Naperville search firm exec grew up on dairy farm

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Denise Wypiszenski, 41, of Naperville is president of Orchid Network. | Submitted

Updated: October 31, 2011 2:56PM

Growing up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin may seem like quite a stretch for someone who eventually became the national training officer for Smith Barney and then president of a local executive search and consulting firm. But Denise Wypiszenski, 41, has never exactly followed the mold.

“Both my husband and I grew up in Green Bay, Wis., and the fact is many of the people from there have never left,” Wypiszenski said.

“He was a wrestler who was recruited at Nebraska, and I was awarded a scholarship to attend the University of Nebraska at Omaha where I graduated cum laude with a double major in finance and banking. My courses in the stock market sort of piqued my interest, and I enjoyed the people I was meeting.”

Wypiszenski’s resume includes spending 17 years in the financial services industry, including the role as chief operating officer/managing director of Robert W. Baird’s Private Wealth Management business. While there, she oversaw financial adviser and branch manager recruiting and transition, which resulted in the identification and hiring of key talent essential to expanding the Baird “footprint” nationwide.

The Orchid Network, at 4008 Champion Road in Naperville, was launched in February of this year. Like the flower from which the company gets its name, Wypiszenski says when it comes to finding the right executive, “talent, like an orchid, thrives in the right environment.”

“We know that when companies look to hire executives, a lot of them look outside their organizations, and we find the right talent that fits their needs,” Wypiszenski said. “Often, a company won’t know who is available or is out there looking. We generally say it is a 90- to 120-day process to fill an executive seat in a company. We focus on serving senior management and board of director level recruiting needs for a broad cross-section of financial services as well as consumer and industrial products companies with a global presence.”

Gary Silverman, executive advisor to Wypiszenski who has also been a former Ford Motor Company employee and a person with more than 35 years of experience in the executive search industry, said the CEO has all the right qualifications.

“The CEO needs a passion for the business, a vision of the future, and a game plan for achieving profitable growth, plus a deep appreciation for an understanding of the importance of ‘human capital’ and the highest standards of professional excellence,” Silverman said.

“Along with that are the leadership skills to develop confidence with all stakeholders. Denise has a depth of expertise in the financial services industry and a broad network of relationships at the senior management level.”

Silverman adds that he and his boss “are a good match” as each brings different skill sets to the job.

“Denise brings a wealth of experience in financial services, which are complemented by my expertise in the financial, consumer and industrial industries, and my in-depth knowledge of recruiting senior management and board of director talent for both public and privately-held companies,” he said.

Wypiszenski notes that the company also offers consulting services which she said “include organizational structure, business development, talent mergers and acquisitions.” Orchid is currently doing about 75 percent executive search work and 25 percent consulting.

The Wypiszenskis have lived in Naperville since December of 2008 and are happy to have found a place to settle in after moving around from Green Bay to Nebraska, Connecticut, Chicago, New Jersey and back here to Naperville.

Denise’s husband, Joe, is the CEO of the household.

“My husband is a former electronics engineer and has been a stay-home dad for 14 years,” she said. “We have a daughter, Riley, who will be a senior at Neuqua Valley, and a son, Tyler, who will be a freshman at the same school. Even though the kids are busy, Joe volunteers a lot and coaches and looks at all of this as a full-time job. We’re big advocates for Naperville, and find it kid friendly and filled with a lot of good people.”

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