The company is new to Grandview Heights, but Dawson Recruiting has a long history of helping Columbus residents find jobs.
Founded in 1946, Dawson was originally opened to help soldiers returning from World War II readjust to life back home and find employment, making it the oldest recruiting firm in central Ohio.
Now Dawson is home to more than 75 employees in office and brings in more than $60 million in revenue each year. Operating out of a new headquarters on Dublin Road, Dawson has evolved from its original methods. At first, those coming in looking for jobs would pay Dawson to find jobs for them. What the company does now is a little different.
“Companies now come in and pay us to help them find people to fill open positions they have. They rely on us,” says Chris DeCapua, co-owner of Dawson with his brother, David DeCapua.
“(For example) we have a company now looking to fill 500 positions, and we are looking to interview over 2,000 candidates.”
To help employers find job candidates, Dawson conducts interviews, advertises, networks and becomes a facilitator between companies and job seekers. It has divisions that specialize in IT, creative, call center, office and industrial employment.
The difference between Dawson and other recruiting firms is that Dawson is dedicated to Columbus, DeCapua says.
“We are focused only on Columbus. We were founded here and we put all our eggs into one basket,” DeCapua says. “Columbus is really the only city in Ohio that is growing. It has a good mix of blue- and white-collar jobs.”
In 1966, his father bought the business from the original owner for $3,000. Chris started working at the family business in 1987, and he and David bought the business in 1999.
Moving to Grandview Heights in March has been productive for business.
“The city of Grandview was very helpful with our move to the new location. There’s a lot going on here,” DeCapua says.
Grandview Heights City Council approved an incentive agreement offering the company a tax credit of up to $250,000 a year for maintaining a payroll of at least $2 million for 10 years and six months.
The new office is located in the former Thomas Ruff and Co. furniture store, a landmark building in the Grandview area.
“I’d have to say, for me, when I showed my father the new building, that meant a lot,” DeCapua says. “We always wonder what we are going to do when our parents are gone. I wanted to pay homage to his legacy and honor the past.”
The new headquarters features a theater dedicated to Chris and David DeCapua’s father, Jospeh.
“The theater is named after him. There are pictures of the company from the 70s and 80s in there as well,” says DeCapua.
To give back to the community, Dawson Recruiting is looking to rent out the theater to groups in the community who could utilize the space. Any profit from the rentals would be given as donations to charities the client would stipulate, such as the Columbus Foundation.
“We’re thrilled to be a part of this community and thrilled to be a good neighbor,” says DeCapua. “We are planning to grow the heck out of this market; big plans for this market. I wouldn’t rule out a new location.”
Amanda King is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at laurand@cityscenemediagroup.com.
