CLIENT ENDORSEMENTS
Skip Hageboeck
CEO
City Holding Company
American Banker's Community Banker of the Year - 2018
“Mike Park has worked with City Holding Company (NASDQ: CHCO) for two decades. He is our go-to guy for identifying and recruiting talent for our organization. City is known as one of the most profitable banks in the industry and has been consistently recognized as a top 15 institution in BankDirector’s annual Performance Powerhouse rankings for long-term performance and value creation. In addition to being very profitable, City has been named by JD Powers as providing the Highest in Customer Satisfaction in the North Central region for 3 consecutive years. I think that is a tribute to the talent that City has on board. And it would only be fair to acknowledge the very important role Mike has played in putting together City’s leadership team.
Mike has led all of the most important searches we’ve conducted in the last 20 years across a variety of disciplines. He understands banking exceptionally well. More importantly, he understands City exceptionally well. He understands our culture and what kind of individual will thrive here. He understands what responsibilities and demands will be placed upon a new leader given our own particular organizational structure. He knows our community so well that he can explain to a guy from Washington DC why he’d want to live in Charleston WV – and sell him on why it is the best job in the world for him.
Because he took the time to know us well, he has served us exceptionally well, and is a much appreciated trusted advisor.”
JAMES M. COSTA
Chief Risk Officer
Banner Bank
"I have worked with Mike for many years. I can say he stands out among the search community as having the highest level of integrity, professionalism, and dedication.
Client truly is first at JM Park & Company. Mike has most recently been instrumental partnering with me in building an entire risk division function from the ground up. From credit, to compliance, to fair lending, to loan review and operational risk. Mike has delivered in every corner, always finding candidates that are a tailored fit both culturally and technically competent.
The quality of Mike’s search process is one where with modest initial direction, the search commences with a thorough vetting of many potential candidates. Regular detailed updates on progress and clear guidance as to strengths and weaknesses is provided. From the early stages of the search process Mike will take the ball and run, ultimately bringing the search process to conclusion in a reasonable timeframe (even for the toughest searches), always yielding a select handful of thoroughly screened candidates, each with strong potential as a fit for the role.
My experience working with Mike and JM Park & Company over the years has been exceptional. I would highly recommend anyone needing seasoned retained search expertise with a standout focus on client service to leverage the skills of Mike’s team for their next search."
"I would recommend Michael Park as an Executive Search Consultant to any financial institution without reservation. Michael has helped us find and hire some of the very best professionals in the business, and he does so in an extremely thorough, transparent, and efficient manner. Michael is honest and straightforward; conducts thorough research to truly understand the need; and is extremely knowledgeable regarding bank positions, structure, the market and the current banking environment. We feel fortunate to have Michael as our friend and partner."
KIMBERLY RITTER
Chief Talent Officer
TowneBank
“I have known Mike for many years as a premier professional search consultant. One of the many things which distinguishes JM Park & Company from other search firms is their strong knowledge of the candidates; and the painstaking process of matching each candidate's skills, experience and personality to the open position. I always know that by the time I see a candidate, they have been completely screened and properly credentialed.
I find Mike’s open and honest style to be refreshing, and his opinions on candidates are both valued and highly accurate. Mike is a fantastic judge of both character and talent, and I have yet to meet a candidate that he’s presented whom I did not think was qualified for the position.”
DONALD R. HOWARD
Former CHIEF RISK OFFICER
McGraw Hill / Standard & Poor’s;
Managing Director
Promontory Financial Group;
Group Chief Risk Officer
HSBC Insurance
“I used Michael for a very important search while I was at HSBC. He won my favor with outstanding results. As a consultant now, I have since referred Michael to important clients where he has repeated his excellent service and skills. He is very careful about fit and achieving placements that are wins for both the employer and the candidate.”
Top qualities: Great Results, Expert, High Integrity
DAVID GIBBONS
Former Managing Director
Alvarez and Marsal;
Managing Director Promontory Financial;
Chief Risk Officer
HSBC North American Holdings
John W. Moore, Jr.
Executive Vice President
Director of Human Resources
Wesbanco, Inc.
Retired
Michael, you are one of the few individuals who are in a class that I was never disappointed in working with
in recruiting individuals to potentially join WesBanco!
You listened, asked laser focused questions to make sure you knew who we were as a corporation!
You made sure you understood who we were and the kind of cultural fit we were searching for in a job search.
I was always pleased with your professionalism, thorough and thoughtful discussions to focus on the type
of individual we needed to join our organization! Your ability to make sure you knew who we were as an organization, understanding our culture and where we saw our future.
Your insights where always appreciated, focused and helpful!
You are one of a few who have the experience, character and work ethic, honesty to do what you said and say what you meant. You are the epitome of a recruitment professional, and I always valued your thoughtful insights and counsel!
JAMES STEWART
Chief Risk Officer
Midland States Bancorp, Inc
PATRICK HABERFIELD
Senior Credit Officer
Live Oak Bank
SHELLY FISHER
Chief Data Officer
TowneBank
Eric Schwartz, MAI
Former Director/Chief Appraiser
Amegy Bank;
Director/Chief Appraiser
CapitalSource Bank
“In my 30+ years as a real estate professional I’ve encountered many recruiters but none were of the caliber of Michael Park. Michael contacted me regarding a Chief Appraiser’s position for a institution that needed to build out out the function from scratch. Throughout the search and interview process, Michael always maintained contact, ensured that I was prepared for the interviews and always provided a weekly status update. He was easily accessible and always returned my phone calls and emails.
Aside from being a consummate professional, Michael made me comfortable during the process and proved to me that he is a forthright, honest and considerate individual. He never tried to sell me on the company and he always kept my best interests in mind. Michael’s stress free approach to business allowed me to concentrate on the opportunity before me. When it came time to fill out my team, I turned to Mike for help and he delivered outstanding talent.
Simply put, Michael and JM Park & Company do not place people into jobs; they bring together professionals and career opportunities.”
Dennis Powell
EVP & COO
Wesbanco, Inc.
Retired
“I first met Mike Park when he called me about an opportunity, which resulted in my hiring. As a candidate, I found Mike to be very different from most recruiters because he treated me with respect and consideration. Mike always kept me updated and never failed to return my calls. He was honest and straightforward about the opportunity and never treated me as a commodity to be bought and sold. I’ve had many interactions with recruiters over the years and I can say without hesitation that my experiences with Mike have been by far the best.
Having had such a great experience with Mike when I was the candidate, since beginning my new job over five years ago I have used him to recruit additional professionals for my company. He learned everything he could about my company and what we were trying to accomplish and then he presented us with strong and viable candidates that were good fits for the job and the company. The people that we have hired through Mike’s efforts have been great additions to our team and we will continue to use Mike as we have opportunities in the future.
In summary, Mike is a great business partner and I heartily recommend him.”
"We retained JM Park & Company to help us with a critically important and challenging search earlier this year. Michael managed to locate, vet and meticulously profile a number of excellent candidates, making relatively easy work (from my perspective!) of an otherwise protracted, difficult process. "
“As I have expressed in the past, the value you provide in sourcing candidates from a wide list of prospects and bringing to me well qualified candidates in both subject matter expertise as well as a culture fit is second to none. Unfortunately you have set the bar so high in the CRR manager engagement that others will struggle in trying to match the service and results you produced. Absolutely, I will serve as a reference for any prospective new clients of yours.”
Ronald J. Dugas
Former EVP Risk Management
Huntington Bancshares, Inc.
SHAUN E. MURPHY
Former Managing Director
Hovde Private Equity;
Chief Operating Officer - Structured Finance
CapitalSource, Inc.;
Chief Credit Officer
PNC Capital Markets, Inc.
“There are no more important decisions in the financial services industry than those associated with personnel. Finding and retaining individuals that are not only qualified and talented, but can adapt and thrive within an organization’s operating culture is critically important to ongoing success.
JM Park & Company has filled a number of positions for me over the years at varying levels. Having worked with Mike for nearly a decade, there is no finer recruiter working in our industry today. He takes the time to understand the needs of the organization, the position requirements, and the environment in which the individual will be employed. Before the engagement begins, he understands what it will take for a candidate to be successful. JM Park & Company becomes a highly effective extension of the Human Resources framework allowing candidates to be appropriately and rigorously screened before presentation. After careful research and diligence by JM Park & Company, each candidate’s profile is professionally presented such that in most cases, the employment decision is effectively reduced to structuring a competitive offer.
In my experience, every candidate submitted for consideration would have be an excellent hire. Candidates have repeatedly commented on the quality of the recruiting effort and that it reflected so well on and positively influenced the employment opportunity. Retention and satisfaction rates are 100%. Clearly, there is no better partner in recruiting talented individuals and ensuring future success than Mike and JM Park & Company.”
“Michael Park has been the most professional, courteous and top of mind recruiter that I have met in my 20+ year banking and finance career. I have worked with him both as a candidate and as a hiring manager, and have found Mike to be up front, honest and a trustworthy individual that strives to build true relationships instead of only looking for the next placement. He truly works for his clients but is also able to grasp and understand the needs of the and limitations of the hiring manager and company. He works hard to match cultural fits and then closes the deal that is fair and equitable for both sides. Mike is the only person that I entrust with my information.”
“I cannot say enough good things about Michael Park as a recruiter. First of all, his was the only request that I responded to and after talking to him, I knew right away he was a straight shooter and open and honest. He coached me through the entire interview process and followed up regularly to see how I was doing and helping me think through various decisions. I could always tell that he had my best interest at heart. I now consider Michael a friend that I would rely on for advice and counsel in the future and future recruiting.
“I have known Mike for over a dozen years and worked with him a number of times. He is a consummate professional and expert in his field. I am confident that using his services will result in high quality and timely results.”
JERRY FRANCIS
Managing Director
Financial Stocks, Inc.
Former CEO, City Holding Company & City National Bank
American Banker’s “Community Banker of the Year” - 2002
SHELLY FISHER
Executive Vice President &
Chief Data Officer
TowneBank
