The city of Dallas is on an unstoppable trajectory. With investment pouring in to support numerous industry hubs, 24 Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the Dallas Fort-Worth (DFW) area, and new startups and established institutions alike increasingly choosing to relocate or set up shop, Dallas is rapidly emerging as a global economic powerhouse.
We caught up with Oliver Cooke, Phaidon International’s South USA Managing Director, to find out about the extraordinary growth of the city’s business and talent landscape, what makes Dallas the destination of choice for so many people and businesses, and how Phaidon International’s Dallas office is expanding to meet the talent needs of local firms.
Each month, we'll release a new blog post in our series, diving deep into the unique culture and operations of our key offices located in various corners of the globe.
From Tech to Biotech: Dallas' Diverse Business Landscape
The state of Texas has long been a top business destination. In fact, if the state was a country, it would be the 8th largest economy in the world, ahead of nations like Australia, Canada, and Russia. But there are several reasons why Dallas has become so attractive to both organizations and talent in recent years.
DFW is one of the five fastest growing metro areas in the USA, and had the single largest number of new jobs added between November 2022 and November 2023 according to a recent report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, totalling 600,000 over the past five years.
Its business landscape is also incredibly diverse. While other cities in Texas are renowned for one specific industry, for instance Austin is known as the 'tech hub of Texas' and Houston as the 'energy capital of the world', Dallas is also a hub for these industries and many others, as Oliver explains:
“Dallas is actually a really big tech and IT hub, and has more tech jobs than Austin, so it’s a common misconception that Dallas isn’t involved in tech. Financial services has also seen a lot of growth over the last 10 years. Goldman Sachs is building a new campus which will house 5,000 people in central Uptown, and the top five leading American banks have teams in the thousands and are growing and investing heavily here, with the Westlake area affectionately known as ‘Y’all Street’.
“In addition, life sciences, biotech, and pharma are growing aggressively in Dallas as there’s a lot of space, which is needed for a multitude of functions like research labs and drug manufacturing. It is also centrally located from a transport perspective and has one of the few airports in the USA with cold storage facilities for drugs and vaccines.
"The rapid growth in these industries, to name a few, has also led to a boom in the engineering, construction, and infrastructure space to help build out the infrastructure the region needs to expand so quickly.”
Beyond these fields, lower business costs and access to a diverse range of talent also make Dallas very appealing to both startups and well-known names across various industries, and it has become an increasingly popular relocation destination for corporate headquarters generally. But what is drawing professionals to Dallas in the first place?
“The wide range of careers and professional opportunities on offer are an integral part of why people are moving here,” says Oliver, “but also because it’s a very liveable and balanced city. It’s fast paced enough that there’s plenty to do but it’s still very relaxed and low key, there’s rarely traffic, and the surrounding scenery is beautiful. The low taxes and low cost of living, great education, and diverse neighborhoods also make Dallas very attractive to families in particular.”
This is creating a positive perpetuating cycle, drawing even more new businesses to the area. There's no shortage of early talent either, Oliver adds:
“Companies are coming here primarily because of the access to great talent across many industries. Along with more experienced professionals moving here from other cities, Dallas is also an ideal location for businesses to attract early stage talent. There are 25 universities within 25 miles of DFW, and great universities all across Texas that feed into Dallas.”
The Specialist Talent Brands Fueling Dallas’ Business Expansion
This explosion of the local business landscape has resulted in an overwhelming demand among companies requiring the very best talent to drive their ambitions forward, which is where Phaidon International’s industry-specific talent acquisition services come in.
Four of the company’s specialist talent brands are currently serviced directly in the Dallas office – financial sciences & services talent partner Selby Jennings, life sciences experts EPM Scientific, legal & regulatory specialists Larson Maddox, and LVI Associates facilitating energy & infrastructure hiring.
Oliver plans to grow these Dallas teams from around 120 people now to nearing 200 over the next 18 months, which will ensure they can continue to connect local businesses with experts in these industries, and introduce Phaidon International’s remaining brands to the local area - DSJ Global and Glocomms, which specialize in sourcing talent for the supply chain and technology industries respectively.
The Dallas Phaidon International team recently moved to a new, bigger office in central Uptown to facilitate this growth, so along with providing employees with a stunning new work space to enjoy, it allows the brands to continue their expansion plans.
To celebrate the new office opening and thank the local businesses Phaidon International's brands work with who helped facilitate the move, Oliver recently held a ‘Friends of Phaidon’ event, giving clients a chance to see the new space, network, and catch up with people. He also hosted a discussion around the growth of Dallas and why businesses and talent are so attracted to the DFW area:
“We had a fantastic panel of local business leaders; Mary LeDonne Bank from Goldman Sachs, Dallas Business Journal Editor-in-Chief, Will Anderson, and the head of economic development from the Dallas Regional Chamber, Mike Rosa. They all had unique perspectives from their respective angles and it was a really interesting discussion.”
Achieving Ambitions at Phaidon International
Phaidon International is always on the lookout for talented people to join its ever-growing brands, and now more than ever in Dallas in particular. Oliver’s inspiring career journey is a fantastic example of what’s possible when you join the Phaidon International family.
Joining the London office straight out of university, Oliver instantly drawn to the values of the business and its people:
“I wanted to be surrounded by like-minded and equally as ambitious colleagues, be rewarded well for working really hard, have fast progression to leadership roles based on meritocracy, and do it all in a fun company culture.”
Phaidon International's global expansion plans and relocation opportunities also appealed, as living abroad was always a goal of Oliver’s. Sure enough, two years after joining the business, he was offered the opportunity to move to New York and be part of the founding team for Selby Jennings, which he successfully helped build into the company’s biggest brand over the following eight years.
But there were also growing opportunities for the Dallas office, which had opened in 2017 and was already experiencing a huge influx of talent into the area. Oliver took the chance to relocate once again and built up the team from around 15 people to 120 today, with no signs of slowing down.
Careers, Company Culture, and Collaboration
So, what else would make someone want to come and work for Phaidon International? Beyond working with some of the most interesting markets, companies, and professionals in the world, “we’ve been one of the fastest growing staffing and recruitment businesses globally now for 20 years,” says Oliver, “and I predict Dallas will be our fastest growing location in the USA over the next several years, so now is a really great time to join us and take advantage of this growth.
“We are also organically grown, and by that I mean 95% of our leadership started as entry-level recruiters who have worked their way up through the business, and that is a big part of how we operate our model.”
Company culture is also an incredibly important part of working at Phaidon International, and Oliver shares more about what this looks like day-to-day:
“We put a ton of time and training into everyone we hire, so they can grow and develop into leaders and beyond, much like myself and my own journey. Everyone here is very ambitious and wants to be the best individually, but at the same time we’re very supportive and team-oriented, and all collaborate with each other to share ideas and best practices. So, we’re fast-paced and have a lot of energy, and we’re always looking for people who want to be the best at what they do and have that growth mindset. If any of that sounds attractive to you, we’d love to talk to you.”
If you would like to join our Dallas team or any one of our 15 offices around the globe, learn more about where a career at Phaidon International could take you, or click here to explore our open opportunities and send us your CV/resume today.
