Executive search firm Saenger Associates has partnered with interim management consultant GrowthPhases AG LLC to share services with the firms’ clients.

Gary Saenger, who founded the Santa Clarita firm in 1999 and remains its president, said the partnership was born of a desire to help clients by offering additional services.

 He initially got to know GrowthPhases managing director Terry O’Neal after being hired 20 years ago to find an executive for Schneider Electric, where O’Neal was an executive at the time.

“We’ve been talking on a level of seriousness for the last six to nine months whether we wanted to do this or not,” Saenger said. “He’s in acquisition mode to do some strategic and significant acquisitions in his private equity and investment banking world. I think there’s a fundamental trust that we have in each other.”

The companies are not merging and will remain independent.

“We are excited to support Gary and his team, to provide their clients with a world-class, interim management solution and to provide our clients that same level of retained search,” O’Neal said in a statement.

Saenger Associates has helped place executives at a wide variety of companies and operations in industrial products, aerospace, defense and consumer products. 

GrowthPhases, which is based in Illinois, acquires and manages emerging companies; it also offers consultant services. The latter offering includes the placement of interim chief executives during transition periods. Saenger said that service in particular caught his attention.

“It was a natural extension of what I’ve done for my career,” he said. “It’s really a personal relationship business, when you think of companies that are adding to their executive and senior management teams, they have a lot of choices and they’re betting that me and my team will deliver.” 

“If your company has the need for improved sales, the integration of an acquisition or if it has significant IP that it is implementing, our interim executives can help,” Saenger added.