You need to meet… Logan Bragg, Managing Partner, Triumph Services
Tell us the basics: Who are you, what’s your company’s name, and how long have you been at this company?
Logan Bragg, Triumph Services, 22 months. We are an IT staffing firm based in Glen Allen. In 2009, I sold my interest in a similar firm I started in Richmond with two friends in 2001. I have been in the local recruiting industry since 1998 and an entrepreneur since 2001.
What’s the part of your job that excites you the most, the thing that makes you want to hurry to work?
Easy: matching top candidates together with my clients and filling hard jobs. I get a huge rush when a client calls to tell me our candidate is the one they have chosen. It is then that I know we did a better job than any of our competition at listening to what they want and working tirelessly to find them the right person. And to get paid for that is the icing on the cake.
What’s the part of your job you dread the most?
I have a really hard time letting people go. We have been very fortunate at Triumph, but anyone who has been in a leadership role has to make tough business decisions. I love what I do and love training people to do what I do, so when it doesn’t work out, it is tough to cut the rope, That’s because I care about the people we hire, but I also look at myself and wonder if I did everything I could to make that person successful. That can be tough.
What’s a lesson you’ve learned during the recessionary environment of the past few years?
Don’t use the economy as an excuse to stop selling and stop growing. At my last two companies, we actually grew significantly in the down markets. When companies are not hiring, take that time to build the relationships, so when they do start hiring, they will want to use your firm. I started my first company two months after 9/11. Everyone was telling me not to do it. But I refused to listen and worked even harder. There were not many jobs to fill, but I had the mindset that the ones that were open, I would fill!
How did you wind up in this business?
I started in product sales after college and really felt a disconnect selling a “thing.” My dad spent his entire career in HR and mentioned recruiting. Once I started researching it and interview for jobs, I knew that was what I wanted to do. I started recruiting in 1998 and quickly excelled. By 2000 I was in management roles and in 2001 started my first IT staffing firm.
How do you separate yourself from the competition?
I think it’s our passion for what we do: our process, our values and our experience. Clients and recruits know that if they use Triumph, they will be working with a team that will treat them fairly, listening to their needs, send quality candidates and that they are working with veterans who know the market. We have a network of clients and candidates that is second to none in the Richmond area. Being able to tap into the best candidates in the area, who know my name, is an invaluable asset. That is what recruiting is all about.
Where did the idea for your business come from?
After 13 years in this business, it’s the only thing I know really well. The recruiting industry, in general, has a bad reputation. If a company like Triumph can enter the marketplace with solid core values, and live up to those values, you can go places quickly. You start to be known as the staffing company that delivers on their promises and treats people fairly. But you have to be diligent and practice what you preach, or you will be just like the other guys.
Is there a secret to your personal success?
John Whitlock, who owned Whitlock Ebs, where I was in charge of recruiting, always said, “Do what is right. Even when it hurts. And even when no one is looking.” It really sums up what I believe in and how I try and treat everyone I deal with, both at work at in life in general.
What’s coming up in the next year for you and your company?
What about in the next five years? It’s very exciting. Being back in it for about two years, we have experienced solid growth. My internal recruiters are really perfecting our process and helping a lot of local IT pros find work. Our consultant base has tripled over the last year, and our client list is growing quite rapidly. We are currently doing work in five states and in the next five years will have three to four regional offices.
What’s the biggest mistake you ever made? What’s the best decision you ever made?
Mistake – One doesn’t stand out. Running a business forces you to make tough decisions. Some are right. Some are wrong. You just have to trust yourself that the ones that are wrong teach you something.
Best – Two things: One, deciding to be an entrepreneur in 2001. Two, deciding to start another firm with my business partner of 12 years, Jason Williams. We just work really well together and complement each other. He is very strong at developing client relationships, while my strength is more on the recruiting side. He can disagree on things, but we have an amazing respect for each other.