Our Story

1969-1980

1969
headshot of man wearing glasses
1969

Charles “Mitch” Oakley purchases Management Recruiters of Greensboro through his new company: Charles Aris Inc. The title is a combination of his first name and wife Betsy’s maiden name.

1970
1970

Mitch Oakley operates his new business as a franchise of Management Recruiters International and focuses on placing manager-level candidates in local manufacturing companies. The team consists of himself and a secretary.

1975
1975

Management Recruiters of Greensboro moves into a new workspace at the Executive Square office park on Church St. to accommodate its small but growing team.

1981-1990

1980
1980

Greensboro consistently finishes in the top 10 best performing firms across Management Recruiters International’s global network of franchises.

1985
1985

The firm moves its now 10-person team to the Stanley Building on Wendover Ave.

1991-2000

1992
woman and man standing
1992

Betsy Oakley travels to Cleveland for a computer training conference and prepares the firm to digitalize, which will help its recruiters easily connect with clients across the United States.

1995
1995

The growing firm moves into the Weaver Park Center building on W. Wendover Ave.

2001-2010

2002
Charles Aris logo
2002

Management Recruiters of Greensboro rebrands and begins operating independently as Charles Aris Executive Search.

2003
man standing with lawn mower
2003

Chad Oakley joins Charles Aris as vice president of business development and launches the strategy and corporate development recruiting practice.

2005
2005

Charles Aris moves into the 18th floor of the Wells Fargo Tower in downtown Greensboro to accommodate its growing team of specialized practice leaders.

2010
2010

Allen Oakley joins Charles Aris as vice president of operations and Chad Oakley earns a promotion to president and COO.

2011-2020

2012
construction site
2012

The Charles Aris team “breaks through a wall” in the Wells Fargo Tower to expand its office space as its recruiting practices grow and diversify. The leadership team begins planning for a permanent headquarters.

2015
Charles Aris building
2015

After watching its construction from their offices in the Wells Fargo Tower, the Charles Aris team wheels their desk chairs through downtown Greensboro to their completed headquarters at 299 N. Greene St. In the same year, global recruiting network InterSearch selects Charles Aris as its United States representative.

2016
2016

Chad Oakley earns his promotion to CEO.

2019
man and woman facing off camera with group
2019

The now 50-person Charles Aris team celebrates the firm’s half-century anniversary at its downtown headquarters.

2021-present

2020
2020

Building on a foundation of equity, the Charles Aris team sets robust goals committing time and resources to philanthropic and DEI-related initiatives, including the formation of a DEI committee.

2021
2021

Charles Aris adds a second office in Washington, D.C. Two months later, the strategy recruiting practice celebrates 1,000 completed searches since its founding in 2003.

2022
large group of people gathered for photo
2022

Following two years of semi-remote work, Charles Aris announces that its team of nearly 100 employees can indefinitely choose whether they want to work in person, remotely or both. The firm also launches a new venture called Charles Aris Transaction Services, which focuses exclusively on sourcing business acquisitions for client organizations.

2023
2023

The Charles Aris Strategy Practice celebrates its 20th anniversary. CEO Chad Oakley originally formed the Strategy Practice in 2003, and we now have over 30 full-time professionals dedicated to the vertical. As of August 2023, this team has placed over 1,200 strategy professionals with clients in private equity and corporate America.

2024
2024

Charles Aris integrates its finance, accounting and corporate development recruiting teams into one unified practice. Now operating as the Finance & Corporate Development Practice, this team is able to serve clients at the precise intersection of clients’ function and industry.