How an Entertainment Drywall Contractor Found a One-of-a-Kind Project Manager with Amtec

The Challenge

A specialty drywall contractor (51 to 200 employees, $10M to $50M in revenue) came to us with an opening it had not been able to fill: a Project Manager to run large-scale drywall projects in the hospitality and entertainment sectors.

This was not a role for a generalist. Hotel renovations and entertainment venues carry finishes, schedules, and coordination demands that punish anyone learning on the job. The company needed someone who had already managed that kind of work, repeatedly, and could step in without a long runway.

The new Project Manager would need to:

• Manage large-scale drywall projects from start to finish
• Bring direct experience in hospitality construction, including hotel and resort renovations
• Understand the demands of entertainment venues and complex interior builds
• Step into a busy workload without a long ramp

Why It Was Tricky

The profile was narrow, and the people who fit it presented a problem of their own: they already had good jobs. The candidates who could run hospitality and entertainment drywall at the level this client needed were employed, busy, and content. They weren’t scanning job boards.

A search that leaned on active applicants was never going to surface them. The right person would have to be found, and given a real reason to consider moving.

What Amtec Did

We started by learning the role in detail: the kind of projects involved, the standard the client held, and the experience a candidate would actually need to meet it. Then we ran a targeted search aimed at professionals already managing hospitality renovations, entertainment venues, and complex interior construction. We weren’t waiting on applications. We went looking for people doing the work well right now.

A few weeks in, we connected with a candidate who checked every box: more than 15 years in the industry, much of it with a direct competitor. He was not looking. He was satisfied where he was.

So we took our time. Over several conversations, we got to know him, understood where he wanted his career to go, and showed him how this role lined up with those goals. The case for moving was built on his future, not on a sales pitch.

From there we guided both sides through the interviews and kept communication moving so the process did not stall. About a month after the search began, he accepted the offer.

The Results

• Candidate identified: A few weeks into the search
• Offer accepted: About 1 month after the search began

The hire has paid off on both sides. The new Project Manager moved up quickly at the company and has helped open new revenue streams, the kind of contribution that comes from someone operating above the job they were hired into.

And the candidate who was content to stay put now has a role that fits where he wanted his career to go. That is the version of a placement that lasts: a company that gained more than it expected, and a person who is glad he took the call.

Why This Worked

We recruited where the talent already was. The right Project Manager was not on the market. By going straight to professionals doing this work for competitors, we reached someone an application-driven search would have missed entirely.

The move was built on the candidate’s goals. Several conversations went into understanding what he wanted from his career before we made the case. He moved because the role fit his future, which is also why he has stayed and grown.

Industry knowledge cut through a narrow field. Knowing exactly what hospitality and entertainment drywall demands let us identify the few people who truly qualified, instead of chasing near-misses.

We managed both sides to the finish. Guiding the client and the candidate through interviews and keeping communication steady kept a delicate, passive-candidate process from stalling before the offer.

Looking for a Project Manager the Job Boards Won’t Surface?

Amtec has been placing specialized talent in the construction industry since 1959. If you have a role that calls for a specific background and the right person isn’t applying, we would be glad to help you find them. Reach out and tell us what you are building toward.

Talk to our team