Former Texas Longhorn Brings Silicon Valley Finance and Accounting Recruiting Expertise Back to Austin

I have exciting news! For the first time ever, we’re expanding BVOH Search & Consulting services outside of the Bay Area — to Austin, Texas. Having built up a strong base and consolidated our skills in Northern California, we’re excited to bring what we offer to a whole new market. 

Why Austin?

A number of people have asked me, why not Southern California? Or what about one of the closer thriving business ecosystems like Seattle or Denver? On the surface, these places might seem like a more obvious next move. But the path to Austin was clear for us. Our technology and business relationships there have grown more and more over the years, and now we’re following those relationships all the way into a new market.

Back in 2018, even before Elon Musk moved Tesla and made Austin a destination of choice for many tech leaders, we had our eye on the city as a vibrant potential location. The following year, BVOH held an event in Austin, and many of our team members visited in person and got a feel for the environment.

While we weighed and considered an expansion, Oracle made a similar move. They uprooted their headquarters in California and relocated them down to Austin. And they weren’t alone. A steady stream of companies and individuals flowed to Austin during the pandemic as flexible workplaces became more common and companies scouted locations outside of California.

Today, Austin is brimming with technology and finance talent, making it the perfect place for us to establish a second hub. We want to be where the future is, wherever tech, and startup markets are booming. That’s where we can help the most promising finance and accounting talent and the greatest number of growing companies.

“A steady stream of companies and individuals flowed to Austin during the pandemic as flexible workplaces became more common and companies scouted locations outside of California.”

New Beginnings and Homecoming

While Austin might be new to BVOH, it’s not new to me. I’m from a tiny town called Newton in East Texas. I went to the University of Texas at Austin, where I earned my degree in accounting. 

Austin itself was a pretty small town at the time, and staying there to work for one of the Big Four wasn’t an option. After graduating, I moved up to Dallas to work in audit at KPMG. Then I moved to San Francisco in 1998, where I started my recruiting career, and ultimately founded BVOH with my partners.

2010 National Championship game – UT vs Alabama

Now, more than 20 years later, everything I’ve learned and developed here in California is not only relevant but also needed in Austin. So it’s time to go back to my roots. My personal experience and knowledge of the city definitely factored into my decision to expand there, giving Austin a head start over some other locations.

In fact, if Austin weren’t on the table, an expansion might not be happening at all. It’s not a necessity for BVOH; this isn’t a move we have to make. We could easily focus exclusively in San Francisco and continue to thrive. But something in me as a leader and as a Texan tells me this is the right move. 

I have a deep love for UT, for Texas, and for Austin. Having established both myself and BVOH now, it feels like a true honor to return and join the thriving business community in my old city.

“We’re in the business of becoming the absolute best in our field, delivering the right talent to the most exciting companies,  and serving the market better than anyone else. That’s what we’ll do in Austin.”

Pursuing Growth

As a forward-thinking business, growth is of course on our minds. We’re proud of what we offer to our clients in the Bay Area, and we’re seeing a similar environment developing in Austin. For BVOH, bringing our skill in finance and accounting recruiting to the same types of companies in Texas will add immense value. 

In a thriving business community like Austin, the startup and technology companies are looking for not only the best talent the marketplace can offer, but an understanding of how that talent will shape the future of their companies, which are scaling very quickly. Recruiting for high growth, disruptive companies presents different challenges than those in a more mature stage of their life cycle. The cultural norms in Silicon Valley are also very different, and topics like Diversity & Inclusion are on everyone’s mind. Being a women-owned firm, these issues are very important to us internally, as well. 

We have almost 20 years of experience successfully serving high growth companies. We understand the technical and cultural fit required, as well as the demands placed on these companies by their Venture Capital partners. This is our bread and butter and given the growth and interest in Texas right now – there’s no better place for us to bring this expertise to the market. 

We’re not in the business of trying to be everything to everyone. We’re in the business of becoming the absolute best in our field, delivering the right talent to the most exciting companies,  and serving the market better than anyone else. That’s what we’ll do in Austin.

What To Expect

Once we’re in place in Austin, our services will mirror our Bay Area business. That includes consulting services for finance and accounting, staff augmentation for CFO departments, and our permanent placement services. All will be up and running in Texas.

We’ve been preparing for this expansion all year, developing resources and putting our Austin team together. I’m happy to confirm that we’ll be hitting the market immediately.

Are you based in Austin? If you’re looking for finance and accounting talent, or an exciting new opportunity for yourself, reach out and let us know how we can help.