Our Team
Chase & Associates is an executive search firm founded by Neil Chase, who has been recruiting in the packaging industry since 1969. Nationally recognized, we have built our forty-year reputation for excellence on hard work, passion and dedication to the success of our clients and candidates. Neil and partners Michael Chase and Alexis Chase, along with project manager Jason Pienkowski, provide a concentrated team approach that offers access to outstanding expertise and experience.
We take a personal approach in an extremely competitive business. Our firm combines market focus with an emphasis on quality and rapid results. Our team members understand that absolute confidentiality is a cornerstone of executive search.
Chase & Associates has national offices in California, Florida and Texas.
Neil Chase
President
Neil Chase brings more than 40 years of experience as a successful and respected executive search consultant to the table. He has completed a magnitude of searches, with a special focus in the sales, sales management and marketing management arenas.
Neil works with the Chase & Assoc team on developing new clients, upgrading and maintaining existing client relationships, directing internal functions to maximize processes to find and evaluate excellent talent, and assisting in the recruiting, process
management and closure of searches.
Neil’s key strength lies in utilizing the robust network he has developed over the 40 years of his career to source and attract top level contacts. Over the years he has passed on to his staff his trademark results-oriented mentality and commitment to personalized client service. Neil credits his success to maintaining the highest moral and ethical standards, with the goal of superior, long-lasting client relationships.
Experience
Neil founded Chase & Associates in 1989, after working for many years with a partner in another executive search firm. Neil took the opportunity to build a business according to his vision for the recruiting industry, and to create a legacy for his family. Maintaining his focus on the packaging industry, he has successfully grown the firm to evolve with the needs of the clients and industries Chase & Associates serves.
Education
B.S., Business Administration, Fordham University
Organizations
Neil is proud to participate as an active volunteer for the following non-profit organizations:
COPE Organization (Children of Parents Incarcerated)
LifeLink Foundation – Transplant Unit
Mayo Clinic – Transplant Unit
Personal
Neil divides his time between Tampa, Florida and San Anselmo, California, and enjoys golf, physical training and spending enriching times with his children and grandchildren.
Michael Chase
Senior Partner
Michael Chase has more than ten years of experience as an executive search consultant, and has successfully completed more than 200 searches. Michael builds management teams within the packaging and food service industries, and for private equity portfolio companies. He focuses on executive searches for GMs, Vice President and Director level management, as well as high-level individual contributor roles. He has especially deep experience in the sales and marketing arenas. Michael’s clients include early stage venture-backed start-ups and roll-ups, as well as multi-billion dollar, publicly traded companies.
Michael’s strengths are his deep, long-lasting relationships with clients, and his consistent ability to attract top talent, including passive talent, for his clients. He prides himself on keeping the recruiting process moving forward through detailed, proactive follow-up and tenacity. As with his partners at Chase & Associates, Michael measures his success by results – finding and placing the right candidate with the right company.
Experience
Michael joined Chase & Associates in 2000 after a successful career in sales and sales leadership in the telecommunications, athletic shoe and apparel industry. He led the Austin business sales office for Nextel Communications after positions at GTE Wireless and Road Runner Sports. Michael’s experience inside corporate environments provides invaluable insight for his clients, as he understands corporate cultures and the necessity of the ideal fit. Upon joining Chase & Associates, Michael initially focused on building sales and marketing teams for the packaging industry, and has expanded to finding world class management team candidates for a variety of industries.
Education
B.A., University of California at San Diego, 1992
Organizations
Chair, Momentum Guy’s Night Out fund raising event for AJF (Austin Jewish Federation)
Personal
Michael and his wife Allison, a child psychologist, live in Austin, Texas with their two children. He is an avid sports fan. Michael’s hobbies include golf, softball and Italian Cooking. His greatest joys are family activities, particularly watching his kids’ lacrosse and soccer games.
Alexis Chase
Partner
Alexis Chase brings nine years of experience as an executive search professional. Alexis focuses on searches for Vice President and Director level management in Sales, Marketing, R&D and Technology, as well as Sales, National Accounts and Regional Management roles. Her clients are the leading companies in their industries, including mid-size privately held companies and multi-billion dollar, publicly traded corporations. Alexis heads the Chase & Associates Northern California office.
Alexis brings a detailed understanding of how candidate skill sets match client needs to all of her searches. She strongly believes that searches are executed quickly and successfully by approaching the correct candidate for each project and by possessing the industry knowledge to articulate how the search relates to that candidate’s background and career goals. Alexis offers clients an extremely effective balance of detail oriented, targeted research and high volume production recruiting.
Experience
Alexis joined Chase & Associates in 2001, shortly after graduating from university, and spent her first five years in Project Management identifying top candidates. Working daily to establish relationships with and knowledge of the top professionals within the packaging, food service and manufacturing industries has given Alexis a solid foundation as an executive search consultant. Alexis has a unique approach to candidate relationship development. By truly engaging with candidates to understand their personal priorities as well as professional and financial goals, she
has a better feel for whether a particular company’ s culture will be a successful fit.
Education
B.A. in Liberal Arts, Columbia University – 2001
Organizations
Volunteer, Big Brothers Big Sisters
Personal
Alexis spent a year in Italy studying language, art and culture. She currently lives in Northern California. When not meeting clients and interviewing candidates, Alexis can be found trail running on Mt. Tam, cooking a healthy Italian meal or antiquing at her favorite fairs.
Jason Pienkowski
Project Manager
Jason Pienkowski brings many years of recruiting experience to the Chase and Associates team. As project manager, Jason concentrates on identifying top new and existing candidates in the packaging, food service and manufacturing industries. His ability to source top candidates is built on his solid understanding of candidates’ product and market knowledge, as well as their cultural fit with clients.
Jason’s knowledge of the industry, along with his capacity for assessing talent stems from his experience as a full cycle recruiter. His strengths lie in his aptitude for attracting the right candidates, identifying the best fit for clients and communicating vital candidate knowledge to the Chase and Associates team.
Jason joined Chase & Associates in 2011 after spending three years as a full cycle recruiter. His foundation in recruiting is built on placement in sales, legal and financial institutions, and his experience has provided him with invaluable knowledge of candidate and client needs. He made a seamless transition to Project Manager with Chase & Associates, and focuses his talent for sourcing ideal candidates and applies it to executive level placements, creating the ideal fit for top professionals.
Education
B.A. Trinity College, Hartford, CT
School of Oriental and African Studies, London, England
Personal
Jason is currently residing in San Francisco, California after relocating from the East Coast. A lifelong music fan, Jason most enjoys playing the drums. Jason’s hobbies include playing soccer, watching baseball, and trying out new restaurants in the Bay Area.