Phoenix Executive Search for Owner-Operated Businesses

Captains Club Talent is an executive search firm based in Gilbert, Arizona. Founder Daniel Cheetham helps owner-operated and PE-backed businesses hire the second-in-command who will carry real operating weight. The work centers on Phoenix and Arizona, with reach across the Western U.S.

If you are searching for an executive search firm in Phoenix that treats one critical leadership seat as the whole job, this page is for you. For the long-form Arizona guide, see Executive Search in Arizona and Phoenix.

Executive search rooted in Phoenix and Gilbert

Captains Club runs dedicated executive searches for one critical leadership seat at a time. Gilbert, AZ executive search is the home base: the firm works with owners across the Phoenix metro and statewide. Clients are typically owner-operated and PE-backed businesses in the $10M to $100M revenue range.

Daniel leads the search himself. He visits the business on-site. He meets the owner and the leadership team, and builds the mandate before anyone is approached. That local base matters when the hire has to fit a founder-led culture, not only a job description.

Learn more about how Captains Club works and who we serve. Meet Daniel and the firm.

Leadership seats we fill in Arizona

The mandate is second-in-command work. Titles vary. The common thread is real authority over day-to-day operations. As an executive recruiter in Arizona, Captains Club focuses on seats that take real weight off the owner.

Primary seats in Arizona:

• COO
• President
• CEO (selectively, when the owner is ready for a full leadership transition)
• EOS Integrator

Owners looking for a COO recruiter often need someone who can own day-to-day operations beside an involved founder. These searches often sit in ops-heavy and construction or field services businesses. The hire has to take weight off the owner without breaking the culture that built the company. For Integrator-specific guidance, see the EOS Integrator executive search guide.

Why local context matters for Arizona searches

Many Arizona companies are founder-led and growing. Private equity and search-fund activity in the region adds another layer: the new leader often has to perform beside an involved owner, not a distant board.

A Phoenix or Gilbert search partner who will meet the team and map the real working style of the owner can define the seat before sourcing begins. That is the difference between filling a title and placing someone who will still be trusted twelve months later.

The Arizona and Phoenix executive search guide goes deeper on local buyer situations. This page stays commercial: when you are ready to hire, here is the partner and the process.

How Navigating Talent™ works

Every Captains Club search runs through Navigating Talent™. Daniel treats three dimensions as the core: Head, Heart, and Helm. Horizon may enter when outside relationships matter to the seat.

Head is behavioral fit. Captains Club maps candidate profiles against the hiring manager's and the team's decision-making traits, including urgency, speed, and attention to detail. Before meeting the leadership team, Daniel sends every member a behavioral assessment and then shares a team-dynamics report with the group. Know thyself first. Then evaluate the candidate against that picture.

Heart is intrinsic drive. Core values. What formed them. What they want to prove. Who they care about most. A second-in-command who lasts has to want this seat for reasons that match the owner's world.

Helm is hard skills and real prior experience. The leader has to know what to do when the big wave comes. Titles on a résumé are not enough. Captains Club looks for proof that the person has owned comparable operating weight before.

Together those three lenses turn a vague "we need a strong COO" into a clear Ideal Candidate Profile. Full process detail lives on What we do.

Proof buyers can verify on-site

Captains Club publishes proof on the Results page. Current on-site lines include:

• 94% twelve-month stick rate
• 9.6 NPS
• 100% Aptive Index Certified

Read the client and candidate testimonials there. Verify on Results rather than taking a landing page's word for it.

Industries and situations we know

Captains Club works best when the mandate is a true second-in-command in an operating business. Common settings:

• Field services
• AEC and construction
• Succession and first second-in-command hires
• Search-fund operator seats
• Work truck and upfitter leadership (a practice focus; see the work truck executive search guide)

Buyer situations on Who we serve include legacy-minded owners, visionary founders hitting a ceiling, and search fund principals. Fit is judged by the leadership mandate, not by an industry label alone.

Phoenix executive search FAQs

Is Captains Club a Phoenix executive search firm?

Yes. Captains Club Talent is an executive search firm based in Gilbert, Arizona, serving Phoenix and Arizona owners as well as clients across the Western U.S.

What roles do you recruit in Arizona?

Primarily COO, President, CEO, and EOS Integrator seats for owner-operated and PE-backed businesses roughly $10M to $100M.

Do you only work in Phoenix?

No. The team is located in Gilbert and focuses on Arizona and the Western United States while providing executive search nationwide.

How does a dedicated executive search engagement work?

A dedicated executive search starts with Daniel meeting the owner and the leadership team. He builds the mandate, runs Navigating Talent™ assessments, and defines an Ideal Candidate Profile before anyone is approached. Captains Club publishes a guide comparing search models on its Insights blog.

What proof of results do you publish?

On the Results page Captains Club publishes a 94% twelve-month stick rate, a 9.6 NPS, and 100% Aptive Index Certified, plus client and candidate testimonials.

Can you help hire an EOS Integrator in Phoenix?

Yes. Captains Club specializes in EOS Integrator executive search and publishes dedicated Integrator resources for founder-led businesses.

How do I start a confidential search?

Book a confidential consultation through the Contact page or call 480-347-9000.