Today we’d like to introduce you to Stuart Trautenberg.
Stuart, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
S.A. Traut Associates is an unparalleled and pedigreed technical and C level talent acquisition firm that specializes in recruiting and hiring “passive” Super-Engaged (top 1%) talent. S.A. Traut coined the phrase…Super-Engaged. With our outside the box and distinctive hourly business model, clients pay no fees and save millions in operating expenditures. We satisfy critical need position openings for a select group of VIP Fortune 300, venture capital or privately funded clientele. Some niche areas of focus are mobile, social e-commerce, SaaS, big data analytics, flash storage, PCIe, digital cloud, iOS, front/back-end app integration, and consulting engineering. Since its inception in 1993, S. A. Traut Associates has achieved a near 100% success rate in filling critical-need positions. S.A. Traut Associates’ “Program Management Recruiting” service is a time efficient, cost effective hourly model and the proven, optimal human capital solution. Our goal is to show our VIP clients a substantial savings of 25% to 70% when compared to excessive industry recruiting fees by providing them with our innovative services…saving clients $1.4 to $2.2 million in recruiting costs.
I founded S.A. Traut Associates in Kenmore Square across from beloved Fenway Park in Boston, MA in 1993. For the record, I am a loyal Red Sox, Patriots and Celtics fan. After graduating from Boston University and not having a clue what to do with my life, I was hired by a professional classical executive search firm where I worked for 2 years. I was hired into a newly created position tailored to me because I could instantly connect with people and earn trust. My grandfather would have said that “I am a mensch who can schmooze” (yiddish). To define, I am a man of high integrity and honor who can talk an honest game. I became the protoge of the three Founders and learned vicariously through them. I called the Founders my three mentors and learned the good, the bad and the ugly about headhunting. I adopted my own style to match my New Jersey, dry sense of humor, principled and loyal personality. I am all about Str8 Talk, which is being honest and candid with clients and candidates. At the advanced and omniscient mature age of 23, the conceptual idea of S.A.Traut Associates became a reality. Twenty-five years later, S.A. Traut Associates is a trend setting global technical/executive search & management consulting firm recognized for its out of the box thinking, resourcefulness, integrity and bottom-line results.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
If it’s a smooth road, that’s when you should worry. The journey is an ass-kicking with much rejection. I believe that’s how entrepreneurs are weeded out. Survive and then your hard work and perseverance gets paid off. Let’s talk about my biggest hurdle. I was handicapped 24/7 in bed for 6 months with a terrible back injury. I was unable to move at all and had chronic intense pain. Mind over matter. I was able to still secure clients and successfully fulfill their needs beyond expectations. I did not know how mentally strong I was. I was able to shelve the pain somehow and compartmentalize what was needed. I had a 2-year old daughter at the time. I had two mortgages and two 14-year-old yellow labs who were dying. You cannot make this up. I needed to survive this hurdle. I wondered if I would ever walk again.
So many were relying on me. I finally had enough and realized my body, my back could not heal itself. I literally had my wife drive me to Cedar’s Sinai. I crawled on all fours into the ER because I could not walk and the hospital would not wheel me for I was having “volunteer surgery.” So, I fell out of the car, crawled into the ER and lay down on the floor in front of the ER reception desk until someone noticed me. That got attention and I was taken to surgery. Today, I can walk and run and do 6 miles a day on my elliptical to keep my core strong.
I was lucky. That year was the biggest challenge in my career…my life!
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about S.A. Traut Associates and JobzLab – what should we know?
I am known for scaling start-ups and building tech teams within Iconic companies. Teams that I helped build as S.A. Traut Associates were acquired by Sony PlayStation, Cisco, Facebook, etc. I have automated my 25 years of experience and created JobzLab offering predictive analytics that can peel the onion layers back of candidates’ minds. Evaluating skillsets of candidates is not enough and that is what everyone does. I surgically dissect the inherent personality traits and faults and life experiences of candidates to ensure the hiring of top 1% talent who are great culture fits, loyal and long-term employees. I call our hires “super-engaged” employees. It’s sort of tech “Moneyball.”” I illuminate hidden traits and faults in yet undiscovered talent from around the globe.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I care about everyone. No BS. I am not recruiting to fill openings for clients. It’s lives I am dealing with here. Career moves effect candidates’ spouses, children, dogs, goldfish. Every candidate I approach is very passive, not an active job seeker. I tell them this is a process. Each step of the way you learn more and should get excited. If each party is not getting excited about each other…it’s not the right move. So, I think the trust I build with everyone is key to the foundation of success. Heck, trust is the foundation to everything.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.satraut.com and www.jobzlab.com
- Phone: 9496339511
- Email: [email protected]
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
