Scaling a PE-Backed Industrial Technology Distributor: 19 Placements, 5 Cities, 28 Months — and Still Going
Engagement Period: February 2024 – Present
19 Placements | 28+ Months | 89% Two-Year Retention | 5 Cities | 7 Disciplines
THE CLIENT
A Canadian industrial technology distributor — PE-backed following a strategic acquisition — with operations spanning multiple provinces and annual revenues in the $50–60M range. The business required rapid talent infrastructure to execute its PE value creation mandate: organic growth, regional expansion, and acquisition readiness.
When the new ownership took over, the leadership bench was thin. The company needed to build it from scratch, fast, without the luxury of a long runway.
WHAT WE WERE ASKED TO DO
The company came to Hunter Sheppard at a critical inflection point. They needed senior commercial leaders to drive revenue and build national distribution capability, department heads across operations, marketing, and technical functions, individual contributors to support rapid headcount scaling across five provinces — and speed, with no compromise on quality or cultural fit.
They also needed a partner willing to work on full contingency with an exclusive mandate. No retainer. No upfront cost. Payment only on delivery.
HOW WE EXECUTED IT
Phase 1 — Commercial Leadership (Q1 2024)
Hunter Sheppard opened the engagement by filling the two most critical revenue-facing seats: VP of Sales and Director of Marketing. Both searches ran simultaneously on a compressed timeline. Both were filled within the quarter.
Phase 2 — Operational Build-Out (Q2–Q3 2024)
With commercial leadership in place, we expanded into operations: technical specialists, branch managers, and department leads. Roles spanned Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal, and Edmonton.
Phase 3 — Functional Depth (Q4 2024–2025)
As the platform matured, we moved into functional disciplines — finance, HR, supply chain, and integrated systems. Hunter Sheppard served as the company's single point of contact for all active searches.
Phase 4 — Ongoing Exclusive Partnership (2026–Present)
The engagement remains active. Hunter Sheppard continues to serve as the company's exclusive talent partner. New searches are initiated as the business scales and organizational needs evolve.
THE RESULTS
19 of 19 offers accepted. Every candidate presented to the point of offer accepted the role. No re-starts, no declines.
89% two-year retention rate. Of the 19 placements, 17 remain in role two or more years post-hire. The two departures that occurred were identified, re-sourced, and successfully backfilled by Hunter Sheppard — at no additional search cost to the client.
28+ months of continuous engagement. The partnership has spanned more than two years with no interruption, no rebid, and no competitive search brought in alongside us.
Zero upfront cost to the client. Every search was conducted on a contingency basis. The client paid only upon a successful hire — aligning our incentives entirely with theirs.
WHAT THEY SAID
"Hunter Sheppard has been a pleasure to work with throughout our partnership. Their ability to quickly understand our unique needs and requirements allowed them to present us with strong candidates for our positions. I found Alex to be professional, personable, and dedicated to ensuring both client and candidate satisfaction."
— SVP Operations
WHAT MADE THIS WORK
Exclusive mandate, contingency model. We operated with full exclusivity — the client's only external search partner — on a pure contingency basis. That combination is rare and created genuine alignment on both sides.
Deep market access. Roles spanned seven functional disciplines across five cities. Hunter Sheppard maintained active candidate pipelines in each market, enabling consistent delivery without starting each search from zero.
Retention focus built in. Our screening process assesses more than qualifications — we evaluate cultural alignment, management style fit, and long-term growth trajectory. That's why 89% of our placements remain in role two years later.
A partner, not a vendor. We communicated throughout each search, flagged market intelligence proactively, and stayed accountable post-placement. That's why the engagement is still active today.
WORKING WITH A PE-BACKED PORTFOLIO COMPANY?
We offer a no-commitment portfolio talent audit for new PE relationships.
One hour. Your five most critical open roles. A clear view of what the market looks like for each.
Contact Alexander Giannone: alexander.giannone@huntersheppard.com | (416) 920-8765
