The Jacksonville Port Authority will open bids at 2 p.m. Friday in its search for an executive search firm that will find the next port CEO, though the firm that found its last leader will not participate.
Port staff was informed that firm Boyden Global Executive Search, which has helped selected three Florida port CEOs in less than 10 years, did not respond to the request for proposal.
"They informed us that they had too many ongoing searches at this time and would not be answering our request for proposals," said Louis Naranjo, director of procurement services, which oversees the request for proposals process.
Boyden is headquartered in Hawthorne, N.Y., and its website lists 79 offices in 43 countries, including 12 in the U.S. The only Florida location is in Miami.
Boyden helped place Paul Anderson, immediate past JPA CEO, in Jacksonville and Tampa. Anderson has led the Tampa Port Authority since resigning his Jacksonville post Dec. 18. Boyden also helped select Anderson's Tampa predecessor, Richard Wainio.
All vendors that replied to the request in 2010 were notified of the latest search. Previous applicants included SpencerStuart, with corporate offices in Amsterdam, Chicago and Dublin; Shey-Harding Associates, Seal Beach, Calif.; Korn/Ferry International, Los Angeles; The Waters Consulting Group, Dallas; Bob Murray and Associates, East Coast office in Tallahassee; Heidrick & Struggles International Inc., Chicago; Talagy, Jacksonville; and SGS Technologies, Jacksonville.
The deadline for submission was 2 p.m. Friday.
The port board of directors seeks a search firm to "research, source contacts and perform prospective candidate screening and evaluations; create and produce candidate reports and coordinate candidate introductory meetings; and facilitate steps, as defined by and agreed upon by the port and in compliance with port employment practices, to make a job offer, negotiate final terms, conduct reference checks and close out the recruitment process."
The JPA board of directors named former Executive Vice President Roy Schleicher as interim CEO after Anderson resigned.
"I just hope we have a good group of candidates who want to participate," said Port board Chairman Jim Citrano said he is looking forward to the start of the CEO selection process.
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