Art of Recruiting: Fish For Talent With The Right Bait

Paul Freed on September 29, 2026

There Were Fish in the River: Why Top Candidates Swim Past Your Job Post

Learning to fly fish around Bend, Oregon, I’ve learned rainbow trout are not sampling the menu on a mountain stream. They are keyed on a particular food, like a caddis fly, that looks a certain size, rides the water a certain way, and shows up at a certain hour. Present something that looks and acts like that, and you’ll hook the rainbow trout and have a story. In fly fishing, they call it “match the hatch”.

To match the hatch in recruiting, you need a clear story of the company and a specific reason this role would be worth leaving a good job for.

Art of Recruiting: How to “Stage” Your Job Description

Paul Freed on September 29, 2026

What Real Estate Can Teach Us About Job Descriptions

Think back to the last time you were shopping for a new house. Late at night, phone in hand, you swiped past dozens of Zillow listings and saved the few that looked worth a Saturday open house.

Pretend you are on that hunt again. You land on the two listings below. Which one do you actually go see?

Jeff Cook – CFO @ TEC Equipment

Paul Freed on September 29, 2026

Our Herd Freed Hartz executive search team was honored to partner with TEC Equipment on a nationwide retained executive search to find their new CFO in Portland, OR.

Over the last 50 years, TEC Equipment has grown to $1B+ revenues and 1200 employees as a leading full-service truck and trailer dealership with 30+ locations throughout the West Coast. TEC maintains one of the country’s largest inventories of Volvo, Mack, Stoughton Trailers, MAC Trailer, Hino, Isuzu and a host of other brands.

Dan Duryea – CFO @ Shelter Holdings

Paul Freed on September 29, 2026

Our Herd Freed Hartz executive search team was honored to partner with Shelter Holdings on a retained executive search to find their new Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

Shelter Holdings was founded in 2014 and is a real-estate and credit-focused family office that actively manages a diversified portfolio across the following core business lines: Vertically integrated real estate development, stabilized multifamily, private lending and Northwest Bank.

Kevin Toohill – President @ Forsite

Paul Freed on September 29, 2026

Our Herd Freed Hartz executive search team was honored to partner with Forsite on a nationwide retained executive search to find their new President.

Forsite is one of North America’s largest providers of geospatial data and analytics, delivering critical insights that help protect natural resources and critical infrastructure. This Private Equity backed company serves a diverse client base across Forestry, Oil & Gas, Utilities (including Pipeline Patrol), Insurance, Mining, Indigenous Nations, and Government.

Jeff Cohen – CEO @ Cadwell

Paul Freed on September 29, 2026

Our Herd Freed Hartz executive search team was honored to partner with Cadwell on a nationwide retained executive search to find their new CEO.

Cadwell is a $100M privately-held industry-leading manufacturer of high-end medical equipment for diagnosing diseases of the nervous system, analyzing sleep disorders, and monitoring surgeries involving the spine and brain.

Paul Ziemnisky – CEO @ International Dairy Deli Bakery Association (IDDBA)

Paul Freed on September 1, 2026

Our Herd Freed Hartz executive search team was honored to partner with The International Dairy Deli Bakery Association (IDDBA) on a nationwide retained executive search to find their new CEO. The International Dairy Deli Bakery Association (IDDBA) is the premier trade association for the dairy, deli, bakery, and retail foodservice sectors.