2015 Game Changer: Bradford Wilkins

Before Bradford Wilkins started as vice president of talent management for Adcap Systems Inc. in 2012, the Alpharetta, Georgia-based business technology firm did $25 million in annual revenue. Just two years later, in 2014, and with the help of Wilkins’ sharp recruiting and talent management chops, the company had doubled its annual revenue to $52 million, while decreasing its payroll by roughly 15 percent.

Such efficiency is par for the course for Wilkins, 31, who in 2014 was named the top U.S. recruiter by TheLadders.com. In addition to helping Adcap reduce payroll and increase revenue, Wilkins saved the company more than $300,000 in recruiter fees in 2013 compared with the prior year, propelled by what colleagues call his novel approach of creating talent pools for the niche industry. Wilkins’ most game-changing contribution has been the creation of Adcap’s apprentice programs for sales and technical roles for entry-level, industry-transition and returning military veteran employees.

Wilkins’ commitment to Adcap appears to extend beyond his normal duties. According to Rolf Versluis, Adcap’s founder and chief technology officer, Wilkins even wrote and performed a song about Adcap in front of the entire company. “He’ll do anything,” Versluis wrote.