Opening its doors at the beginning of February, our US office is ready for business. Headed up by co-founder Francis Dunleavy, our new base is in the heart of Tampa, Florida – just over the river from The University of Tampa.
Joining Francis, David Crawley from the UK office will lead the US team as Country Manager and John Gomez as an energy consultant, who has been working remotely in the States since August 2022.
It’s been a rollercoaster journey, but now we’re all settled in, it’s time to tell you more about our stateside venture. Where did it all start? Who’s joined the team? And what’s next?
Why does the US matter to WRS?
With presences in parts of Asia, East Africa, and Europe, the Americas were the only location we hadn’t tapped into. With the US driving investment and its huge energy market, it was an opportunity we had to take.
The US has committed over a trillion dollars to renewable energy over the next ten years – in keeping with our own ambitions within the sector and our shifting focus to renewables.
And to take advantage of the many possibilities across the pond, we needed a physical base.
Making the move
Our US business was incorporated in Delaware in June 2022, getting the wheels in motion to hunt for a suitable HQ location and office space.
Florida fitted the bill instantly, meeting both industry requirements and our vision of growth.
Miami was our first choice following a recommendation from another UK business also expanding to the US. However, we soon realised that the soaring prices there could hamper our plans to grow the team as quickly as possible.
So, with Miami off the cards, we considered several other Florida locations before settling on Tampa, with our founders believing it ticked every box. It’s an up-and-coming location with the sea, the sun, and new developments left, right, and centre.
After a lot of searching, we finally found a suitable office. We signed the lease back in December and spent most of January overseeing the final touches.
Our brand new office can hold about 30 employees, which we plan to fill over the next few years – and we’ve already made a head start…
New recruits
We’ve welcomed new starters to the WRS US team already. In our first intake, we have two new senior recruiters: Grace Pellegrino and Christopher Russ. We also welcomed Hailey Rydberg, Julio Medina, and Sam Paish as junior recruiters.
Our new team members have already settled in incredibly well. After a couple of icebreakers away from the office, they’re all building great connections.
Looking towards the future, our plan is to gradually develop and grow the US team to mirror our UK model, and we expect our next intake of consultants in May.
Going international with WRS
The team will find it easier to work in a US time zone to better engage clients and candidates, furthering WRS’ business prospects.
As a global agency, WRS has locations across the globe – from Kurdistan to Singapore to East Africa, and more.
If you’re looking to enhance your career in one of our international destinations, get in touch or contact our US office and take a look at what it’s like to work for WRS!
