Testimonials
“I have been very pleased working with the Jonas Group. They have been thorough, conscientious and turned up outstanding candidates in the searches they conducted for me and my clients.
As a result in each case we felt we had a good choice of candidates and came up with outstanding placements. John Jonas was personally involved with each search; as a result we have given the Jonas Group another very key international search.
I continue to be pleased and impressed.”— Marvin Traub, President Marvin Traub Associates, Former Chairman and CEO Bloomingdale’s
“John Jonas and The Jonas Group recently completed a very important Vice President Global Product Development search for the Hush Puppies Group of Wolverine World Wide. This was a position we had a very difficult time filling before engaging the Jonas Group.
John and his team were extremely effective. The Jonas Group worked hard to fully understand our needs and to truly grasp the intricacies of the position at hand. John evidenced deep understanding of the brand and had great insight into what we needed. The speed with which they identified and presented outstanding candidates was great and the professionalism with which they managed the process was of the highest caliber.
Through the outstanding support of the Jonas Group, we ultimately hired a tremendously talented business leader and global product design executive, and couldn't be more pleased with the search result. I would enthusiastically recommend The Jonas Group to any footwear organization looking to fill their most important executive positions.”— Pamela L. Linton, Senior Vice President of Global Human Resources, Wolverine World Wide
“John Jonas and The Jonas Group have recently completed a search for our US Head of Sales and Marketing. As our business and sales approach is rather unique and does not fall into readily defined business categories the usual “head-hunting” activities of typical executive search firms was not what we were looking for. We required an innovative and creative approach and The Jonas Group provided us exactly what we needed.
John Jonas initiated the process through a detailed question and answer process which gave him the proper understanding of our business and the kind of person we needed. He was equally informative in regards to what potential candidates would be looking for in terms of compensation, benefits, incentives, etc. This was extremely helpful in not only finding the right candidate but also in formulating business plans.
John eventually sent us a focused list and presentations on less than ten candidates all of whom would have done an outstanding job. There was no time wasted meeting inappropriate individuals or off the mark recommendations. The only difficulty was choosing one person out of so many qualified people.
John has an extensive knowledge of the footwear industry, an innovative style and a methodical approach to his work. I was extremely pleased with his work and would not hesitate to look to The Jonas Group again when the need arises.”— Martin Berman, Managing Director, Micro-Pak Ltd.
“John Jonas and The Jonas Group recently completed a very important Senior VP of Marketing Search for Shoe Carnival, Inc. John, Randy and their team were extremely effective. The Jonas Group worked hard to fully understand our needs and to truly grasp the intricacies of the position at hand. The speed with which they identified and presented outstanding candidates was remarkable; and the professionalism with which they managed the process was of the highest caliber, and surpassed our expectations.
Through the outstanding support of The Jonas Group, we ultimately hired a tremendous retail marketing professional, and couldn’t be more pleased with the search result. I would enthusiastically recommend The Jonas Group to any retail or wholesale organization looking to fill their important executive positions.”— Sean M. Georges, Vice President of Human Resources and In-House Counsel, Shoe Carnival, Inc.
“As Co-founder and former CEO of Blue Tulip and President of Retail Markets and EVP of Merchandising at Baker & Taylor, I have had the pleasure of working with John Jonas and the Jonas Group for six years. Throughout this time, he and his team have demonstrated an outstanding sense of partnership and remarkable level of professionalism.
Most Recently, The Jonas Group completed an extensive search and secured a candidate for Vice President of Merchandising for Baker & Taylor. The speed and urgency with which they identified and presented talented individuals was palpable. Their expeditious follow-up and outstanding support made for an effective and efficient process.
Without reservation, I would recommend John Jonas and The Jonas Group to any corporation looking to secure the highest quality of candidates.”— David K. Cully, President fo Retail Markets, EVP of Merchandising, Baker & Taylor
“I have been working with John Jonas and The Jonas Group for more than two years. It recently helped us to fill two very important positions in our Desigr Deparhent. During the process of searching the potential candidates, I appreciated their excellent professionalism starting from truly understanding our requirements for these positions, identifying and presenting the outstanding candidates, and even help us to conclude the negotation process of employment offer.
I have experience in using other search firms before; however the outstanding performance and the speed of the turn arormd time provided by The Jonas Group really makes it stand out from other competitors. I have no reseryation to recommend The Jonas Group to any Retail and Wholesale organization who is actively searching f r the right candidates to fill their important executive positions.”— Terry Chen, President, Yellow Box Corporation
“I have worked with John Jonas and The Jonas Group for over four years. I am extremely pleased by the work that they do.
In my role as Senior Vice President of CCA Global Partners I hired John to fill 7 different positions for us. These roles ranged from SVP of Training, VP Marketing Carpet One, and Division President - Advance Carpet One, VP Retail Carpet One and several others. Each time I have used John, I have been able to make a successful hire, from a quality pool of candidates.
I have never worked with another search firm or consultant that is as effective as John and his team. The Jonas Group is fast and extremely efficient. Their process is thoroughly professional and they truly partner with us. The speed to hire was great and the quality of the placements was also excellent. John'sa bility to brainstorm with me on possible creative options and solutions was unique and invaluable. When the time comes to close the deal John is invaluable, he knows how to make it happen.
I would recommend John and The Jonas Group unequivocally to any retail or wholesale organization looking to fill any important position.”— Evan Hackel, Senior Vice President, CCA Global Partners
“John Jonas and The Jonas Group were instrumental in recruiting me for the opportunity to lead the Product Design and Developmenteams for the Hush Puppies brand at Wolverine World Wide.
John was a fantastic partner through a very intricate process. His knowledge of the footwear industry is without question. His follow through, tenacity, and persistence were of great value to not only myself, but also I am sure to Wolverine World Wide in retaining him for their search.
I would enthusiastically recommend John and The Jonas Group to any retail or wholesale organization looking for the top footwear search firm to work with.”— Cory Haberman, Vice President of Global Product Development, Hush Puppies Brand
“John Jonas and his firm, The Jonas Group, were instrumental in successfully recruiting me for my current Sales and Marketing position with Micro-Pak, USA.
From the very beginning of the process and initial contact through the position offer and final acceptance, John and his team were exceptional to work with and provided me a great sense of confidence. John kept it simple and focused, while providing the necessary perspective that allowed to me evaluate the opportunity and ultimately make one of the biggest and best decisions in my career. He listened carefully to my concerns and coached me on the important steps for a smooth and ethical transition from my previous position.
John is an absolute pro in my book, and on the top of his game! I would highly recommend him and The Jonas Group to anyone recruiting for a high level position, particularly within the footwear and fashion industry.”— Sal Cesario, Sales and Marketing, Micro-Pak USA
“John Jonas and The Jonas Group contacted me and got me interested in making a move to Converse. I was recruited for the Director of Design for Chuck Taylor All Stars position and after 1 year in that position I was recently made Head of Design for all Converse shoes.
The Jonas Group was an extremely effective search firm in facilitating that move. They got me interested in an opportunity even though I wasn't originally interested. John got me to see that there could be value in exploring the opportunity and ultimately it was a fantastic career move for me.
John's professionalism and assistance with the entire process on negotiation and dealing with counteroffers etc. was incredibly useful. John's knowledge of the footwear industry is large.
I would enthusiastically recommend John and The Jonas Group to any retail or wholesale organization looking for a great search firm to work with.”— Brad Lacey, Head of Footwear Design, Converse
“The Jonas Group has been a true partner in helping me fill my design positions for Payless Shoe Source.
John Jonas is very knowledgeable and knows practically everyone in the footwear industry. John and Randy were very attentive to my needs and truly wanted to know what specific qualities I was looking for in a designer. The Jonas Group then provided candidates based on my needs. John's direct, yet personal approach has allowed me to successfully hire highly qualified designers. The Jonas Group has stayed in touch both throughout the interview process and after the hire, which shows their genuine interest in their customers needs. The Jonas Group provides a level of professionalism that stands for itself.
I thank John Jonas and his team and look forward to working together on future searches.”— Robert Mingione, VP Product Design, Payless Shoesource
“The Jonas group has come from nowhere to become a real player in consumer related search. They have an uncanny talent of being able to locate quality candidates in a timely way.”
— Norman Matthews, Former President, Federated Department Stores
“John Jonas and The Jonas Group recently completed a retained SVP of Sales search overseeing the Men's side of our business. We had never used a retained search firm and were hesitant about the commitment and what the result would bring. We met with John and felt interested in trying his approach.
John took the time to really understand our position needs. He was extremely thorough, comprehensive and professional. His process was extensive, very swift and produced quick, very accurate results.
The Jonas Group presented five candidates initially that all were of interest to Mundi Westport. The four that we met in person all seemed potentially compelling for the role and we had a difficult time deciding between two finalists. We ultimately hired someone we were very excited about who just began the role this past month.
We now see the benefits of working with a firm like The Jonas Group, look forward to working with them again soon, and highly recommend them to Retail/Wholesale organizations looking to optimally fill important senior level roles in their company.”— J. Kevin Ross, President, Mundi Westport Group
“I worked very closely with John over a three month period on what I initially thought would be for a very specific role for our company. But the range of candidates that John presented was so impressive and their qualifications so beyond our expectations that our eventual hire was more value add to the company than we originally thought possible. In fact, we created a new role for this hire with a broader set of responsibilities, which was in line with both the company's needs and the career ambitions of the candidate.
As his search efforts unveiled the possibilities, John Jonas not only helped me to fully define, identify and qualify our ideal candidate, he also went beyond the call of duty and offered his assistance in structuring the right package for the broader role. John's insight into the fashion and footwear industry, his vast professional network for sourcing and qualifying candidates, his presentation of such a diverse range of candidates, as well as the sophistication of his advisory were all very valuable to me.
John Jonas is also a fun person to work with and made the typically laborious recruitment process a delight. As serious as it can be to evaluate, select and even reject a candidate, John always found the way to do everything with an upbeat professionalism and with grace. John's hands-on approach and ability to even work around the clock when necessary showed that John cared as much about making the right match for Pique as I did. We became partners during this process. In fact, working with John was the highlight of my experience and even more exciting than the candidates he offered up!
Based on the very positive experience we just had, we look forward to working with The Jonas Group again and give them the highest possible recommendation.”— Angela Singleton, Founder, Pique, LLC