Ambassador Group

What Ambassador Group does

Ambassador Group, operating as Ambassador Search Group LLC and headquartered in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, is an executive-level retained search firm exclusively serving the U.S. construction industry. The firm places senior construction leaders — including division heads, operations VPs, and project executives — at construction companies with revenues between $10M and $250M across the American West. Founded by TJ Kastning (also Managing Partner) with Louis Swingrover as Managing Partner, Ambassador Group maintains a deliberate two-partner model in which both partners are engaged on every search. The firm has completed more than 270 leadership matches over 15 years of construction-only focus, with no disclosed external funding or ownership beyond the founding partners.

The company's core services are delivered as two professional services tiers: Intensive Search (full end-to-end retained engagement including discovery, targeted outreach, structured interviews, three-layer references, a written scorecard, and a 90-day landing plan delivered with the offer) and Screening Search (structured candidate screening and guided interviewing against a shared scorecard for teams already generating applicant flow). Revenue is generated through quote-based retained search fees rather than disclosed pricing; the firm frames its value around an estimated $79,000–$146,000 true cost of a wrong senior construction hire.

Ambassador Group's technology consists of methodology and tools rather than a software platform. Its proprietary assets include the Intensive Search operating system (Find, Fit, Finish), an interactive Bay Area Construction Pay Benchmark tool, and a free Hiring Tools Suite spanning a cost-of-wrong-hire calculator, hiring readiness check, pre-offer checklist, four stages of hiring competence framework, 9-box talent grid, and interview training. Distribution is anchored by a content-led Field Notes publication, an email newsletter, SEO-driven articles, speaking engagements by the founder, and direct partner-led consultation initiated via a 'Book a Consult' call. There are no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, no app products, no API, and no enterprise integrations.

Name

Ambassador Group

Legal name

Ambassador Search Group LLC

Website

https://ambassadorgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ambassador Group is an executive search firm exclusively serving U.S. construction companies in the $10M–$250M revenue range across the American West. It places senior construction leaders through two partner-led retained search tiers, supported by a content and tools ecosystem.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search Services

NAICS

Executive Search Services (561312)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Confidential/Replacement & Succession Search (BPACAAAK)

Keywords

• Construction executive search
• Retained search services
• Construction leadership hiring
• Senior construction recruiting
• Construction talent placement

Headquarters

HQ city

Coeur D'alene

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Intensive Search Retainer: Full retained search engagement for senior construction leadership roles (Division heads, ops VPs, project executives). Includes full operating system: discovery, targeted outreach, structured interviews, three-layer references, written scorecard, and 90-day landing plan delivered with the offer. Revenue is earned through a retainer structure typical of retained executive search.
2. Screening Search: Structured candidate screening engagement for teams already generating applicants. Includes fit analysis, detailed candidate introductions, and guided interviewing against a shared scorecard. Lower scope than Intensive Search; does not include proactive outreach. Revenue model reflects project-based professional services pricing.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ambassador Group provides retained executive search services exclusively for the construction industry, placing division heads, ops VPs, project executives, and other senior leaders at construction companies with $10M–$250M in revenue across the American West. The firm offers two engagement tiers—Intensive Search (full end-to-end retained search with scorecards, three-layer references, and a 90-day landing plan) and Screening Search (structured candidate screening against a shared scorecard)—delivered by two partners on every engagement.

Product overview

Ambassador Group is an executive-level construction recruiting firm serving construction companies ($10M to $250M revenue) across the American West. The company offers two primary service tiers: Intensive Search (full-service retained executive search for senior leadership roles including discovery, outreach, structured interviews, references, and 90-day landing plans) and Screening Search (structured candidate screening for teams with existing applicant flow). The portfolio also includes a suite of free hiring tools covering compensation benchmarking, cost-of-wrong-hire calculation, hiring effectiveness assessment, interview training, and career self-assessment. Content resources include the Field Notes blog with construction-specific hiring guides and the Hire in 4K and Build to Last career manuals. All services are delivered by two partners on every search with 15 years of construction-only focus.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Intensive Search Full end-to-end retained executive search for senior construction leadership roles (Division heads, ops VPs, project executives), running the Find, Fit, Finish operating system with discovery, targeted outreach, structured interviews, three-layer references, and a 90-day landing plan delivered with the offer. Delivered with two partners on every engagement for construction companies in the $10M–$250M range.
• Screening Search Structured candidate screening service for construction teams already generating applicants, providing structured candidate screening, detailed introductions, and guided interviewing against a shared scorecard with fit analysis and written recommendation. Does not include recruiter outreach. Designed to prevent wrong hires and save weeks of interview time.
• Bay Area Construction Pay Benchmark Interactive compensation benchmarking tool for construction roles (Project Manager, Estimator, Superintendent) in the San Francisco Bay Area, allowing users to enter a role and total compensation to compare against current advertised market rates.

Quantifiable outcome

• 270+ leadership matches placed across construction companies $10M–$250M in the American West
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Korn Ferry: Large diversified organizational consulting and executive search firm with an industrial and construction practice. Comparable as a competitor for retained senior construction leadership searches, but broader in scope and delivery model than Ambassador Group's vertical-only boutique approach.
• DHR International: Global executive search firm with construction and industrial practice coverage. Comparable as a competitor for retained senior leadership searches in construction, though broader in scope than Ambassador Group's boutique vertical focus.
• Spencer Stuart: Global executive search firm with industrial and construction industry coverage. Comparable as a retained search competitor for senior construction leadership roles, but offers a broad cross-sector practice rather than a construction-only niche.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search firm with a dedicated construction and real estate practice. Comparable because it serves the same senior construction leadership buyer, but operates at much larger scale across multiple sectors and geographies rather than exclusively in the American West.

Direct peers

• EFL Associates: Mid-sized executive search firm with a dedicated construction industry practice. Directly comparable because it serves construction companies for senior leadership placements using a retained model, overlapping with Ambassador Group's target buyer and use cases.
• Morrissey Goodale: Executive search and consulting firm focused exclusively on the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. Directly comparable due to its construction-only specialization and retained leadership search model serving similar middle-market construction firms.
• Kimmel & Associates: Executive search firm focused on the construction industry, particularly placing senior operations and project leadership roles. Directly comparable to Ambassador Group in vertical specialization, retained search model, and target buyer profile within construction companies.

Emerging players

• True Search: Executive search firm with practices across multiple verticals including industrial and construction-adjacent roles. Comparable as a retained search competitor for senior leadership placements, though its primary specialization is technology rather than construction.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ambassadorgroup1

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Ambassador Group