Before “talent management” became a Human Resources catchphrase, E. K. Ward & Associates was establishing itself as a human resources consulting firm dedicated to making talent work effectively within organizations. In 1991, our founder, Eileen Ward, envisioned a consulting firm dedicated to helping bring out the best in individuals as they entered the workplace, developed in the workplace and left to pursue new opportunities. At the same time, Eileen saw great promise in partnering with organizations to collaborate on ideas and solutions that would move the organization and its people towards best-in-class designation. Using skills and experience gleaned from years as senior HR specialist and executive recruiter, Eileen enlisted the aid of other talented colleagues to form what is now E. K. Ward & Associates.
Starting with outplacement, executive search and training services, E. K. Ward & Associates quickly became noted for the ability to open and manage stand-alone career transition centers, for executive search services using innovative hourly search solutions to find quality candidates, and for change management training to focus employees of merged organizations on the goals and objectives of the new company. Over the years, additional consulting competencies were added including development and administration of workforce retraining grants for redundant employees, executive coaching and leadership/personality assessments, performance management and internal coaching skills, outsourced HR services, diversity and inclusion strategies and training, employee engagement surveys and succession planning.
Today, E. K. Ward & Associates is considered Western New York’s largest and most successful talent management consulting firm working with clients within New York State and throughout the country.
From the start, customer success has been our passion. Realizing that the company’s sustainability depended upon the satisfaction and success of its customers, E. K. Ward & Associates built its practice on a consulting model that takes into account the need to listen to its clients, collaborate on the outcomes necessary to achieve superior results, offer appropriate solutions based on that collaboration, monitor and measure outcomes, debrief with the customer and then celebrate only when sustained outcomes are achieved. It is this consulting model and the enduring focus on the needs of the customer that provide the ongoing underpinnings of the growth and success of E. K. Ward & Associates.