Company Name
Fuller Pile
Search Job Title
Plant General Manager
Client Profile
Fuller Pile is a family-owned manufacturer of helical piles and foundation systems serving the commercial construction industry. Operating from a single manufacturing facility in Walterboro, South Carolina, the company designs and manufactures foundation products used throughout its regional market. As the business continued to grow, leadership recognized the need for dedicated operational leadership to oversee its manufacturing operation.
Role Objectives & Challenges
The Plant General Manager role represented the first position of its kind within the organization. Reporting directly to the President, the individual would assume responsibility for all manufacturing operations, including production, quality, safety, inventory, maintenance, and workforce leadership. The position also carried responsibility for improving operational efficiency while supporting continued growth of the business.
One of the primary challenges was the location of the manufacturing facility. Walterboro presented a limited local talent pool for experienced manufacturing leaders with backgrounds in metal fabrication and welding. At the outset of the engagement, it also became necessary to align hiring expectations around compensation, candidate availability, and the level of experience the market would realistically support. Establishing this alignment early allowed the search strategy to evolve alongside the client's expectations.
Our Approach to Solve the Search
The search began with a comprehensive review of the local manufacturing market before expanding regionally and then nationally. Particular emphasis was placed on candidates with ties to South Carolina who would be more likely to relocate successfully.
Target companies were concentrated within metal fabrication, machining, and welding-intensive manufacturing environments where candidates would possess transferable operational experience. Exposure to manufacturing automation and robotic welding was considered beneficial but remained secondary to proven plant leadership within comparable production environments.
Throughout the engagement, SCM Talent Group worked closely with company leadership to refine the candidate profile and adjust the search strategy based on market feedback and candidate availability.
The Hire & Results
The engagement concluded after approximately three months. During the search, a talent pool of 256 manufacturing leaders was identified, with 66 participating in substantive recruiting conversations before the field was narrowed to three finalists.
The finalists brought leadership experience across machining, welding, and metal fabrication operations while representing a variety of manufacturing industries. Two finalists were based locally, while another relocated from the Charlotte market.
Working directly with the company's CFO throughout the engagement, SCM Talent Group successfully delivered a candidate whose manufacturing leadership experience aligned with the company's operational requirements while helping establish a new level of plant leadership within the organization.
