David Rhode, anchor partner, and Sid Mitchener, partner, at Vaco Raleigh, are building a legacy in the Triangle area of North Carolina. That legacy, Vaco, is the fruition of years of long work, by men converging on a point by different paths. While Rhode and Mitchener were building successful individual careers, they continually looked outside the box for the opportunity to build something they could call their own. Ultimately, they were each searching for the chance to create something special-they were looking for perfection and excellence. They found Vaco. A Latin translation of Vaco is: “Free yourself.”

In 2004, Rhode was at the top of his game. With 18 years of experience in accounting, Rhode had spent the past 12 with a Fortune 100 company. Rising to vice president and controller, Rhode loved growing the company. By migrating to sales, however, Rhode found that he could make a profound impact on people’s careers and change their lives.

 “I saw the move to Vaco as a new way to serve the accounting industry,” Rhode said. “Vaco is a way for me to contribute to the business community consistently and become an integral part of the fabric of the companies who do business in Raleigh.”

Mitchener, too, has a distinguished pedigree. For thirteen years Mitchener was a top producer in recruiting, sales and sales management in the engineering and IT recruiting and consulting industry. Sales levels in offices managed by Mitchener were in the top five percent in sales growth for his prior company. Mitchener was experienced at building companies for others. When he found an opportunity to take all the knowledge he had accumulated and use it to build something that was his own, he knew it was time to take that opportunity. His goals are in line with Rhode’s.

“My goal is to create a world class organization in Raleigh that stands the test of time,” Mitchener said. “I want our teammates in Raleigh to be successful and get involved with the local community.” 

Our internal team is very close and our goal is to make it an extended family environment.”  Rhode says the  internal environment at Vaco includes a mutual respect for each other, incredible team work, a work ethic for “A” players only, fun celebration of successes and a comforting environment to help each other though troubled times.

 “We create an office environment that allows people to make mistakes, be aggressive, make good money and have fun,” Mitchener said. “I want everyone in the office to feel that they can make a difference within Vaco and in the Raleigh market. I want everyone to challenges themselves to work hard and have fun.

“I think people come in to work each day because they each run their own business, and leverage the synergies of the Vaco family around them, so their business is exponentially successful because of their ability to leverage their teammates relationships,” Rhode said. “They come in the office because they like to be around the other teammates, share their successes, and thrive off of the energy created by a team of people all pulling in the same direction for a common goal.”