Case Study: Swiftly Filling Duravent's Materials Manager Role in Huntsville, AL

Client Profile 

Duravent is a recognized leader in the venting industry, known for its innovative solutions and high-quality products. With a history spanning several decades, the company specializes in manufacturing venting systems for a wide range of applications, including HVAC, hearth, and industrial markets. Committed to continuous improvement and excellence, Duravent aims to set industry standards through advanced technology and exceptional talent.

Role Objectives & Challenges 

Duravent is upgrading its Huntsville, Alabama location to become their flagship facility. This strategic initiative requires elevating the talent within the organization to support advanced operations and drive growth. The company reached out to us to assist in recruiting a Materials Manager who could lead their supply chain efforts and optimize materials management.

Key challenges included:

• Talent Elevation: Finding a candidate with the expertise to lead materials management at a flagship facility.
• Industry-Specific Experience: Candidates needed a strong manufacturing background with an emphasis on metal processing to align with Duravent's operational needs.
• Cultural Fit: Identifying individuals who align with Duravent's culture of innovation and excellence.
• Local Market Constraints: Navigating the Huntsville job market to find qualified candidates, including targeting professionals from Polaris and other companies in the area.
• Urgency: Filling the position promptly to keep pace with the facility's upgrade timeline.

Our prior success in filling multiple Engineering Manager and Quality roles at the Huntsville location gave us deep insights into the company's culture, expectations, and the specific skills required for this role.

The SCOPE Approach

How We Filled a Critical Materials Manager Role for Duravent Group in Huntsville, AL

Every successful placement starts long before the first interview. At SCOPE Recruiting, we’re manufacturing and supply-chain professionals first and recruiters second. That’s why our process consistently delivers high-performing, fast-on-impact hires.

Here’s how we approached this engagement - aligning stakeholders, defining success, and delivering the right candidate for a high-stakes facility upgrade.

BEFORE THE SEARCH — Consultative Alignment

Our focus: clarity, alignment, and precision before outreach begins.

Stakeholder alignment (decision map): We engaged Duravent’s senior operations leadership and HR team to map out approval flow, role accountability, and critical success metrics for the new Materials Manager at their flagship Huntsville facility.

Ideal Candidate Profile (ICP): Together with the client we defined must-haves: manufacturing experience in metal-processing or venting systems, materials management expertise, supplier network familiarity in the Huntsville region, and readiness to lead during a facility upgrade.

Scorecards first: We co-developed scorecards centered on outcomes: materials-flow optimization, inventory reduction, supplier collaboration, and integration into production upgrade initiatives.

Market calibration: We assessed the local Huntsville talent market given the specialized manufacturing domain and urgency of the role, set realistic timelines and compensation expectations based on market constraints. 

DURING THE SEARCH — Active Execution

Our focus: disciplined outreach, structured evaluation, and transparent communication.

Passive talent mapping: We identified manufacturing materials managers and senior inventory/operations leaders in the Huntsville area - including those from related metal-processing sites, leveraging our knowledge of the local companies.

Targeted outreach: Messaging emphasized the role’s strategic nature - “Materials Manager for flagship facility upgrade, lead supplier/re-engineering of materials flow in high-growth plant” - positioning the opportunity as more than operational management.

Structured interviews: Using our scorecards, we evaluated each applicant for: manufacturing materials management depth, metal/venting-industry relevance, ability to lead during change, and cultural fit with Duravent’s innovation mindset.

Evidence-based assessment: We asked for quantifiable achievements: e.g., inventory turns improved, scrap/rework reduction, supplier consolidation, lead-time reductions in metal-processing environments.

Quality over volume: We curated a tight slate of only 2–3 highly qualified finalists, presented to the client, ensuring momentum and reducing candidate fatigue.

AFTER THE SEARCH — Partnership & Performance

Our focus: retention, feedback, and continuous improvement.

Offer & close: We worked with Duravent to align on start date, relocation or local-hiring conditions, performance expectations, and integration plan — enabling quick acceptance in under two weeks.

Post-placement follow-up: We conducted check-ins at 30, 60, and 90 days to monitor onboarding progress, early wins (such as materials flow stabilization), and alignment to the facility upgrade roadmap.

Feedback loop: We documented lessons learned for similar future placements in regional manufacturing hubs, especially aligning materials management talent with heavy processing and plant-upgrade contexts.

The Hire & Results 

Within two weeks, Duravent hired one of the candidates we presented - a highly qualified professional from the struggling Polaris plant in Huntsville. The candidate brought:

• Relevant Experience: Extensive background in materials management within manufacturing environments, specifically with significant experience in metal processing, which is critical for Duravent's operations.
• Local Expertise: Familiarity with the Huntsville manufacturing landscape and existing relationships with local suppliers and stakeholders.
• Leadership Qualities: Proven ability to lead teams, drive change, and implement best practices in materials management.
• Cultural Fit: Alignment with Duravent's values of innovation, quality, and continuous improvement.

The swift placement allowed Duravent to maintain momentum in upgrading their Huntsville facility. The new Materials Manager immediately began contributing to optimizing supply chain operations and enhancing processes related to metal processing, supporting the company's goal of establishing the location as their flagship.

Conclusion

Our successful partnership with Duravent in filling the Materials Manager position underscores our commitment to understanding our clients' unique needs and leveraging our industry expertise to deliver exceptional results. By tapping into our knowledge of the local market and the client's culture, we efficiently connected Duravent with top-tier talent possessing the necessary manufacturing and metal processing experience. This placement not only filled a critical role but also reinforced Duravent's confidence in our ability to support their strategic initiatives. Our ongoing collaboration continues to help Duravent elevate their team and achieve operational excellence at their Huntsville facility.

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