MRI Network - MRINetwork - Management Recruiters International
Management Recruiters International, also known as MRI Network and MRINetwork, www.mrinetwork.com are a global franchised recruiting organisation, a wholly owned subsidiary of CDI Corporation. MRI Inc. is the USA based and original part of the MRINetwork.
Their international expansion was achieved when CDI Corporation, the owners of MRINetwork / MRI Network, purchased the Humana International Group (HIG) in April 1999. Shortly after the acquisition of HIG, it was renamed to Management Recruiters International WorldWide and integrated into MRI, thereby achieving global expansion to their previously USA based franchised recruitment business.
Recently, CDI Corporation, the owners of MRI Network / MRINetwork / Management Recruiters International, state that this franchised recruitment company has 1100 offices in over 35 countries. Although more recently I think they show the number of franchised recruitment offices is in decline.
People like me who purchased a franchise from HIG did so from a UK owned recruitment franchisor. After the acquisition in April 1999, the company was a USA owned and managed recruitment franchisor. This was reflected in many aspects from direction to the senior management team who where initially largely USA based.
Doug Bugie, the Managing Director of HIG was replaced by Steve Mills. Steve Mills brought his own 'style' of management to the recruitment franchisor and some of his actions and consequences of those actions are highlighted within this web site. See Franchise Problems Encountered and Steve Mills' Approach and Years of Misrepresentation by MRI Network and Steve Mills denies responsibility.
MRI Network / Management Recruiters International / MRINetwork Changes
MRI Network / MRINetwork under the new ownership of CDI Corporation have made a number of changes to their top management team. People have come and gone at regular intervals. Quite surprising when you consider that they sell franchises in recruitment and claim to be able to find the best people.. Perhaps they do finding the right people or perhaps there are other issues that cause this churn of people at the top.
Changes in Presidents at MRI Network since Allen Schonburg left in 1999 have been quite rapid. Allen Salikof lasted for around 6 years. Then came Bill Olsen and he lasted just around 16 months. Then came Michael Jalbert and he lasted around two years. More recently (15th October 2008), Tony McKinnon has taken over. Ken Hagerstrom came and went in a remarkably short space of time.
MRI Network Reduction in Franchised Offices
On a recent look (October 2008) an the Management Recruiters International web site, I searched for all offices in the UK. I was surprised to see that it only listed 46 offices. When I was in the franchised network, prior to the problems of the years on misrepresentation by MRINetwork, there were more than 100 offices in the UK. Clearly, this shows a demise of successful MRI Network / MRINetwork recruitment franchisees in the UK. I have not tracked the other countries, but perhaps they also show a demise in the success of Management Recruiters International franchised offices.
MRI Network / MRINetwork Franchisee Dissatisfaction
Perhaps one reason for this reduction in MRI Network / MRI Network franchisees is reflected in a recent survey carried out by the MRIFA. The MRIFA stands for Management Recruiters International Franchise Association and is an organisation run by members of MRINetwork and is a voice of the franchisees. One of the stated membership beliefs of the MRIFA is: to provide a unified voice of MRI Franchisees to protect our collective interests. They represent the franchisees and talk to the franchisor about issues and concerns of its franchisees.
A recent survey (February 2008) carried out by the MRIFA members revealed some startling facts about the satisfaction of MRINetwork franchisees. The franchisees were asked, if their franchise agreement expired today, would they renew it. Less than 20 percent of franchisees replied yes to that question!
That, in my opinion, is a very revealing fact about the health and leadership of MRI Network - MRINetwork - Management Recruiters International and reflects very poorly on the leadership of this global recruitment franchise by Roger H Ballou, CEO of CDI Corporation, and his management team.
Read the summary of my letters to Roger H Ballou, CEO of CDI Corporation, and form your own opinion on the issues and the franchise ethics of MRI Network and their owners CDI Corporation.
Read about the Years of Misrepresent ion by MRI Network / MRINetwork / Management Recruiters International
Read about Roger H Ballou's denial and misstatements to CDI Corporation shareholders.
Read Joseph R Seider's affidavit made under oath and decide for yourself if his statement to Ohio courts are truthful.
Read about Steve Mills sidestepping of responsibility and decide if you think this is reasonable and ethical behaviour of a franchisor.
Read about the CDI Corporation Sarbanes-Oxley questions that Roger H Ballou refuses to answer and ask why he is so coy about clarifying if and how the debt of more than £170,000 (approx. $300,000 US Dollars) he allowed a franchisee to grow, was written-off.