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CANADIAN INDUSTRY ONLINE - APRIL 2013
GROWING THE BUSINESS
LaRose began working from home and by 1999, Higgins was booming. By the fall of 1999 she had five people on staff, and the work came from across the coun-
try. “I had a lot of clients follow me and that’s how Higgins grew. The business was in mainstream recruiting and Indigenous recruiting mostly. The funny thing is,
people were telling me that there was no business in Aboriginal recruiting, but that has been our mainstay since day one,” she says.
Higgins has even received PAR Gold level certification for corporate performance in Aboriginal relations from the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business. The
PAR program was introduced 10 years ago and provides a validation to communities that a designated company is a good business partner, a great place to work, and
a company that is committed to prosperity in Aboriginal communities. The company’s designation level is in fact determined by a jury comprised of Aboriginal busi-
ness people. According to the Council’s website,
, PAR is “the only corporate responsibility assurance program with an emphasis on Aboriginal rela-
tions.”
PAR has authenticated the work that the Higgins team has put into improving Aboriginal recruitment in Canada. The company has become one of the leading
recruiters in Canada, and is now a national retainer boutique executive search practice with partners in both Winnipeg and Ottawa. The company has plans to grow
further into other Canadian markets as well, with goals to place the most talented professionals at board, senior management and executive levels. Higgins insists on
building a “long-term relationship built on trust, respect, integrity, professionalism and results” with clients and talent.
HIGGINS EXECUTIVE SEARCH
