Economic Crisis
Throughout its 35 year history, CPI has had its ups and downs. Like many other small companies in Metro Detroit, CPI was and is part of the tiered supplier system supporting defense, automotive, manufacturing, healthcare and technology. When the stock market crashed in 2008 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 777.68 points in intra-day trading, the world as we all knew it was dramatically changed. Defense projects and automotive programs virtually disappeared and with it, CPI’s book of business.
It was a defining period for CPI. History would judge the choices, which the CPI leadership team were forced to make during the many years following the stock market collapse, in an extremely positive light. We had to make tremendously difficult decisions, said Steve York, Founder and CEO, CPI. The goal was to keep the business profitable and our staff in tact. Ever committed to the overall mision of finding employment for veterans and civilians, York streamlined his companys processes and activities, while remaining focused on financial solvency. His goal was to successfully wait out the national economic crisis and position the company for growth. And thats just what he did.
Steve York, along with his Vice President, Jay Vorobel, saw the company through one of its most challenging periods. To their credit, CPI has remained profitable for 35 consecutive years with no end in sight.
Jay Vorobel joined CPI as a recruiter in 1992. Good at recruiting but great at sales, Vorobel moved to the sales department in 1993. He spent the next three years really learning the CPI business and generating new clients. He quickly rose through the ranks and became branch manger five years later. Fast forward to 2010. After spending more than a decade learning every facet of CPIs business, Vorobel ascended to the role of vice president, overseeing CPIs largest recruiting team, as well as a multi-faceted sales department.
CPI is a very large part of who I am, said Vorobel. Its been an honor to work alongside Steve York and the entire CPI team. As a company, we are unstoppable.
The Future Is In Technology
Just because CPI has strong roots to the past, doesnt mean that the company doesnt have eyes on the future. CPI recently launched a highly specialized information technology recruitment center in Scottsdale, Arizona with Brad Blue, Director of Business Development at the helm. As Silicon Valley becomes more expensive and more crowded, more and more tech giants and burgeoning start-ups are moving to Phoenix. Uber, Yelp and Shutterfly have recently opened offices in Phoenix, helping drive the number of tech jobs in the city by 18.6% between 2010 -2015. Fortune
And thats only a small part of the larger picture.
From 2012 to date, technology jobs in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area have increased from about 1,800 to more than 7,000 according to the Phoenix Community and Economic Development Department. And some experts suggest those numbers are low because technology jobs are now tracked more closely than in 2012.
As reported by AZCentral in May 2017, Vixxo, Tiempo Development LLC, Upgrade Inc., J-Curve Technologies, Infusionsoft, Oscar Health, Valor Global Services, RJr Technologies Inc., DoorDash, Mosaic451 LLC, Splash, Styr Labs Inc. are all currently hiring. The total number of employees needed to help expand and maintain these companies is in the thousands.
Originally developed in 1997 to support CPIs largest defense client in the Phoenix area, the CPI Scottsdale office has since been expanded to include staff and resources with a focus on the future in advanced technology recruitment and an eye towards Phoenixs tech company explosion, as well as Silicon Valley and the like. “Our West Coast office can provide IT recruitment services up and down the western sea board,” said Jim Cowper, President, CPI. “CPI’s corporate structure is designed to provide service to all 50 states and beyond.”
As CPI’s fiscal year comes to a close tomorrow (October 31, 2017) the CPI team is proud to announce that the CPI team has put more than 5,000 veterans in employment opportunities of their choosing since 1982. “We are looking forward to 5,000 more,” said York. “It’s been a privilege.”