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November 2008
Curtis Norvell
The Catena Company
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The Company: The Catena Company
Headquarters: Marietta, GA
Website: Click Here
Email: Click Here
Press Releases: Click Here
Phone: 770-916-0064
Fax: 601-510-1492
Mr. Norvell began his career in executive search in 1979 recruiting American physicians and senior staff to specialty and primary care hospitals throughout the Middle East.
In 2005 and 2006, he completed an important engagement with an international non-profit company in recruiting a senior leadership tean in China, Korea, and Singapore assisting the client to implement an aggressive global expansion plan. In 2007, he has led the company in a strategic gaming senior leadership search in Canada.
Mr. Norvell is a member of the Comanche Nation of Oklahoma and received a Master in Business Administration and Master of Public Health degree from Emory University in Atlanta where he was awarded a national writing scholarship and American Indian Graduate Center Scholarship. Mr. Norvell was awarded a Bachelor of Arts from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.
In 2007, he serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Atlanta Community ToolBank, a non-profit organization in Atlanta. HealHhhHela |
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Interview By: Larry Knudsen |
1. We know you are from the Comanche Nation of Oklahoma, tell us about your up bringing?
My grandparents were from Lawton, but moved away from Lawton in the 1930s when there were very poor employment opportunities in the area. My grandmother was the 13th and youngest child of the John LaBarre family of Lawton. My grandparents settled in Memphis TN where my mother and father were both raised. So, I had a very distant childhood to traditional Reservation life. My grandmother and I were extremely close growing up and I her mother was named Anna LaBarre who was very well known in Lawton as a Nurse Midwife in the Comanche community. I have heard all the stories about the old times in Indian Country. At one time my grandmother’s family controlled over 1,000 acres, now all is gone. My father started his own data processing business in the late 1950s after working with IBM for a short while, and he grew this business until he sold it in the late 1970s. I was raised in a typical suburban community in Memphis educated at college parochial prep schools and entered LSU in Baton Rouge when I was 17 years old. I have one brother who is just one year older than me living in Carbondale Colorado. He also is an entrepreneur running his own successful small business.
2. As president of the Catena Company what are your priorities and duties?
In 2006 after spending over 25 years in my field, I started my company. As an entrepreneur, I am involved in every aspect of the business. The executive search field is very competitive, but I knew that I was always well received by my clients and eventually would make a name for the business by treating our clients with respect and honesty.
3. What are the most unique experiences you had working in Canada and overseas?
My career has always been in the international arena. In the early 1980s I worked for an international hospital management company as an international recruiter placing doctors and nurses in international hospitals in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and the United Arab Emirates. I have traveled extensively in the Middle East and worldwide. In 2006 The Catena Company won a prestigious RFP competition to recruit the President/CEO of the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority in Saskatoon. The Board of Directors of SIGA placed full faith in our company to design the search process, communicate across all tribal organizations in search for the future leader of their organization. In just a few months (including the Christmas Holiday season) we had identified the best candidates in the field and expedited the process forward for final selection. The next year under our candidate’s leadership, SIGA was named Business of the Year in Saskatchewan. Good work from a new Native American-owned firm from Marietta, Georgia. |
4. When you first began your career, in 1979, was there any difficulty recruiting for American Physicians and Senior Staff in the Middle East?
The Middle East was in a very different time then. Most of my friends and neighbors had barely heard of Saudi Arabia, much less been there. International hospitals bring out unique candidates who are outgoing and somewhat more of a risk taker than your average suburban doctor or nurse. The compounds our employees lived in were very safe and secure then. We actually had more applicants than positions available. However, recruiting is all about finding the “best” applicant.
5. Tell us about your current projects?
As an Associate Member of the National Indian Gaming Association, we are constantly striving to make an impact in the Indian Gaming sector and with Tribal Business Enterprises. These organizations are young and require world class talent to thrive and prosper. The Catena Company also works in retained executive search assignments with large corporations in Corporate America. With all the gloom and doom news about unemployment and layoffs, our clients are constant hiring and keeping us busy evaluating talent in areas from marketing to general management. Recruiting is a process, and The Catena Company understands how it works.
6. What can you tell us about when you received the DBE Certification?
Our DBE certification was one of the first efforts that I made when starting our company. Our interest was to become a vendor to the US Government since there are so few Native American-owned firms in the system. The process of certification took a full 3-months and because we are an executive search firm rather than a “construction company” we ran into significant resistance. But, we persisted and our certification was granted initially for 3 years.
7. How has being a member of the Native American Gaming Association affected The Catena Company?
NIGA has been a real good organization for The Catena Company to be involved with. We have an opportunity to directly interface with Tribal decision makers and listen to issues involving recruiting first hand.
8. Congratulations on recruiting a top First Nations executive leadership position in Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority, how lengthy of a process was this?
The SIGA search assignment only took a few short months, but the relationships that we developed across the First Nations community in Canada will last a lifetime.
9. What has been your most rewarding moment in your 29 years of entrepreneurship?
Over my career I have started a couple of small consulting companies prior to starting The Catena Company. My Master of Business Administration from Emory University prepared me well for the multi-faceted nature of business. I was 30 years old when I took 2-years off to go back for my MBA. Most of the students at Emory were 21 and right out of graduation from top financial oriented Bachelor degree programs. I started the Entrepreneur Business Club while there. I am a natural marketing guy, who people say “never met a stranger.” So, meeting new people and building relationships comes quickly. Those skills are a part of the critical elements which make The Catena Company different in our field. We don’t have to be the largest firm to be successful. The fact that we do exactly what we say we will do, and exceed the expectations of our clients, are very satisfying.
10. What is the best advice to give to someone just starting their own business?
The best advice to someone starting their own business I have is to make sure that you know what business is all about. And, make sure that there is a demand driven market for your products or services. A small business has much more chance of failure when customers don’t need your product or service. Fortunately, with The Catena Company our service is finding top talent and there is always a demand for it.
11. What personal or business beliefs have changed since you started your business?
Personally, I have a strong need to help people. But, since starting my business I understand more clearly that I cannot help everyone in a career change. I have learned to pick my battles and work hard for top candidates and my clients at the same time.
12. Is the American Indian business market important to your business?
My mission when starting The Catena Company was to help Native American business select and build world class talent just as the Fortune 500 does. Since The Catena Company understands the secrets of acquiring top talent, we hope to bring this expertise to the American Indian business community.
13. What business skill would you most like to develop or enhance in the years to come?
As and entrepreneur, with my hands in every aspect of the business, our taxes became a more complicated issue in 2007 working on international assignments. We selected a great young CPA who now receives all our work in the tax area. We have established a clean website and have a consultant to administer it. I would like to develop more work in training others so that our business will continue to expand.
14. Are there any areas you feel are just ripe for Native entrepreneurs to enter?
There is a lot of demand for entrepreneurs in construction right now. If a company is involved in supplying services to larger construction companies, even better. There is a building boom in Indian Country as you know.
15. Do you have any predictions for the direction Native business trends will take in the future?
The Indian Gaming sector will continue to grow, but probably at a slower pace than in the past 5 years because of the tight economy. But because these businesses are located in high demand markets which are many times free of competition, there will still be growth. Tribal leadership which is wisely taking profits from gaming and putting it into traditional business ventures will continue to spark employment opportunities.
16. What is your greatest wish for the future of Native business?
My greatest wish for the future of Native business is its diversification and strength. Strong tribal businesses support strong communities. Tribal organizations banding together help Native Americans have a stronger voice in our political base of the country. I hope that Native Americans gain back the political power of the strong our culture by joining together in the future.
17. In what ways could you benefit from increased networking with other Native business people?
The Catena Company needs more business from the Native business community. We know the value that our service can make on turning around a business or expanding a business. The Catena Company is open to discussing any leadership assignment with the Native business community.
18. How do you think IICOC can assist native businesses?
Networking, networking, networking.
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