Feras Elkhalil counts a rough patch, living off credit and failing to make it in commercial real estate, as a key driver of his success.
When Elkhalil took a friend’s advice and dived into recruiting in 2000, he said those early hard knocks propelled him forward.
“I had the will and the experience of living on nothing, trying to get every last bit of that deal,” he said. “It wasn’t an even playing ground for [my colleagues] because I was hungrier. I was always hungry – first one in the office, last one to leave.”
Elkhalil quickly proved his recruiting abilities at technology recruiter TEKsystems, where he was named the company’s top recruiter in Canada every week for 10 straight months, and then the company’s top account manager every month for 12 months.
But with entrepreneurialism in his blood and a dissatisfaction with working under corporate red tape, Elkhalil decided to break out on his own in 2002, launching technology recruiting company West Pacific Consulting Group.
Since the launch, the company has grown to 30 full-time employees and 250 consultants and is on track to achieve $32 million in revenues this year.
Elkhalil said his company is looking to redefine the recruitment experience by focusing on long-term client relationships. He said WPCG takes a portfolio approach to clients’ staffing needs – meaning the company can, for example, offer a commission discount during a client’s budget crunch and negotiate a higher commission for a later hire.
“You don’t really have to always worry about the bottom line,” he said.
Elkhalil said he’s working to grow WPCG’s revenues to $100 million within the next seven to 10 years, and plans to expand across Western Canada. •
