Our Story

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

Chad Oakley earns his promotion to CEO.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 function and industry.