Chris Hillman places sales, sales leadership, and executive level talent across the U.S. in the nutraceutical sector. He has achieved career billings of more than $8.5 million with over 592 successfully completed searches. In 2014, he was selected for membership in the Pinnacle Society, the Premier Consortium of 75 industry-leading recruiters in North America within the direct placement and search industry. The Pinnacle Society is an organization of individuals whose purpose is to serve as an honor society recognizing high volume producers and as an educational forum for the sharing of information and ideas.

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Health E-Insights (HEI): What services do you offer your clients?

Hillman: SearchPath of Chicago, Inc. is a national executive search firm offering contingent and retained search services in the nutraceutical industry. We tend to focus on executives, sales, sales leadership, and some technical roles.

HEI: What is the state of nutraceutical industry employment?

Hillman: Great question. In short, the demand for talent in the industry has never been higher. The national unemployment rate is at 3.6%. However, white collar unemployment, those with college degrees and five-plus years’ experience is 2.2%. Since the nutraceutical business has been extremely robust since COVID-19, I would say this segment is probably experiencing a white collar unemployment rate of 2%.

HEI: Are some areas of the U.S. offering greater employment opportunities?

Hillman: The geographical demands for talent are really based on the hot pockets of the manufacturing and corporate headquarters. New York, New Jersey, Salt Lake City, Southern California and the Southeast remain at high demand. In addition, Texas has started picking up as many companies have moved operations from high cost geographies. The change in the past three years has really been that some companies are sticking with a virtual model where employees are based remote. 

HEI: What trends are you seeing in the job market?

Hillman: We are seeing several changes in the past few years. Wage increases, flexible remote work schedules, supply shortages, and longer work hours for professionals are typical. Remote work has actually increased work hours. The biggest change has really been the competition for ‘A’ players. 

HEI: What is one characteristic that you believe every corporate leader should possess?

Hillman: Empowerment. After identifying, attracting, and hiring ‘A’ players, leaders need to give their managers authority to make key decisions. The behavior of an empowered employee will contribute to important outcomes.

HEI: What is the biggest challenge facing business leaders today?

Hillman: Ask any executive what keeps them up at night. I would bet that the answer is talent. Corporate leaders really need to have a strategy for creating an exciting work environment that will attract and retain the ‘A’ players. Talent is what keeps executives up at night. It is their biggest challenge and SearchPath is instrumental in helping create strategies around this.

HEI: Any mistakes you witness leaders making more frequently than others?

Hillman: The most frequently made mistake I come across is having too much distance from the customer. In selling B-to-B or B-to-C it is important to see your business from the customer’s point of view.

HEI: What is the one behavior or trait that you have seen derail more leaders’ careers?

Hillman: From my end of the phone, I hear micromanagement as being the biggest issue. This causes excellent employees to move on and many times hinders new talent from joining the firm. 

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About the Author: Sheldon Baker is CEO of Baker Dillon Group LLC and has created numerous nutraceutical brand marketing communications and public relations campaigns for well-known supplement and food industry companies. For Health E-Insights interview consideration or brand marketing consulting, contact him at SBaker@BakerDillon.com.