Harrison

What Harrison does

Harrison Group Inc. is a Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based executive search firm founded in 1976 that operates as a specialized recruiting practice serving six industry verticals: Construction, Manufacturing, Financial Services, Banking, Accounting & Finance, and Information Technology. The firm originated as Management Recruiters of Cedar Rapids under the MRINetwork franchise system, was purchased by Michael Brown in 2015, and rebranded to Harrison Group Inc. in 2021 while retaining its MRINetwork affiliation.

The firm offers a layered service stack: Contingency Search (fee on placement only), Engaged Search (one-third upfront / one-third at presentation / one-third at start), Contract Staffing for temporary placements, Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) for organizations hiring 5+ positions annually, and a Retained Executive Search division launched as HGI Retained for high-stakes C-suite, advisory board, and fractional placements. Underlying technology consists of a proprietary recruiting methodology deployed across the MRINetwork's 300+ office infrastructure for national candidate reach; no proprietary software platform, AI tooling, or technology product is offered.

The firm generates revenue as a professional services business through percentage-of-first-year-earnings placement fees, with pricing not publicly disclosed and all services delivered via direct consultative client engagement rather than intermediaries. Top-decile MRINetwork rankings (Top 10 producing office, multiple #1 and Top 5 individual recruiter honors), 85% repeat client rates in core divisions, and headcount growth from 8 employees in 2015 to 40+ by 2025 indicate a mature, scaling professional services firm with strong vertical specialization and relationship-driven go-to-market.

Name

Harrison

Legal name

Harrison Group Inc.

Website

https://harrisongrp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Harrison Group Inc. is a Cedar Rapids-based executive search firm founded in 1976, serving Construction, Manufacturing, Financial Services, Banking, Accounting & Finance, and IT clients through contingency, engaged, contract, RPO, and retained search services via direct consultative engagement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search and Professional Recruiting Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131), Executive Search Services (561312)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

C-Suite & Board Search (BPACAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Functional Leadership Search (HR/Finance/Legal/Marketing/Sales/Ops) (BPACAAAB), Financial Services Leadership Search (Banking/Insurance/PE/Asset Mgmt) (BPACAAAF), General Permanent Placement (Multi-Industry) (BPACAFAA)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Executive recruiting firm
• Talent acquisition
• Recruitment process outsourcing
• Professional staffing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Cedar Rapids

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Contingency Search: Full-time employee placement with fee due only when position is filled. Fee is a percentage of first-year earnings, payable when candidate starts employment. No financial commitment required to initiate search.
2. Engaged Search: Dedicated search team for urgent or sensitive positions. Requires one-third engagement fee upfront, one-third when candidates are presented, remainder when candidate begins employment. Fee computed at percentage of offer letter including base salary and realistic bonus for first year.
3. Contract Staffing: Temporary contract placements providing flexibility to fill seasonal, project-based, or temporary openings. Contract employees can be transitioned to full-time permanent positions at any point.
4. Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO): Full or partial transfer of recruitment process to Harrison Group for organizations with significant hiring needs (5, 25, or 50+ people annually). Claims average savings of 10-15% of annual hiring expenses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Harrison Group Inc. is an executive search and professional recruiting firm that places executive, managerial, and skilled professionals into client companies via four core service models: Contingency Search (fee on placement), Engaged Search (retained-style with partial upfront fees), Contract Staffing (temporary placements), and Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO). The firm runs a dedicated Retained Executive Search division (HGI Retained) for high-stakes executive, advisory board, and fractional leadership hiring. Specialization spans Construction, Manufacturing, Financial Services, Banking, Accounting & Finance, and Information Technology.

Product overview

Harrison Group (HGI) is an executive recruiting firm offering a unified suite of talent acquisition services built around a proprietary recruiting methodology. The core offerings include Contingency Search for contingent full-time placements, Engaged Search for urgent dedicated searches, Contract Staffing for flexible temporary placements, and Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) for large-scale hiring needs. A specialized Retained Division handles high-stakes executive search engagements including advisory board and fractional leadership placement. Supporting these core services are training programs including a Sales Development Program for career changers and an Internship Program for students. The firm specializes across six industry verticals: Construction, Manufacturing, Financial Services, Banking, Accounting & Finance, and Information Technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HGI Retained: A retained executive search division specializing in high-stakes hiring, strategic partnerships, and placing executive and professional talent.

Products and services

• Contingency Search Full-time employee placement service for executive and professional roles where payment is only required after a successful placement. Clients can initiate searches without financial commitment and pay a percentage of first-year earnings once the candidate starts.
• Engaged Search Dedicated search team focused exclusively on filling urgent or priority positions, requiring partial upfront fee with payments structured across initiation, candidate presentation, and employment start. Fee computed at a percentage of total first-year compensation (base plus realistic bonus).
• Contract Staffing Temporary staffing solution providing flexibility to fill seasonal, project-based, or interim positions across construction, manufacturing, financial services, banking, IT, and accounting/finance. Contract employees can be transitioned to full-time permanent positions at any point.
• Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) Comprehensive outsourcing solution for organizations with significant hiring needs (5, 25, or 50+ positions annually). Includes dedicated recruiters and claims average savings of 10–15% on annual hiring expenses versus traditional recruiting.
• HGI Retained Executive Search Strategic retained partnership for high-stakes executive hiring, including executive identification and placement, advisory board recruitment, interim/fractional executive placement, and contractor/consultant sourcing across Harrison Group's industry verticals (with particular strength in financial services/insurance through Search Director Mark Peterson).

Quantifiable outcome

• 85% repeat client rate for construction and financial services teams
• +5 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• MRINetwork (MRI Network)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 October 1976Harrison Group was originally founded as Management Recruiters of Cedar Rapids (MRI Cedar Rapids) in October 1976 as a franchisee of the MRI Network. The company operated under this affiliation until rebranding as Harrison Group Inc. in 2021. This partnership provides access to MRINetwork's 300+ offices across North America, enabling national recruiting reach and participation in network-wide awards and recognition programs.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Korn Ferry: Global executive search and organizational consulting firm. Competes with HGI's retained division on senior executive placements and is the benchmark incumbent in the executive search category HGI serves.
• Kforce Inc. Publicly traded professional staffing firm with a technology and finance/accounting focus. Overlaps with HGI's Accounting & Finance and IT verticals and competes for similar mid-market clients.
• Robert Half International: Large publicly traded staffing and recruiting firm with a dedicated executive search and placement practice. Overlaps with HGI across professional, finance, and accounting placements but operates at national scale as part of a broader portfolio.
• Spencer Stuart: Privately held global executive search firm. Directly comparable on retained senior executive placements across multiple industries, including financial services and industrial/manufacturing verticals where HGI operates.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm. Comparable to HGI on the retained executive search and financial services leadership practices, though operating at a much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Goodwin Recruiting: Multi-industry executive search firm with vertical specialization. Closely comparable to HGI in size, multi-vertical structure, and reliance on relationship-driven, contingency and engaged search.
• DHR International: Mid-sized global executive search firm with industry-specialist practices. Closely comparable to HGI's vertical specialization model and size of senior retained engagements.
• Lucas Group: North American executive search firm historically focused on mid-to-senior placements across functional areas. Comparable to HGI's contingency/engaged search offerings for middle-management and executive roles.

Emerging players

• Hunt Club: Tech-enabled executive search and talent platform targeting executive and senior roles. Comparable to HGI on the executive/senior placement business but differentiated by a digital-first model rather than HGI's relationship-driven approach.

Others

• MRINetwork: Parent franchise network of 300+ recruiting offices of which HGI is a member. Other top-ranked franchise offices within MRINetwork are direct comparables in size, methodology, and service mix, making the network itself a benchmarking peer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/harrison-group-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles26 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Harrison