Ilitch School Board of Visitor member John Bukowicz: From WSU to global business leadership

When John Bukowicz, current President and CEO of Corporate Consulting Associates Inc., Managing Partner of LIASE Group, and Ilitch School board of visitor member was growing up on the east side of Detroit, he had a hard conversation with his father.

"My Dad, who did not finish high school as a result of being drafted in WWII, approached me in the ninth grade and said 'You have to go to college, and I don't have the money to send you to school, so, you've got to go to work.'" says Bukowicz. "I walked up the street to our neighbor who owned a restaurant and asked for a job, but he said I was too young. I told him that I needed to earn money to go to college, and he said show up on Saturday morning."

Although Bukowicz had previously worked delivering newspapers and cutting lawns in his neighborhood, this was his first official job. His experience doing restaurant work helped set him on the path to where he is today. "One summer I peeled potatoes for forty hours a week filling in for the person who usually does this job." explains Bukowicz. "After that experience, I said I need to get an education. You either learn the easy or the hard way. I learned the hard way and decided there were better career options."

After four years of high school, and spending time after school and on weekends working in a family restaurant, Bukowicz started his college career at Wayne State University in 1979 as an accounting student. Like many college students, he discovered new interests in his classes. For Bukowicz, this was computer science. After completing his bachelor's degree in accounting in 1983, he stuck around and completed another bachelor's degree in computer science in 1985. He then spent his days working and his nights completing an M.B.A., focusing on finance and information systems.

Bukowicz got more than an education at Wayne State. He says he was part of a community of people who came from similar backgrounds, all of whom were striving to improve their lives.

"At Wayne State I found a lot of like-minded students who were financially trying to pull it together as best they could, often working while attending school.  Many, like my five sisters and me, were the first generation to attend college," says Bukowicz. "When I look at my lifelong friends today, who I met at Wayne State, not some, but all of them have risen to a level of executive leadership or company ownership. Not one has fallen behind."

While in his Junior year in college, Bukowicz was offered a temporary part-time role in financial analysis at Henry Ford Healthcare System (HFHS). The temporary role turned into permanent employment, and led to rapid progression at HFHS, where he learned foundational skills in accounting, finance and information systems.

Bukowicz spent five years at HFHS, after which he received an enticing offer by a global IT oriented company to relocate to Europe as a member of a new team. However, within a year the Europe relocation was scuttled, and Bukowicz reconsidered his options when Plante Moran, not yet the giant it is today, came to call.

After several years at Plante Moran, Bukowicz made a life changing decision. "I was asked by the owner, to join a small boutique recruiting firm that concentrated in the accounting and finance areas. The owner knew me and said I would be good in this profession," says Bukowicz. "I was always fascinated by company culture and the interaction of people in their various roles, and I have always had an interest in understanding the people who create the culture, and their backgrounds. Recruiting provided the opportunity to make a positive impact, especially when placing a professional who would exceed all expectations."

By its nature, recruitment is a competitive industry, with high earning potential for those who succeed. It was his attention to business culture and his ability to find talent who would successfully assimilate into the client's company culture that led to his success in recruiting. Bukowicz had found his passion and would continue to build his career in this industry, ultimately performing at the highest level.

"It was my personal ambition to pursue retained search, which is a recruitment model for executive leadership roles," explains Bukowicz. "In 1998 I started my company, Corporate Consulting Associates Inc. (CCA), where we perform executive level searches targeting C-suite levels and vice presidents, as well as middle management. Our functional focus includes leadership, operations, engineering, technology, finance, and human resources."

Creating and maintaining strong relationships with senior level professionals and industry leaders is critical in the recruitment business. As his company continued to grow, Bukowicz used these relationships to take his business to the global stage.

"The world began to change very quickly, and our clients were interested in expanding their global scope outside of North America," says Bukowicz. "I had a very good relationship with a recruiting professional in Europe, and another who was based in China. The three of us were experiencing the same challenge, which was the need to recruit talent outside of our respective geographical regions. We decided to unite our resources and created an entity called LIASE Group in 2011. Today, LIASE performs searches in 17 countries on 5 continents."

As his business expanded, Bukowicz embraced more opportunities for growth, particularly in the non-profit sector. After discussing with a non-profit board member the difficulties they experienced recruiting their President and VP of Development, Bukowicz knew his firm's expertise could be applied in this sector. To date, their Non-Profit division has recruited the Presidents for Goodwill, the Alzheimer's Association, Habitat for Humanity, Parkinson Foundation, along with many other senior executives for notable non-profit organizations.

Bukowicz says his passion for recruiting the best talent for companies is aligned with his love of people and desire to make a positive impact in the world. "One individual, who we place, can make a huge positive difference. It is extremely gratifying to know you have contributed in some small way to that outcome."

"Creating my own firm has also allowed me to incorporate my personal values into our business model. When I started CCA in 1998, I defined in our company mission statement that one third of our revenues would be from placing diverse talent. This was long before DEI initiatives were ever discussed," says Bukowicz. "It was a difficult goal decades ago because companies were less committed to hiring diverse talent. I'm very proud to say we have maintained that one-third percentage from day one." 

Bukowicz's personal and professional passions and his success in business has allowed him to give back to Wayne State University as a member of the Mike Ilitch School of Business' Board of Visitors. 

"I'm really proud of Wayne State," says Bukowicz. "All universities have a history, but Wayne's is even more interesting. It's this jewel that people never noticed, which over time, was slowly brushed off and now, we're really beginning to shine. Its true value is more apparent now than ever." 

Bukowicz says that he is proud to provide his alma mater with his expertise and support and believes in giving back.  

"There is a genuine passion and level of authenticity among board members and faculty, that they are really striving to improve the student experience," explains Bukowicz. "It triggers the emotion inside of me, which is why I feel privileged to be a board member and to be part of that process, to make a positive difference and impact."

-Patrick Bernas, Information Officer III

The Wayne State University Mike Ilitch School of Business prepares students for challenging and rewarding careers, advances the boundaries of scholarly and practitioner knowledge, and enhances the economic vitality of the city of Detroit, the state of Michigan and beyond through its programs, research and community engagement. Established in 1946, the business school was renamed in 2015 in recognition of a $40 million gift from Mike and Marian Ilitch. Thanks to this lead investment, the school moved to a new state-of-the-art building in the heart of the District Detroit in 2018, and academic programming and collaboration with city businesses are expanding. For more information, visit ilitchbusiness.wayne.edu.