisted Artemis in identifying the Right Hire through an in-depth interview and assessment process. Ultimately, R.M. Lucas utilized Ropella’s Compensation Comparison Calculator and supporting Offer Strategy Summary to creatively bridge a gap and secure their ideal leadership candidate. Reporting directly to the Board of Directors, the new Chief Executive Officer will take a customer-centric approach to make R.M. Lucas the ideal platform business to serve increasing demand in the roof repair and restoration market.

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