We were thrilled to learn that Catch Talent ranked 907th on the 2020 Inc. 5000 List of Fastest-Growing Companies. This is an incredible accomplishment for a small business and one we should celebrate. Our marketing team got the opportunity to chat with Christina Lock, CEO and Co-Founder, and Chad Norman, COO and Co-Founder, about what this means to their company and their recommendations for the tech industry in our region.
Tell us a little bit about yourselves and Catch Talent
Catch Talent has been in business for five years. Overall, Catch Talent is a high-touch recruiting agency that delivers end-to-end talent acquisition solutions to growing technology, digital media and professional services companies. Catch offers a full range of flexible solutions including direct placement hiring, recruitment process outsourcing, contract and contract-to-hire models.
While we [Christina and Chad] worked at SPARC, we both saw a huge gap in the market in talent acquisition. With our backgrounds in HR and Marketing/Communications, we knew it could be a great opportunity for us.
What are the eligibility requirements for Inc. 5000?
There is a cut off date for a company to be incorporated to be eligible for consideration. In that year, you have to make at least $100,000 and have to submit four years’ worth of revenue as it is measured on a three-year growth scale. During our four years, Catch Talent experienced 513% growth.
Although many of our offerings have proved profitable, we give credit to Catch Elite, which started 24 months ago, for adding to our revenue growth.
What does this mean to the Catch Talent team?
We already knew we worked really hard and have had the opportunity to be a part of the growth of many companies, but typically we are behind the scenes. One of our core values is “let success be your noise” and this really stands up to that core value.
We set out to change the talent landscape and this has reaffirmed the impact of reaching that goal. People are critical to every company and we are thankful to our team for their high focus on discipline and delivering quality service to our clients.
The entrepreneurial spirit of our team and their work to be an extension of the client’s team has been integral to our success. We can relate to our clients because Catch began as a startup and we are happy to help other startups grow.
What do you think our region needs to do to continue to attract great tech companies?
Technology is one of the fastest growing verticals in Charleston. This area is a great place to live and raise a family and it makes it easy for us to attract talent to our area. We have also seen a rise in mid markets like Charleston. We need to continue to grow and foster that success.
To foster and retain talent, leaders in the industry need to have a focus on recruiting locally and retaining them. We also would love to see a further incorporation of tech curricula at high schools. For example, slating programming as another elective class similar to a foreign language. Hopefully in the future, learning code will become common place.
Local universities like Charleston Southern University and College of Charleston are adding to their Computer Science departments, which is great. Employers should also up-fit people within their organization and take employees starting at lower levels and train them with the skills needed to promote them. We have always said the best hire is the one already in the building.
Especially with the onset of COVID-19, technology has been even further integrated into our lives. If someone is interested in working in the tech industry, how would you recommend they get started?
Those interested in diving into a career change should look into Coding Bootcamps (JRS coding, SC Codes). They are shortened classes that can give you applicable skills for a great career.
We also recommend networking and being part of groups within the tech community.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen the growing ability for individuals to stay in Charleston and work remotely, which allows for a broadened candidate pool for companies focused on hiring for remote work. Allowing people to work in any market they choose makes it more flexible to find the right job/fit for them. This is a silver lining that will probably stick.
Advice from Catch Talent
Your goals are achievable. Catch Talent started with a great idea to fill a need and has expanded from Charleston to the national stage. This proves that you can start in Charleston and grow throughout the country to work with large companies and fulfill goals that are beyond your wildest dreams.
Catch joins fellow Chamber members and Charleston-based technology firms, BoomTown, PhishLabs and Cantey Tech Consulting as tech alumni of the Inc. 5000.
This honor is a confirmation of the growth, maturity and success of the Charleston tech community, which continues to produce and attract some of the brightest entrepreneurs and professionals in the industry. Learn more about Career Academies and Youth Apprenticeships – two ways that our Talent efforts help increase tech education in our schools.
