The Shea Group

What The Shea Group does

The Shea Group is a private, member-based business forum operating in the Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona market. Founded in 2005, it convenes a deliberately capped group of 26-30 business leaders drawn from diverse industries including construction, healthcare, insurance, financial services, education, and hospitality. Its function is peer-to-peer business networking, knowledge exchange, and cross-firm referrals rather than the delivery of a technology product or service.

Operating as a peer-group rather than a traditional company, the organization has 1-10 staff supporting member activities and runs on a low-friction revenue model: annual member dues of approximately $100 per member. There are no documented premium tiers, sponsorship arrangements, or paid event revenue streams in the available information. Membership is referral-driven, with selective recruitment used to replace attrition within the capped cohort (for example, the addition of Michael Whang in 2024). Governance is via rotating Chair positions among members.

The group's strategic posture is stability rather than scale. Recent moves include selective member refresh, leadership rotation, and the introduction of AI awareness as a discussion topic. There is no evidence of geographic expansion, technology platform development, external funding, M&A activity, or pricing changes. The business is therefore best characterized as a curated professional community with intentionally limited growth ambitions.

Name

The Shea Group

Legal name

The Shea Group

Website

https://www.sheagroup.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Shea Group is a private Phoenix/Scottsdale-based peer business forum founded in 2005, serving 26-30 cross-industry business leaders through a capped, referral-based membership model with approximately $100 annual dues per member.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Networking & Peer Advisory Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (813920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Executive Summits & Invitation-Only Forums (MPAGAGAK)

Keywords

• Professional networking forum
• Business leader peer group
• Executive peer advisory
• Professional membership organization
• Business community network

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: The Shea Group generates revenue through annual membership dues of $100 per member. Dues are collected in January and prorated monthly for new members. These dues fund quarterly social events and group activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Shea Group is a referral-based professional membership forum that connects approximately 26-30 Arizona business leaders for peer networking, professional development, and community involvement. Members meet every other Friday at conference rooms in Scottsdale, Arizona (with a Zoom option), participate in guest speaker sessions, educational roundtables, and quarterly social events, and engage in community volunteer activities.

Product overview

The Shea Group is not a product company but rather a professional membership organization—a forum for business leaders in the Phoenix, Arizona area. The organization does not offer software products, technology platforms, or distinct branded service offerings. Its primary offering is a structured peer network that facilitates professional relationships, learning, and community involvement among its members through bi-weekly meetings featuring guest speakers, educational presentations, and roundtable discussions. The group's focus areas include issues facing Arizona, community involvement, leadership development, and artificial intelligence awareness.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Shea Group Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 20 years of continuous operation serving Arizona business leaders
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers22 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Renaissance Executive Forums: Renaissance Executive Forums organizes peer advisory groups for CEOs and business owners across regional chapters, charging annual dues for membership and using professional moderators — the same model Shea Group runs with volunteer chairs.
• YPO (Young Presidents' Organization): YPO organizes peer forums and chapter meetings for chief executives, with comparable value proposition of confidential peer exchange among senior leaders. One Shea Group member (Sherry Jane Love) explicitly partners with Vistage, signalling adjacent operating models in this category.
• TAB (The Alternative Board): TAB runs peer boards for small and mid-sized business owners, providing facilitated monthly meetings with peers from non-competing industries — a near-identical value proposition to The Shea Group's peer forum format.
• Vistage Worldwide: Vistage operates paid CEO/executive peer advisory groups worldwide and is the dominant player in the same category as The Shea Group's forum. It charges members thousands of dollars annually and provides professional chairs, structured meetings and expert speakers — the same format Shea Group delivers informally.
• Tiger 21: Tiger 21 runs peer groups for ultra-high-net-worth investors and business owners, with structured monthly meetings, expert speakers and investment/portfolio review — closely mirroring the executive peer forum format Shea Group operates at a smaller, regional scale.
• EO (Entrepreneurs' Organization): EO is a global peer network for entrepreneurs that runs local forums/chapters with regular meetings, peer learning and member-driven programming — directly analogous to The Shea Group's member structure and meeting cadence.

Emerging players

• C-Suite Network: C-Suite Network is a membership community of senior business executives offering networking, events and content — Shea Group member Brion Crum serves on its board, signalling direct overlap in audience and value proposition.
• Strategic Coach: Strategic Coach runs structured coaching programs and peer groups for entrepreneurs focused on growth and strategy. While more coaching-forward than pure peer exchange, it competes for the same executive attention and addresses similar member needs.

Broad incumbents

• BNI (Business Network International): BNI is the largest organized business networking organization, running local chapters with regular meetings focused on referral-based business development. While its mechanics emphasize lead-passing over peer learning, it competes for the same local executive time and dues budget.
• Forbes Councils: Forbes Councils offers invitation-only membership communities for executives (including the Forbes Human Resources Council, on which Shea Group member Greg Furstner serves). It provides peer networking and thought-leadership platforms to a similar executive audience.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-shea-group-arizona

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Shea Group