The PICTOR Group

What The PICTOR Group does

The PICTOR Group is a privately held intercollegiate athletics consulting firm founded in 2014 by Cary S. Groth and headquartered in Reno, Nevada. The firm provides advisory services to NCAA Division I, II, and III institutions, conferences, National Governing Bodies (including the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee, USTA, and USA Gymnastics), and associations such as NAIA and NJCAA. Its practice areas span five service categories: Reviews & Assessments (program, conference, compliance, NCAA attestations, equity reviews, high-performance reviews); Strategic Positioning (institution, conference, organizational, and NCAA divisional positioning); Leadership & Team Development (executive onboarding, leadership coaching, talent consulting, culture assessment); Leadership Transition & Search (executive searches and transitional leadership); and Special Projects.

The firm's core delivery model is project-based professional services: senior practitioners — predominantly former NCAA Division I Athletics Directors and conference commissioners — deliver customized engagements scoped per client. The team uses licensed third-party psychometric instruments (Predictive Index, DiSC, Five Behaviors, Hogan Assessment) and industry-standard business tools; there is no proprietary technology platform. Revenue is engagement-based, quote-priced, and structured via multi-year contracts with no public rate card. The firm operates a distributed team across the United States with no resellers, distributors, or marketplace channels. As of 2024-2025, the firm has worked with 100-150+ clients and reports a 70%+ client return rate. Recent strategic moves include the 2024 launch of the High-Performance Project (medical/performance/coaching advisory directed by Teena Murray), a December 2024 strategic alliance with CCHA Law expanded into joint services in January 2026, and ongoing senior consultant hiring across executive search, compliance, legal research, and digital strategy functions.

Name

The PICTOR Group

Legal name

The PICTOR Group

Website

https://thepictorgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The PICTOR Group is a privately held intercollegiate athletics consulting firm, founded in 2014 and based in Reno, Nevada, providing executive search, strategic positioning, compliance, and program review services to NCAA institutions, conferences, and national sport governing bodies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Athletics Consulting

NAICS

Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (71141)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

C-Suite & Senior Executive Coaching (EDABANAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Media, Entertainment & Sports Leadership Search (BPACAAAH)

Keywords

• Athletics consulting services
• Executive search athletics
• Program review assessment
• Leadership development coaching
• NCAA compliance advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Reno

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services Revenue: The PICTOR Group generates revenue through professional consulting services provided to intercollegiate athletics institutions, conferences, and sports organizations. Services include strategic visioning, program assessments, executive searches, performance optimization, compliance reviews, and culture development. Revenue is project-based and engagement-specific.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The PICTOR Group is a collegiate athletics consulting firm that delivers strategic positioning, performance optimization, executive search, program reviews, compliance assessments, and leadership development services to NCAA institutions, athletic conferences, and national sport governing bodies. Engagements are project-based and tailored to each client's needs, leveraging a team of former NCAA Division I athletics directors and conference commissioners. Services are delivered through direct consulting engagements and a partnership-enabled joint services suite with CCHA Sports Law.

Product overview

The PICTOR Group is a collegiate athletics consulting firm offering a unified portfolio of service categories rather than a software platform. The firm provides five core service areas: Reviews & Assessments (program, conference, compliance, NCAA attestations, equity reviews, high-performance reviews), Strategic Positioning (institution, conference, organization, divisional), Leadership & Team Development (onboarding, coaching, talent consulting, culture assessment), Leadership Transition & Search (executive searches, transitional leadership), and Special Projects. The High-Performance Project represents a distinct division launched in 2024 focusing on medical, performance, coaching and well-being consulting. Services are delivered by a team of former NCAA athletics directors and conference commissioners through customized consulting engagements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Reviews & Assessments
• Strategic Positioning
• Leadership & Team Development
• Leadership Transition & Search
• Special Projects
• High-Performance Project
• Comprehensive Suite of Joint Services with CCHA Sports Law

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 70% of clients return for additional work
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Church Church Hittle and Antrim (CCHA Law)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 December 2024CCHA Law and The PICTOR Group formed a strategic partnership to provide comprehensive legal, compliance, and strategic advisory services to higher education institutions and athletic organizations. The collaboration combines CCHA's expertise in athletics compliance, NCAA matters, policy development, investigations, gender equity, NIL legal guidance, and risk management with PICTOR's leadership, organizational performance, and culture consulting. In January 2026, they announced a comprehensive suite of joint services starting in 2026, offering holistic solutions for institutions navigating complex challenges in collegiate athletics.
• Women Leaders in SportminorOthersPartnership connecting The PICTOR Group with women leaders in collegiate athletics through shared professional networks and organizational alignment.
• WeCOACHminorOthersPartnership linking The PICTOR Group with WeCOACH, an organization serving coaches in collegiate athletics.
• Knight Commission on Intercollegiate AthleticsminorOthersPartnership connecting The PICTOR Group with the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics for thought leadership and advisory engagement in collegiate athletics reform.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Huron Consulting Group: Large management consulting firm with higher education and athletics advisory practices serving universities on strategy, compliance, and organizational performance. Comparable institutional buyer to PICTOR but operates at much greater scale and breadth.
• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting and executive search firm with sports, higher education, and human capital practices. Overlaps with PICTOR on leadership assessments, culture and talent consulting, and senior executive placements for athletic organizations.
• Spencer Stuart: Global executive search firm with an established sports practice that places commissioners, athletics directors, and senior sports executives. Competes with PICTOR on retained search mandates within the same buyer ecosystem.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with a sports industry practice and higher education clients. Competes with PICTOR on senior athletics director and head coach searches but at a much larger scale and broader portfolio.

Direct peers

• Turnkey Sports & Entertainment: Consulting and search firm serving collegiate and professional sports organizations with executive recruiting, strategic advisory, and organizational consulting. Highly comparable service mix and client base to PICTOR's reviews, strategic positioning, and leadership transition offerings.
• JMI Sports: Sports consulting and management firm with a collegiate athletics focus on multimedia rights, sponsorship, and strategic advisory. Comparable buyer segment (university athletic departments, conferences) and overlapping strategic-positioning work.
• D1 Athletics: Niche consulting and executive search firm serving NCAA Division I athletic departments. Comparable buyer (athletics directors, conference offices) and overlapping offerings in leadership searches and strategic advisory.
• Parker Executive Search: Executive search firm with a dedicated higher education and athletics practice, conducting searches for athletics directors, head coaches, and senior university leaders. Directly comparable to PICTOR's Leadership Searches and Executive Onboarding service modules.
• Collegiate Consulting: Boutique advisory firm serving NCAA athletic departments and conferences on strategic planning, program reviews, and leadership support. Directly comparable offerings to PICTOR's program reviews, conference assessments, and strategic positioning services.
• Collegiate Sports Associates (CSA): Executive search firm focused exclusively on senior-level placements in collegiate athletics, including athletics directors, conference commissioners, and head coaches. Closely comparable to PICTOR's executive search and transition practice serving the same NCAA institutional buyer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thePICTORgroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-pictor-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 The PICTOR Group