Southwest Selective Search
Southwest Selective Search is a privately held, founder-owned insurance industry recruiting firm founded in 1989, placing P&C underwriting, claims, actuarial, and executive candidates with carriers, brokers, agencies, and TPAs across the United States.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1989
- HeadquartersNorth Richland Hills, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Southwest Selective Search does
Southwest Selective Search is a privately held, founder-owned recruiting firm founded in January 1989 by Paul D. Neir, headquartered in North Richland Hills, Texas. The firm specializes exclusively in recruiting for the U.S. insurance industry, placing candidates in roles spanning P&C underwriting, claims adjusting, actuarial, risk management, sales/marketing, producers, legal/compliance, accounting & finance, IT, operations, and executive positions. Its client base comprises insurance carriers, brokers, retail agencies, and third-party administrators across the United States.
The company operates two primary service lines: direct-hire permanent placement (with contingency-based placement fees and a guarantee period) and temporary staffing (providing prescreened contract employees with an optional permanent-conversion fee). A secondary support offering, candidate career consulting, supplies interview preparation resources such as phone, video, and in-person interview guidance. There is no proprietary technology platform; operations rely on the founder's accumulated candidate database, national insurance-industry contact network, and on-site client consultations to assess corporate culture before sourcing candidates.
The go-to-market model is sales-led and relationship-driven, with direct engagement of enterprise clients, on-site culture assessments, and long-term partnership positioning in which the firm acts as an extension of client HR. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. With 1-10 employees, no institutional investors, and no parent company, Southwest Selective Search operates as a founder-controlled lifestyle professional services business sustained primarily by the founder's tenure and reputation rather than by capital-driven scaling.
Southwest Selective Search firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Southwest Selective Search
- Legal name
- Southwest Selective Search
- Website
- https://swselectivesearch.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1989
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Southwest Selective Search is a privately held, founder-owned insurance industry recruiting firm founded in 1989, placing P&C underwriting, claims, actuarial, and executive candidates with carriers, brokers, agencies, and TPAs across the United States.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Southwest Selective Search industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Insurance Recruitment Services
- NAICS
- Executive Search Services (561312), Employment Placement Agencies (561311)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Financial Services Leadership Search (Banking/Insurance/PE/Asset Mgmt) (BPACAAAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Functional Leadership Search (HR/Finance/Legal/Marketing/Sales/Ops) (BPACAAAB)
Keywords
Where Southwest Selective Search is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- North Richland Hills
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Southwest Selective Search business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Direct-Hire Placement Services: Permanent placement of insurance professionals for client companies. Fee structure includes contingency-based placement fees with guarantee period. They coordinate interviews and offers, facilitating smooth transitions and maintaining relationships beyond the guarantee period.
- Temporary Staffing Services: Provides prescreened contract employees to clients for temporary assignments based on their needs. Offers conversion programs allowing clients to hire contractors permanently for a conversion fee.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels2 records
Southwest Selective Search product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Southwest Selective Search is a recruiting firm that provides direct-hire permanent placement and temporary staffing services exclusively to the U.S. insurance industry. The firm matches insurance companies, brokers, retail agencies, and third-party administrators with qualified professionals across underwriting, claims, sales, actuarial, legal/compliance, risk management, IT, operations, and executive roles. It also offers candidate career consulting resources including interview preparation guidance.
Product overview
Southwest Selective Search operates as a recruiting firm within the insurance industry, offering two primary service lines: Direct-Hire Services for permanent placements and Temporary Staffing Services for contract-based needs. The firm specializes in recruiting for insurance-specific positions including P&C Underwriting, Claims Adjusting, Risk Management, Sales/Marketing, Actuarial, Legal/Compliance, and Executive roles. Candidate Career Consulting resources are provided as support services to assist candidates throughout the job search and interview process. The company was founded in January 1989 and maintains relationships with insurance companies, brokers, retail agencies, and third-party administrators throughout the United States.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Direct-Hire Services
Companies that use Southwest Selective Search
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Southwest Selective Search technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Southwest Selective Search partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves3 records
Southwest Selective Search competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm with executive search across financial services and insurance leadership. Competes for the same senior insurance searches but with much broader portfolio and proprietary assessment IP.
- Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search firm with a dedicated Financial Services practice covering insurance. Overlaps with Southwest Selective Search on senior insurance placements but operates across all industries with vastly larger scale.
- Spencer Stuart: Global executive search firm serving insurance, financial services, and other industries. Overlaps with Southwest Selective Search for C-suite and senior insurance placements at the high end of the market.
- Robert Half International: Large specialty staffing and recruiting firm with a dedicated practice for insurance claims, underwriting, and accounting roles. Competes in the same insurance talent market with broader geographic coverage and a tech-enabled platform.
Direct peers
- Aureus Group: Insurance and financial services recruiting firm placing professionals in underwriting, claims, actuarial, and executive roles. Directly comparable vertical specialization and direct-hire placement model.
- OakBridge Insurance Recruiting: Insurance-focused recruiting firm covering underwriting, claims, sales, and operational roles for carriers and agencies. Directly comparable niche and direct-hire placement services.
- The McIntyre Group: Insurance-focused executive search and recruiting firm serving carriers, brokers, and TPAs across P&C and life/health. Directly comparable to Southwest Selective Search in vertical specialization, candidate pool, and direct-hire placement model.
- The Insurance Recruiting Group: Insurance-specialist search firm placing producers, underwriters, claims, and operations talent at carriers and agencies nationwide. Closely comparable vertical niche and direct-hire placement model.
- M.J. Hall & Company: Insurance industry retained search firm placing executives and specialty talent at carriers and brokerages. Comparable in vertical specialization and executive search emphasis, with a slightly higher-end executive focus.
- Insurance Recruiting Specialists: Boutique recruiting firm dedicated to insurance industry placements across underwriting, claims, sales, and executive roles. Closely mirrors Southwest Selective Search's vertical focus and contingency direct-hire model.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Southwest Selective Search social profiles
Digital presenceSouthwest Selective Search financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Southwest Selective Search leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Southwest Selective Search funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Southwest Selective Search M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Southwest Selective Search
What does Southwest Selective Search do?
Southwest Selective Search is a recruiting firm that provides direct-hire permanent placement and temporary staffing services exclusively to the U.S. insurance industry. The firm matches insurance companies, brokers, retail agencies, and third-party administrators with qualified professionals across underwriting, claims, sales, actuarial, legal/compliance, risk management, IT, operations, and executive roles. It also offers candidate career consulting resources including interview preparation guidance.
Is Southwest Selective Search a public or private company?
Southwest Selective Search is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Southwest Selective Search founded?
Southwest Selective Search was founded in 1989. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Southwest Selective Search based?
Southwest Selective Search is headquartered in North Richland Hills, United States, in the North America region.
How does Southwest Selective Search make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Direct-Hire Placement Services are the primary driver. The others are temporary Staffing Services.
Who are Southwest Selective Search's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Korn Ferry, Heidrick & Struggles, Spencer Stuart and Robert Half International. Direct peers are Aureus Group, OakBridge Insurance Recruiting, The McIntyre Group, The Insurance Recruiting Group, M.J. Hall & Company and Insurance Recruiting Specialists.
Does Southwest Selective Search have an API?
No public API is recorded for Southwest Selective Search.
What industry is Southwest Selective Search in?
Southwest Selective Search's product category is Insurance Recruitment Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAAAF, Financial Services Leadership Search (Banking/Insurance/PE/Asset Mgmt), with a secondary code of BPACAAAB, Functional Leadership Search (HR/Finance/Legal/Marketing/Sales/Ops). Its NAICS code is 561312 and its SIC code is 7361.