Shepherd Search Group is a rapidly growing, multinational parent company of 12 talent solution firms specializing in recruitment, executive search, interim staffing, performance coaching, organizational management, talent effectiveness, and HR solutions. Founded by David Gantshar in San Diego and New York, Shepherd is today based in Port St. Lucie, Florida – one of the ten fastest-growing cities in the United States. Since its establishment, the company has experienced tremendous success in recruitment and retention, boasting an impressive 97.3% retention rate. Yet they’re not just focused on their own fast-paced growth; The company is a national leader in assisting companies and nonprofits alike with their own recruitment & retention strategies, a wide array of diversity, equity & inclusion efforts, and team performance initiatives through their own talent effectiveness programs and HR solutions. These efforts have made Shepherd Search Group one of the industry’s most successful companies.
David Gantshar, the founder and CEO of Shepherd Search Group, is an impressive individual. Tenacious, self-deprecating, warm, and yet fiercely competitive, David took his idea for a multinational search firm and turned it into a successful reality. Gantshar founded Shepherd Search in 2013 to provide an efficient and cost-effective solution to the corporate world’s recruitment and retention problems. His idea was to create a network of niche search firms that could source, recruit, and retain the best talent in a variety of industries. He also wanted to ensure an “open” process focused on superior candidate selection, only the highest level of service, and a process that consistently beat client expectations. Shepherd has kept up their end of the bargain by employing professional talent scouts, ensuring all leaders – including David – would be fully accessible to the firm’s customers, and a two-shift operation approach which has helped to significantly reduce cycle times. The company has made great strides since its inception, with Shepherd Search now represented in 20 cities across seven countries and has completed successful searches in more than forty-five countries.
The company has been recognized in the Inc. 1000 twice, in 2017 and 2019, for being one of the nation’s fastest-growing privately-owned companies. In addition to the company’s success, Gantshar and his team have been very involved in giving back to the community. Shepherd Search Group volunteers at local soup kitchens and is known for a strong level of charitable giving. The company volunteers to help plant trees in the areas where they live and work to reduce their carbon footprint. Their most recent expansion efforts have taken the company further by opening new offices in Dubai and Taipei. These offices will serve the entire market throughout the Middle East, Northern Africa, and Asia.
According to Gantshar, “The key to managing a successful company like Shepherd Search Group is to have a clear vision and set of values integrated throughout all aspects of the business. It’s also essential to stay updated with emerging trends so that we become the subject matter expert first!” By sharing these resources with their clients, Shepherd has created a firm known for its openness and desire to help others succeed. Yet when asking his people what the “secret sauce” is Gantshar is recognized for a more personal touch. Bill Gordon, Managing Director of Dermatology Recruiters, a Shepherd Search Group Company – has worked with David for over a decade. According to Mr. Gordon, “David just has this love of people. It’s simply contagious. David really loves his team and this is apparent in the working environment, the low turnover at the firm, and the culture he has created. He puts his entire being and heart into this company including Shepherd’s team, their clients, and those they represent. It’s just fun to be around him. He is really an emissary for our industry and the ways in which we can change lives.” With David Gantshar‘s astute leadership, Shepherd Search Group has become a successful multinational leader in the search and recruitment space.
To manage such a company, David and his five-person executive leadership team stay focused on the mission, constantly looking at both new services and markets they can add ultimately impacting recruitment and retention. Making time for his family, faith, and an hour each day in the swimming pool Gantshar seems to always be on the move. During the writing of this article over the course of one week, David was visiting clients in Frankfurt, Madrid, Atlanta, Denver, and Los Angeles.
Gantshar’s vision and commitment to the company have taken Shepherd Search Group to great heights but he’s quick to give credit to his team. “Shepherd has become an example inside and outside of recruitment of how a business performs with passion. It’s the #1 thing we look for when adding to our own team. You will find it in every one of our people, and it is a major component of what makes them the very best professionals in the industry.”
If you want to learn more about Shepherd Search Group and its extensive and growing list of services, you can visit their website or find them on LinkedIn. They are certainly a company worth watching, and my sense is they are only just beginning.
Click here to read the full Kivo Daily article.