How DMC Recruitment helped a growing integrated design firm expand its team with the right people
Madison Taylor Design has grown from one person working at a dining room table into a team of close to 40 people.
Founded in 2011, the firm has evolved from a primarily interior design studio into a fully integrated design business with multiple divisions, including landscape architecture, master planning, architecture, interior design, furniture design, and select construction projects.
That growth created exciting opportunities. It also created a more complex hiring challenge.
As the firm expanded, Madison Taylor Design needed people who could bring the right technical skills, contribute to high calibre projects, and fit into a culture that founder Madison describes as family oriented, collaborative, and deeply personal.
For a business built on trust, creativity, and close teamwork, hiring could not be treated as a simple resume review.
The Challenge
For years, Madison Taylor Design had built its team through referrals, personal networks, and organic connections. That approach worked well while the company was smaller.
As the team grew, the talent pool became harder to reach.
The firm is located in Barrie, Ontario, which limited access to some candidates. At the same time, the roles they needed to fill required a rare mix of design ability, technical strength, personality fit, and alignment with the firm’s values.
One of the most challenging searches was for a landscape architect.
Madison Taylor Design already had a strong leader in place for that division. The next hire needed to complement that person, strengthen the team, and meet the high standard the company had already built.
The firm tried the usual channels. They used their own industry network. They posted on job boards. They shared the opportunity on social media.
After roughly a year and a half of searching, they were still hitting the same walls.
They needed a recruitment partner who could reach beyond the obvious channels and represent the business properly in the market.
The DMC Approach
Tiffiny “Tiff” Yaxley stepped in with a clear understanding of what Madison Taylor Design needed.
This was not just about finding someone with the right title. It was about finding someone who could succeed inside the company’s culture and contribute to the type of work the firm was known for.
Because Tiff already understood the architecture, design, engineering, and custom home space, she was able to speak the client’s language. She understood the types of candidates who would fit the work, the team, and the pace of the business.
That made a major difference.
Instead of waiting for active applicants, Tiff went directly into the market. She reached out to people who may not have been actively looking. She researched candidates through less traditional channels. She looked closely at their work, their personality, and their potential fit before bringing them forward.
For Madison, that was the value of working with a recruiter who truly understood the assignment.
Tiff was able to act as an extension of the Madison Taylor Design team. She represented the company’s culture, asked the right questions, and helped filter for the qualities that mattered most.
As Madison shared in the video, working with Tiff felt like “having an extension to our family.”
What Made the Search Different
Madison Taylor Design had worked with recruiters before, but this experience was different.
The difference came down to specialization, trust, and fit.
Tiff was not simply sending resumes. She understood the industry. She understood the type of projects Madison Taylor Design worked on. She understood why the culture mattered. She also had the confidence to reach into the market and start conversations with people the company may not have been able to access on its own.
That combination helped remove a major burden from Madison and her leadership team.
The search process gave them reach, structure, and market access while still protecting the human connection that mattered so much to the business.
For a company that cares deeply about culture, that trust was critical.
The Result
Through Tiff’s search, Madison Taylor Design was introduced to a landscape architect who quickly stood out as the right fit.
From the first meeting, the alignment was clear. The candidate understood the company, connected with the work, and brought the right mix of personality and technical ability to strengthen the team.
The search helped Madison Taylor Design move past the limits of its own network and find a candidate who matched the business on more than a skills level.
It helped the firm continue building the team it needed to support complex, high quality projects across Muskoka, Collingwood, Blue Mountain, and other communities where the firm is active.
Those projects include custom homes, chalets, boathouses, multi building compounds, horse farms, and other design driven properties that require strong collaboration across disciplines.
For Madison Taylor Design, the right hire was not just about filling a gap. It was about protecting the standard of work, the strength of the team, and the culture that had helped the business grow.
A Partnership Built for Continued Growth
As Madison Taylor Design continues to grow, the relationship with DMC remains valuable.
The firm needs people who can rise to the level of its projects and contribute to a team that takes pride in doing meaningful, detailed, and creative work.
DMC’s role is to help the business reach the right people, assess fit carefully, and support growth without compromising what makes the company successful.
For Madison, the experience showed the value of working with a recruitment partner who understands both the market and the human side of hiring.
The result is more than a completed search.
It is a trusted partnership that helps Madison Taylor Design continue building the right team for the next stage of growth.
Recruiter Spotlight
Tiffiny Yaxley, Sr. Recruitment Consultant – DMC Recruitment
