Former Axia Partners execs launch Arcus Advisors
By Chris Mathews – Reporter, Houston Business Journal
Oct 18, 2020, 6:00am CDT Updated Oct 19, 2020, 9:04am CDT
Launching a new company during the middle of a historic pandemic might give some entrepreneurs pause, but two Houston-based executives decided to take that leap.
It was a move Carrie Ferroukhi and Candus Hinderer had thought about for a while. The two first worked together at Houston-based consultancy Axia Partners LP, where Hinderer was a partner managing business development and Ferroukhi was CFO.
Eventually, the two left Axia Partners to pursue new opportunities. Ferroukhi most recently worked for Hoover Ferguson as vice president of finance and accounting. Hinderer most recently served as a senior director and head of relationship development for management consulting firm Alvarez & Marsal. But with Ferroukhi’s operational expertise and Hinderer’s experience in relationship building and business development, the two decided to form a company of their own.
“That’s kind of where we come together — I find the work, she does the work,” Hinderer quipped.
This week, Ferroukhi and Hinderer are launching Houston-based advisory firm Arcus Advisors. Much of the firm’s focus will center around assisting small to medium-sized businesses backed by private equity with the functions and controls needed to manage their growth. Arcus Advisors also plans to work with large business clients, assisting C-suite executives and controllers with special projects.
“I think a lot of companies struggle in times like this — they’re being asked to downsize their staff, but the work is not necessarily going away. So what gives?” Ferroukhi said. “A lot of the times, that’s figuring out where we can build efficiencies into our process so that we can do the same amount of work, if not more, with less people.”
Arcus Advisors currently employs five full-time workers, including Ferroukhi and Hinderer. The firm aims to hire more consultants — the managing partners have been interviewing quite a bit over the past few weeks, Ferroukhi said. She said there is a lot of strong talent looking for work amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has impacted the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Houston workers.
Arcus Advisors is seeking to hire consultants with experience at Big Four accounting firms, as well as corporate experience, Hinderer said.
The pandemic has caused countless challenges for firms across greater Houston. Arcus Advisors sees opportunity in the “floodgate of work” that was paused earlier in the pandemic that needs to be caught up on.
“It’s a scary time, but actually there’s opportunity here that we otherwise wouldn’t have,” Ferroukhi said. “There’s work that comes out of this type of environment.”
Arcus Advisors has an office at the Washington Office Co. coworking space at 1923 Washington Ave. The consulting firm plans to officially launch on Oct. 21.
Former Axia Partners execs launch Arcus Advisors
By Chris Mathews – Reporter, Houston Business Journal
Oct 18, 2020, 6:00am CDT Updated Oct 19, 2020, 9:04am CDT
Launching a new company during the middle of a historic pandemic might give some entrepreneurs pause, but two Houston-based executives decided to take that leap.
It was a move Carrie Ferroukhi and Candus Hinderer had thought about for a while. The two first worked together at Houston-based consultancy Axia Partners LP, where Hinderer was a partner managing business development and Ferroukhi was CFO.
Eventually, the two left Axia Partners to pursue new opportunities. Ferroukhi most recently worked for Hoover Ferguson as vice president of finance and accounting. Hinderer most recently served as a senior director and head of relationship development for management consulting firm Alvarez & Marsal. But with Ferroukhi’s operational expertise and Hinderer’s experience in relationship building and business development, the two decided to form a company of their own.
“That’s kind of where we come together — I find the work, she does the work,” Hinderer quipped.
This week, Ferroukhi and Hinderer are launching Houston-based advisory firm Arcus Advisors. Much of the firm’s focus will center around assisting small to medium-sized businesses backed by private equity with the functions and controls needed to manage their growth. Arcus Advisors also plans to work with large business clients, assisting C-suite executives and controllers with special projects.
“I think a lot of companies struggle in times like this — they’re being asked to downsize their staff, but the work is not necessarily going away. So what gives?” Ferroukhi said. “A lot of the times, that’s figuring out where we can build efficiencies into our process so that we can do the same amount of work, if not more, with less people.”
Arcus Advisors currently employs five full-time workers, including Ferroukhi and Hinderer. The firm aims to hire more consultants — the managing partners have been interviewing quite a bit over the past few weeks, Ferroukhi said. She said there is a lot of strong talent looking for work amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has impacted the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Houston workers.
Arcus Advisors is seeking to hire consultants with experience at Big Four accounting firms, as well as corporate experience, Hinderer said.
The pandemic has caused countless challenges for firms across greater Houston. Arcus Advisors sees opportunity in the “floodgate of work” that was paused earlier in the pandemic that needs to be caught up on.
“It’s a scary time, but actually there’s opportunity here that we otherwise wouldn’t have,” Ferroukhi said. “There’s work that comes out of this type of environment.”
Arcus Advisors has an office at the Washington Office Co. coworking space at 1923 Washington Ave. The consulting firm plans to officially launch on Oct. 21.
