Grupo Balmaseda

overview

Rene Balmaseda, an entrepreneur, who successfully launched and rapidly grew two companies in Florida - - Greene Beech and Balcorp Enterprises - -, is now embarking upon his latest venture: Grupo Balmaseda, an Executive Recruiting Firm that focuses on U.S. Hispanic and Latino Managerial-Level Searches, as well as Marketing Consulting.

With an exclusive business portfolio assembled over twenty years, including Fortune 1000 companies, in a variety of industries, coupled with his vast business experience in the Hispanic/Latino community, Mr. Balmaseda aims at capitalizing upon what has been the hallmark of his career - - his unique ability to spot undiscovered talent and to react to emerging opportunities within specialized, niche environments.

As Greene Beech's CEO, Mr. Balmaseda drove business and managed his consulting firm that targeted multi-cultural outreach, specifically the growing Hispanic/Latino population in the U.S. Over the years, he became a nationally renowned expert, embracing a broad spectrum of marketing and diversity issues with an emphasis on minority recruitment, retention, and supplier diversity and human resource strategic initiatives.

Greene Beech was founded with a modest investment of $10,000 without any clients. Despite the business downturn of the early 90's, Greene Beech grew at an average annual rate of 59 percent. Mr. Balmaseda developed key relationships with large companies both public and privately held. During the following fourteen years, Greene Beech served several dozen Fortune 1000 clients, entrepreneurial start-ups, mid-sized companies and Governmental Offices throughout the United States. The most successful relationship, which lasted for over nine years, was with the rapidly growing company, WorldCom. Greene Beech completed hundreds of assignments with billings totaling over four million dollars.

A second successful company co-founded and managed by Mr. Balmaseda was Balcorp Enterprises in Palm Beach, Florida, a consulting firm specializing in design projects. Within three years, he successfully sold it, having doubled the revenues each year.

Prior to overseeing Greene Beech and Balcorp, Mr. Balmaseda served as a Senior Consultant for IVI, one the three largest consolidated corporate travel management consulting firms in the United States. This company controlled significant market share and penetration with Fortune 1000 clients such as IBM, Bellsouth, Gould Computers, Westinghouse, Stromberg Carlson and Motorola.

Under Balmaseda's leadership, initially assuming the Florida operation, and later, the Southeast Region, IVI opened offices in Fort Lauderdale, Tampa and Atlanta. The region was billing just under $10 million a year when he joined it. Thirty-four months later, the revenues had grown to over $27 million. During his tenure, Balmaseda also recruited, managed, and retained at above industry standards a diverse team of associates.

Early in his career, with mentors such as Steve Rubell, the entrepreneurial founder of Studio 54 and The Delano Hotel, and Leona Helmsley, the Queen of the Helmsley Palace, Mr. Balmaseda developed an acute eye for excellence and branding.

To his credit, he created and developed a guaranteed no-show program through American Express at The Helmsley Palace. Within the first year, with virtually no additional expense, The Palace collected over $150,000 through the program. At the time, this was a revolutionary concept in the hospitality industry.

Balmaseda has a Bachelor's Degree from Boston University, School of Management and completed the Advanced Management Education Programs from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University. Mr. Balmaseda has also taken graduate level business courses at Universities in Boston and Miami over a period of two years.


Awards and Committee Appointments during his tenure at Greene Beech

2003 Board Member, Hispanic VIVA Broward
2003 Board Member, Hispanic Unity
2002 Florida SBA Business of the Year
2001 Vice Chair, Broward Alliance Minority Committee
2000 Board Member, National Minority Council, NY, NY
1999 Business of the Year, the Vanguard Chronicle
1998 Chair, Communications Committee, National Minority Council, NY, NY
1998 National Business of the Year, National Minority Council, NY, NY
1998 Board Member, Florida Regional Minority Council
1997 Chair, Marketing Committee, Florida Regional Minority Council
1997 Business of the Year, Florida Regional Minority Council
1996 President's Award, Florida Regional Minority Council