HOW CALVERT STREET CAPITAL PARTNERS SECURED A DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS FOR THEIR PORTFOLIO COMPANY, ABRASIVE FORM
September 21, 2021
At A Glance
The new Director of Operations will be aiding the Portfolio company’s EBITDA and Revenue growth based out of Chicago
REASON FOR THE SEARCH
The company is looking to refresh, upskill, and expand its team to support the growth of the business.
THE PRIVATE EQUITY FIRM
Founded in 1995, Calvert Street Capital Partners is a lower-middle market investment firm based in Baltimore, Maryland. Since its inception, they have partnered with owner-operators and skilled management teams to support profitable growth and organizational transformations. The firm consists of experienced professionals pursuing two distinct investment strategies:
(i) equity investments (through Calvert Street)
(ii) mezzanine investments (through Parkway Capital)
Their investments enable portfolio companies to pursue growth opportunities, add-on acquisitions, balance sheet recapitalization, and ownership transitions. Collectively, Calvert Street’s investment professionals have invested in over 120 companies, representing cumulative transaction values in excess of $1.5 billion.
THE PORTFOLIO COMPANY
Since its founding in 1976, Abrasive Form has become a global leader in creep feed and 5-axis CBN grinding, serving clients in the Industrial Gas Turbine (IGT), Aerospace, and General Industrial sectors. With a reputation for unparalleled expertise and service, they have established long-term relationships with major IGT and Aerospace customers.
THE SEARCH REQUIREMENTS
- Director of Operations experience
- Understanding of bottlenecks
- 3&5 axis Machining background
- Straight Manufacturing experience
- Aerospace manufacturing experience
- Maintenance knowledge
- Strong understanding of the flow of a factory
- Bachelor's of Science degree in an applicable field
- Exceptional leadership skills with proven history developing a high-performing team
- Demonstrated track record of continuous improvement resulting in increased throughput and profitability
- Able to motivate employees effectively
- Strong communication skills
WHY RAW SELECTION
Calvert Street Capital Partners, unfortunately, had a candidate pull out of the role just four days before their start date.
This search should have been challenging for us due to the short time period and the very niche skillset required for the position. However, we shared a profile with Calvert Street just two hours after they told us about this unfortunate circumstance, and they offered this suggested candidate the job two days later.
Raw Selection is proven to take on and complete difficult searches across Europe and North America. We have an extensive contact list in this particular industry, and because of this, we were able to use this network and find the client the perfect candidate in 48 hours.
THE PROCESS
To secure the candidate, Raw Selection followed their extensive 15-step process to ensure a great match was found for the vacancy.
Raw Selection went above and beyond for this search for a Director of Operations by still adhering to the urgency of the search even after the initial candidate pulled out of the offer.
Raw Selection commenced every search by discussing and understanding the full search requirement and brief. Raw Selection’s Managing Partner, Alex Rawlings, and Principal, Jack Burns, led the search and, with the cooperation of Amber Bloomquist, the Hiring Manager at the company, they built out a full picture of the company, the employees, the culture, and exactly the type of profile that was needed to succeed in this position.
Raw Selection followed our extensive 15-step search process, identifying 66 potential profiles which were then cut down to a shortlist of 3, all of whom had been fully interviewed and measured for culture fit.
After the initial candidate pulled out of the offer, Raw Selection identified Joe Slim, who was subsequently hired for the role.
THE CANDIDATE
The portfolio company Abrasive Form, backed by Private Equity Firm Calvert Street Capital, needed an urgent confidential replacement of an Operations Director who was not hitting the standard required.
Joe fitted the criteria perfectly and was already in our network and was very local to the plant, so no need for relocation. Joe has a strong background in the machining sector, having worked on aerospace and defense-focused companies for many years. He had an impressive track record of driving revenue growth in his previous role, more than doubling the revenue.
His strong operational mindset was of key benefit to Abrasive Form and Calvert Street Capital as Calvert Street tends to invest in distressed/turnaround companies.
Alex Rawlings, Managing Partner at Raw Selection
Overall, this was a very successful search for Raw Selection, and Calvert Street Capital Partners now has a strong Director of Operations for their business, to help the CEO run their main facility.
“Talent within the machined components sector is moving fast right now, so to present and secure a profile within a 30-minute commute to Abrasive Form is a great situation for both parties.”
“I wish Joe all the best with his new role and look forward to hearing about the impact he makes in a PE-backed environment.”
Jack Burns, Principal at Raw Selection
GET IN TOUCH
Raw Selection favors a meticulous approach to talent research. Our process for selecting the right talent means we can boast a 100% success rate for all our retained and engaged C-Suite clients, with 96% of placed candidates still in their roles after 12 months.
If you are looking for new talent, please get in contact with Alex today, at alex.rawlings@raw-selection.com or Jack Burns at jack.burns@raw-selection.com
Benefits
Get in Touch
Raw Selection favors a meticulous approach to talent research. Our process for selecting the right talent means we can boast a 100% success rate for all our retained and engaged C-Suite clients, with 96% of placed candidates still in their roles after 12 months.
If you are looking for new talent, contact us now.

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