Jake Englund – Director of Merchandising @ Wild Mikes Ultimate Pizza (S.A. Piazza & Associates)

Paul Freed on October 31, 2024

Our Herd Freed Hartz executive search team was honored to partner with S.A. Piazza & Associates (“Wild Mikes Ultimate Pizza”) on a nationwide retained search to find their new Director of Merchandising.

 S. A. Piazza & Associates, one of the fastest growing frozen food manufacturers in the US located in Clackamas, Oregon. The company has been growing at a 30% annual rate and are investing in building a new state of the art 360K square foot production facility in Redmond, Oregon scaling up capacity and new capabilities to 10x current production.

The family that founded the company in 1967 is on a five-year plan to take the company public in which all their employees have stock options and will get to participate in this event. This new facility will support their financial goal of being a Billion-dollar company. 

Their Wild Mike’s Ultimate Pizza brand is distributed in all 50 states through a network of 67 retail chains. They also have a K-12 food service division, that has 15% of the school market, feeding approximately 50 million school children annually in 48 states. 

Kevin Hartz, Managing Partner shared “We loved working with Wild Mike’s as they scale their team. Collaborating with you was a delightful experience!“

Learn more about Herd Freed Hartz’s track record:
Consumer/Retail industry
Manufacturing industry
Marketing executive leadership roles

Josh Billings – VP Sales & Marketing @ Alldrafts

Paul Freed on October 30, 2024

Our Herd Freed Hartz executive search team was honored to partner with Alldrafts on a nationwide retained search to find their new VP Sales & Marketing.

AllDrafts, founded by seasoned entrepreneur Bob Pritchett, is an innovative player in the legal tech space. Our flagship product, AllDrafts, is a cutting-edge cloud-based editor tailored for contract drafting. Leveraging advanced features like automatic formatting, an extensive clause library, smart redaction, and intuitive templates, AllDrafts simplifies contract creation. Our integrated AI capabilities further enhance productivity by drafting outlines or clauses and streamlining complex paragraphs. Additionally, our platform generates clean Word and PDF files from any draft, making legal document management more efficient than ever. 

Learn more about Herd Freed Hartz’s track record:
Technology industry
VP Sales leadership roles

Ashley Wilson – AVP, Data Architect @ Physicians Insurance

Paul Freed on October 30, 2024

Our Herd Freed Hartz executive search team was honored to partner with Physicians Insurance on a nationwide retained search to find their new AVP, Data Architect.

Physicians Insurance Overview 

We stake our reputation on protecting our Members. Physicians Insurance was founded in 1981 on the idea of protecting, defending, and supporting our Members—all backed by excellent, personalized service. There are other malpractice carriers, but we raise the bar. Being a mutual company ensures that everyone involved shares a common mission to put the interests of our Members first. It’s this single‑minded mission that sets us apart, and that drives our culture of superlative service in support of the full range of medical malpractice coverages, stop‑loss solutions, and other insurance products that we provide. 

It’s one thing to offer insurance, and quite another to see it through. In every communication, every expert opinion, every risk assessment or claim, all our Members experience the impact of our mission. With over 8,500 Members and growing, this experience is in evidence all over the nation. 

Physician’s Insurance has an office in the heart of downtown Seattle and approximately 90 employees, cultivating a caring, learning culture that values employee experience and a work/life balance. 

Learn more about Herd Freed Hartz’s track record:
Healthcare industry
Financial Services industry
Engineering leadership roles

Holly Morgan – Executive Director @ OlyCAP

Paul Freed on October 17, 2024

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

 Founded 55 years ago, OlyCAP (Olympic Community Action Programs) has helped people build resilient communities by providing equitable access to solutions and opportunities throughout Clallam and Jefferson counties. The agency today employs 106 dedicated professionals overseeing dozens of programs with a single common thread: service to the community. 

These programs include:

Housing Services and Solutions: Offering 4 shelters, 3 permanent supporting housing locations, and homeless prevention, rapid rehousing and supportive housing services.

Early Childhood Education: Supporting Early Start/Head Start/ECEAP programs.

Economic Empowerment: Facilitating Guaranteed Income Program and FCS Supported Employment.

Home and Energy Resources: Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), Weatherization.

Nutrition: Basic food outreach, Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) and a Mobile Food Market

Senior Focused Services: Arts & Minds Memory Wellness Program, Encore! Adult Daycare Center and Americorps Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP)

Brought on in late July, Morgan introduced herself to the Board of Jefferson County Commissioners (read full article here):

“OlyCAP was without leadership for several months,” Morgan said. “That was both at an executive level and at a fiscal lead level. So, there’s quite a few things that just need to be firmed up. I worked immediately to bring in an outsourced organization to manage our fiscal leadership. Our finances are so incredibly complex with all of the different funding sources and reporting requirements, and all of that stuff.“

“To have someone who is really knowledgeable and experienced in dealing with that kind of complexity, I think is important for us. The organization that we went with is CLA. They’re kind of big boys in the accounting world.”

OlyCAP also will be developing its 2025 budget with CLA, Morgan said.

“My priority for the first few months, I think, is going to be to fill all of the key positions that have been vacant for some time,” Morgan said, “and to really dial in on the fiscal side of things, to bring that around.”

Commissioner Heidi Eisenhour noted that, as a first-term commissioner, she has been amazed by how many projects OlyCAP is involved with.

“We have a really wide scope of service. We do,” Morgan said. “Part of my philosophy that I’m trying to bring to the community at large, every time I meet someone to speak with them for the first time, is really to emphasize the partnership side of the work that OlyCAP does. We don’t want to repeat services that are already being done well by someone else, if we can support them.”

“Maybe we as a CAP agency have access to some money that they can’t get. We’re really about partnerships and collaborations and working together. We are here for the community and to help people.”

Learn more about Herd Freed Hartz’s track record:
Non Profit practice
CEO / President practice

Jason Mendenhall – CEO @ CTL

Paul Freed on October 17, 2024

Our Herd Freed Hartz executive search team was honored to partner with CTL, a portfolio company of Columbia River Partners, on a nationwide retained search to find their new CEO in Portland, OR.

CTL is a leading Chromebook distributor offering customized support and technical partnership to meet the needs of K‑12 Education and Enterprise verticals. Since their founding in 1989, CTL has grown to $50M+ in annual revenues and gained a reputation for delivering excellence and key strategic partnerships from Google, Intel, Qualcomm and Verizon for their hardware, software and services solutions. They recently were recognized as a B‑Corporation showing their commitment to social responsibility and giving back.Customers prefer partnering with CTL with their 1:1 customized advice/support, volume order discounts, device rental programs, free shipping, self‑service repair, demo devices, OEM quality repairs and buy back/eco recycling programs.

They sell into two key vertical markets:
K‑12 Education – With 1,000+ K‑12 school district clients nationally and a strong track record ofsuccess, the integration of Chromebooks into regular school workflow is here to stay. In 2024, 12 millionChromebooks were deployed in schools and overall growth continues. Key customers range fromPortland Public Schools, Nevada Ready 21, Maine Learning Technology Initiative, and Digital Promise(Verizon Innovative Learning Schools).

Enterprise/Business – Whether conference room systems, customer support center, digital signage or kiosks – CTL has partnered with businesses to find creative and cost‑effective Chromebooksolutions. Clients include Netflix, Airbnb, Airbus, Coinbase, Twitter/X, Spotify and Yelp.

CTL headquarters is in Beaverton, OR, with their 26K sq ft facility and they were named Fastest Growing Private 100 Companies (2022) by Portland Business Journal. Their success track record and market potential attracted the private equity investment in 2021 by Columbia River Partners to help build on this foundation and get to the next level of growth.

“CTL is growing rapidly, and the expansion of our leadership team will accelerate our scaling efforts,” said Pooneet Goel, Board Member and Partner of Columbia River Partners. ”We’ve assembled a strong team of seasoned leaders, with proven track records in education technology, that will continue CTL’s upward trajectory.”

“This is a pivotal and exciting moment for CTL,” said Stromquist,  co-founder of CTL. “We’re coming off a year of growth with expansion into new markets, the introduction of new products, and our B Corp certification – all of which have positioned CTL for a bright future. With this transition, I’ll now devote time to developing new business strategies and partnerships that will drive our growth. I’m pleased to support Jason in his new role and am looking forward to our next chapter.”  Read full CTL Press Release

Learn more about Herd Freed Hartz’s track record of success:
Technology practice
CEO / President practice
Private Equity practice

Stephen Krauss – President, N. America @ Ooni

Paul Freed on October 17, 2024

Our Herd Freed Hartz executive search team was honored to partner with Ooni, on a nationwide retained search to find their new President, N. America in Austin, TX.

Ooni launched the home pizza cooking revolution more than ten years ago and, today, Ooni is recognized as the global brand leader.

This startup success story began with a spark of an idea ‑ borne of our founders’ frustration in not being able to cook high-quality pizza at home. Launched from a Kickstarter campaign in 2012, Ooni has gone on to achieve global success, with $200M+ global revenues, a category‑leading range of pizza oven products, and a team of skilled, passionate people in different markets around the world.

Ooni customers love being cooking heroes for creating authentic Neapolitan-style pizzas in 60 seconds! You will find their products in top retailers including: Lowe’s, Ace, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Best Buy, Williams Sonoma, Nordstrom, Sur La Table, REI, World Market, Scheels, and Bass Pro Shops.

Ooni is headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland. Under the direction of co-founders, the husband-and-wife team of Kristian Tapaninaho and Darina Garland, they remain privately-held without any external investment. And, as a B‑Certified Corporation Ooni donates 1% back to the planet, exemplifying our triple bottom line approach. In 2020, they were recognized as the UK’s Entrepreneur of the Year; and received “Best Places to Work” awards in 2022 and 2024.

At Ooni, they have always been driven by huge ambition. Not content with our historic success, Ooni now has their sights on the horizon – trailblazing cooking products that feed both people and planet.

They recognize that in order to achieve this goal, they need to continue to build a stronger base of operations to grow and lead the pizza oven category in Ooni’s #1 market – the US and Canada. 

“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Stephen Krauss to the Ooni family as President of North America,” said Kristian Tapaninaho, Founder and Co-CEO of Ooni. “Stephen’s history of driving growth and his forward-thinking vision fit perfectly with Ooni’s mission to create moments of joy and connection through trailblazing products that elevate the cooking experience. He’s the ideal person to help us strengthen our roots, elevate our innovation, and keep pushing the boundaries of what’s possible at Ooni.” Read full Ooni Press Release

Learn more about Herd Freed Hartz’s track record:
Consumer & Retail practice
CEO / President practice
Family Business practice

Elizabeth Brane – BD Mgr, N. America @ Hutchinson

Paul Freed on July 24, 2024

Our Herd Freed Hartz executive search team was honored to partner with Hutchinson, on a nationwide retained search to find their new Business Development Mgr, N. America focused on Aerospace key accounts.

Hutchinson is a global leader in vibration control, fluid management and sealing technologies with solutions across a mix of industries. With a Paris global headquarters, Hutchinson today has 38,000 employees in 25
countries, and €4+ billion revenues in 2023 with strong growth and building on their legacy story since their founding in 1853 by American businessman Hiram Hutchinson.

Hutchinson ADI (Aerospace / Defense / Industry) division is focused on products and solutions for these vertical markets with €1.4 billion revenues and 8,400 employees worldwide. With their acquisition of Barry Controls in Burbank, CA, this built upon prior success in the Americas. In addition, Hutchinson ADI opened up their Business Development, Marketing and Client Success office in 2022 located in Bellevue, WA to focus on Aerospace, Defense and Industry opportunities in the Americas. Clients include Boeing, Bell, Collins, GE, Spirit, Lockheed, Gulf Stream, Cessna, Honeywell, Pratt & Whitney and Sikorsky. This increased customer focus around key accounts has led to 50% sales growth in unlocking new opportunities and long-term ADI partnerships collaborating with other Hutchinson manufacturing locations and business units worldwide.

Learn more about Herd Freed Hartz’s:
Manufacturing practice
Sales Leadership practice
Family Business practice

Jeff Keene – CIO @ Harbor Foods

Paul Freed on July 23, 2024

Our Herd Freed Hartz executive search team was honored to partner with Harbor Foods, on a nationwide retained search to find their new Chief Infomation Officer (CIO).

Harbor Foods is dedicated to supporting our local partners that provide jobs in their communities, bring convenience to busy lives, and invite us all to experience life around the table. Fortifying Community every day.

Harbor is proud to receive one of the coveted 2023 Washington’s Best Workplaces Awards and recognition as one of Washington’s Fastest-growing Private Companies.

Harbor Foods is the largest independent 4th generation family-owned distributor on the West Coast, obsessed with the success of each of its 1,200+ team members. Harbor Foods and subsidiaries Harbor Wholesale and Harbor Foodservice serve over 8,000 restaurants, hospitality venues, convenience stores, and independent grocers with a wide selection of local and national products, business solutions and Harbor-owned Real Fresh Brands™. Brands such as Scratch Dig-in-Chicken™, Mountain Fresh™, Via Vita Pizza®, Split Shift®, Watertown Craft Roasted®, Mein Street®, and Skippers®.

Harbor Foods also houses Northlink Logistics, an end-to-end third-party logistics company where our culture and values create a unique hassle-free experience. Harbor Foods operates distribution centers in Kent, WA, Lacey, WA, Roseburg, OR, and Modesto, CA.

Jim Winkle, EVP & CFO at Harbor Foods commented on the executive search process, “We really appreciate your work in bringing top quality candidates to the table for us…I think Jeff is going to be a great fit for our team and company. Super excited to bring him into the Harbor family!”  


Learn more about Herd Freed Hartz’s:
Food & Agriculture practice
CIO & IT Leadership practice
Family Business practice

Jon Gisvold – Director of Fraud Operations @ OnPoint Credit Union

Paul Freed on July 17, 2024

Our Herd Freed Hartz executive search team was honored to partner with OnPoint Credit Union, on a nationwide retained search to find their new Director of Fraud Operations. As a repeat client, Herd Freed Hartz also filled the Chief Marketing Officer role for OnPoint.

OnPoint Community Credit Union’s purpose is to build strong communities by supporting financial growth and well-being, one person at a time. OnPoint’s vision is to be the leader in delivering extraordinary experiences and value to our community. They have been improving the lives of members since 1932, when 16 schoolteachers got together to create a safe place to save their money and provide low-cost loans to other teachers and their families. Since that time, OnPoint has grown to be the largest community-owned financial institution headquartered in Oregon with 900+ employees. Today 1 in 4 households in Portland have an OnPoint account.

OnPoint does not just sell products and rates – they demonstrate trust, integrity, advice, financial values and consistency through every delivery channel. They listen, care, are fair, and treat every member as an individual. Over 437,000 consumer and 33,000 business members have chosen OnPoint because their values match customer values – “our community is your community.” This sense of pride and ownership cannot be purchased: it must be grown, nurtured, and protected.

OnPoint has grown to $8B+ in assets and is the largest real estate lender and largest auto lender in Oregon (#5 nationally) and top 25 credit card portfolio holder nationally. With the recent addition of 20 new branches, by the end of summer 2021, OnPoint will offer a total of 54 retail branch locations for members across Portland, Vancouver, Salem, Eugene and Bend. 

Learn more about Herd Freed Hartz’s:
Consumer & Retail practice
Financial Services practice

Summer Burt – Chief Marketing Officer @ Redwood Outdoors

Paul Freed on July 1, 2024

Our Herd Freed Hartz executive search team was honored to partner with Redwood Outdoors, on a nationwide retained search to find their new Chief Marketing Officer.

Redwood Outdoors is an exciting e-commerce company that specializes in Outdoor Saunas & Cold Plunge Tubs. Started in 2019 by Co-Founders Killian Lannen and Nicholas Jensen, experienced entrepreneurs who were passionate sauna users, and saw an opportunity in outdoors health and wellness products. The company found early success in outdoor saunas. This success sparked the team to go on a mission to become the #1 health and wellness brand in the USA. Five years later the company has nearly 25 staff, an 8-digit annual turnover, and makes both indoor and outdoor saunas that can accommodate up to eight people, as well as a series of cold plunge tubs to complete the set.

Redwood Outdoors is based in Tukwila, WA just outside of Seattle, in beautiful Washington State. A love for America’s great Pacific Northwest, an incredible region blessed with unblemished forests, stunning mountain ranges, and crisp waters, the team knows what it’s like to escape from the city and how good it feels to rejuvenate yourself while surrounded by nature at its finest. Since launching the business, 

Learn more about Herd Freed Hartz’s:
Consumer & Retail practice
Chief Marketing Officer practice