When you can’t afford to get it wrong.
“The right talent is vital to long-term success.” It is the sentence this firm was built on — and the standard every search is run against.
M&A Executive Search is a retained executive search firm based in Saint Louis Park, Minnesota, founded in 2008. We recruit senior leadership talent — Director through C-suite — for for-profit companies, private equity firms, non-profits and municipalities across the nation. Local, national and international searches, each handled by a senior partner with extensive experience in your industry.
A boutique you can audit.
Every number has a source.
No vanity metrics, no rounding up. The plate below is the firm as it appears in third-party records — Apollo company data, the firm’s own pages, Forbes/Statista ranking filings, Clutch and hr-guide.com. Each figure carries its citation.
A retained executive search firm based in Saint Louis Park, Minnesota, recruiting senior leadership talent across the nation since 2008.
Boutique by design. Clutch separately lists the Minneapolis profile at 2–9 with an 80% Executive Search / 20% Recruiting service split.
Reported annual revenue of $27.0M — the scale of a firm that recruits senior leadership every day, not occasionally.
28% higher than the industry average — the result of a Profitable Search Process that screens for leadership style, culture fit and goal matching.
“We have a 97% success rate and guarantee our work with a 1-year guarantee.” Executive integration services run up to a year following placement.
A vast network of over 10,000 executives for interim leadership — and almost 20,000 professionals across retained search and consulting (hr-guide.com).
A typical retained search identifies more than 150 prospects, interviews 30 to 40, and develops a final slate of 3 to 5 top candidates.
Versus 4–8 weeks for typical traditional interim searches, and 30–45 days for permanent placements elsewhere.
Up to 12 months of executive integration: satisfaction surveys, performance check-ins, Executive Roundtables and Industry Workshops.
Service mix as listed on the firm’s Clutch Minneapolis profile — 2–9 employees, established 2008.
“We specialize in executive & managerial searches — manufacturing, CPG” plus 45 additional keywords on Apollo. Staffing & recruiting · management consulting.
From 156th to 93rd
in a single year.
Forbes partnered with Statista to rank America’s best executive search firms — firms that specialize in filling positions with salaries of at least $100k. Statista surveyed over 30,000 recruiters and collected over 14,500 nominations; the firms with the most recommendations ranked highest.
“M&A Executive Search is proud to be named one of America’s Best Executive Search Firms by Forbes Magazine — one of just two Minnesota-based firms to crack the top 100 on the list.”
M&A Executive Search Lands in Top 100 of Forbes Top 200 Executive Search Firms · maexecsearch.com SiteApril 17, 2019 — PRNewswire (Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minn.): “M&A Executive Search has been named one of the top 200 executive recruiting firms by Forbes magazine in its annual ranking of firms who specialize in filling positions with salaries of at least $100k.” The firm joined just four other Minnesota search firms to make that list. PRNewswire / Business Insider
Forbes Best Professional Recruiting Firms 2020 lists M&A Executive Search, Minneapolis, Minnesota — est. 2008, President & Founding Partner Chandler McCoy. Forbes page / cdo.mit.edu
Three disciplines. One standard:
the right person, the right culture.
Our award-winning services provide nationally diverse industries with search solutions specific to helping companies find and retain strong executive candidates — from Director to C-suite — plus the consulting that keeps them there.
Retained Executive Search
Local, national and international retained searches from Director to C-suite levels. As a boutique firm, your confidential executive search is handled by a senior partner with extensive experience in your industry — using a proprietary culture assessment and the Profitable Leadership Process to ensure the best fit for your culture and team. A typical search maps more than 150 prospects, interviews 30 to 40, and delivers a final slate of 3 to 5 top candidates — backed by a 1-year guarantee.
Interim Executives & Expert Consultants
Critical roles filled quickly with highly experienced professionals who have been there and done that. M&A matches hundreds of interim executives annually using the 4-phase Profitable Search Process — presenting 3–6 qualified interim candidates within one week, versus 4–8 weeks typical of traditional interim searches. You get the right experienced professional quickly, affordably, and in a highly flexible manner.
Fractional / Interim Leadership
Interim professionals where you need knowledge and experience for a key initiative — a 2 to 12-month period. Interim-to-hire when you need to fill a position immediately while conducting the search for the long-term answer. Fractional professionals when there is a long-term role but not a five-day-week job.
Expert Project Consulting
Consulting services that give companies professionals with targeted expertise on a flexible, affordable basis — interim, fractional and project-based roles from a network of almost 20,000 professionals. The right experienced professional, in a manner that fits every client situation.
Executive Roundtables & Industry Workshops
Peer advisory boards and industry-related workshops covering leadership trends and employment best practices — part of up to 12 months of integration support after every placement. M&A also speaks at industry-related events, locally around the Twin Cities and nationally.
Culture Assessment — with Monarch Leadership
Together with Monarch Leadership, M&A provides a proprietary culture assessment that sets the firm apart. The assessment identifies an organization’s current culture and measures whether select candidates will fit it — no more using simply gut feel when it comes to measuring culture fit. It attributes directly to the firm’s 95% success rate.
Diversity Consulting & M&A Support
Consulting services including diversity consulting to ensure cultural alignment and leadership fit — alongside the mergers-and-acquisitions leadership support implied by the firm’s name: leaders who understand creating and maintaining EBITDA and accountability to both company and board.
Five phases.
Nothing left to gut feel.
The process starts with M&A immersing itself in the organization — structure, culture, nuances, expectations — and culminates in defining the key candidate criteria and what makes the role a compelling opportunity. It goes beyond surface qualifications, weighing leadership style, culture fit, goal matching and other intangible factors. The result: a 95% success rate, 28% higher than the industry average.
Immersion & Analysis
Phase 01 · Days 1–2 (interim) / Week 1 (retained)M&A immerses into the organization — investigating company culture, stakeholder expectations and the position’s specific requirements — to develop a position profile conveying key criteria, deliverables and what makes the role compelling to top talent. A comprehensive culture survey establishes the baseline.
Research & Identification
Phase 02 · Days 3–5 (interim) / Weeks 1–3 (retained)M&A surveys its network of 10,000+ executives to identify candidates with relevant experience — individually contacting each prospect. The profitable search process attracts both passive and active candidates, identifying more than 150 prospects so you find the best candidate, not the first qualified one.
Evaluation — Competency & Culture
Phase 03 · Weeks 3–6Thirty to forty interviews. The proprietary culture assessment technique evaluates fit early in the process — ensuring the candidates who advance have the necessary competencies and the cultural profile the client situation needs. Competency fit asks “can they do the role?” Cultural fit asks “will they do the role in the way it needs to be done — including leading needed change?”
Selection — The Final Slate
Phase 04 · Weeks 6–8A final slate of 3 to 5 top candidates — for interim searches, 3–6 highly qualified candidates within one week versus 30–45 days for typical permanent placements. Stored performance feedback from previous engagements, competency assessments, cultural fit analysis and post-interview feedback loops inform the selection.
Integration — Up to 12 Months
Phase 05 · Placement → Month 12Unique to M&A: executive integration services throughout the engagement — client satisfaction surveys, performance check-ins, access to Executive Roundtables peer advisory boards, and Industry Workshops on leadership trends and best practices. This is the phase behind the 97% success rate and the 1-year guarantee.
Culture is not a vibe.
It is a measurement.
Almost all organizations understand the importance of cultural fit when recruiting senior leaders — and most realize the top factor in executive search failure is culture. Yet “culture fit” is rarely defined. M&A defines it, surveys it, and measures candidates against it.
Competency Fit
Do they have the ability, skill and experiences that demonstrate they can do the role? Competency fit is table stakes — it is why 30 to 40 interviews precede every final slate.
Top leadership consultants recognize that one of the most common reasons hires are not successful is cultural fit — a fact that demonstrates how much value a tested evaluation process adds.
Cultural Fit
Will they do the role in the way it needs to be done? Cultural fit can mean candidates who align with how the current organization operates — or candidates who will lead the needed change and operate differently, more effectively, than the organization does today.
The assessment is used in the search process to identify the organization’s current culture and measure whether select candidates will fit — contributing to the firm’s 95% success rate by ensuring each candidate successfully integrates. maexecsearch.com
Different owners. Different leadership math.
For-profit companies, private equity firms, non-profits and municipalities across the nation — each needs a leader who fits a different equation.
Privately Owned
For privately owned companies, alignment on values is key — as is resourcefulness and the ability to wear multiple hats. As a privately held firm ourselves, we know how important it is to find a leader who shares your values and echoes your voice and vision.
Private Equity
The needs of a private equity company are different, and executive search reflects that. You need leaders who represent the wants and needs of the acquired company’s staff — and who understand the role of creating and maintaining EBITDA. Accountability to both company and board is a challenging position; M&A finds the executive who can perform and thrive in that environment.
Early Stage
M&A provides the most cost-effective, flexible and timely approach for getting access to the knowledge and expertise organizations need to succeed — omni-access to experienced professionals, supporting clients in a customized way that fits their expertise needs.
Non-Profits & Municipalities
The firm specializes in recruiting senior leadership talent for non-profits and municipalities across the nation alongside its for-profit and private equity work — with expertise spanning manufacturing, commercial services, energy and the public sector, and a strong emphasis on placement success rates.
The preeminent search firm for
manufacturing and aligned industries.
“We specialize in executive & managerial searches — manufacturing, CPG” plus 45 additional keywords on Apollo, spanning staffing & recruiting and management consulting. The index below is a representative reconstruction of that keyword cloud, inferred from the firm’s verified SIC 8742 · 7361 and NAICS 561312 · 541611 classifications and published service copy. Representative
45 labels · amber = manufacturing & CPG core · teal = sectors verified in firm copy · methodology: SIC 8742 / 7361 + NAICS 561312 / 541611 + maexecsearch.com service pages Synthetic reconstruction
The Logic Forge — ten instruments
your search committee can actually run.
Not a 40-page static PDF. Ten working board instruments — competency gap analysis, blind dual-dossiers, comp waterfalls, succession plotting, backchannel consensus, velocity SLAs, onboarding simulation, committee scoring, market density and vacancy-cost ROI — each anchored to a verified M&A number, each usable in the room.
Board Competency Matrix — gap & vulnerability visualizer
SYNTHETIC MODEL — for discussion. Scoring 0–4 (gap → deep bench). Anchors: M&A screens for competency fit (“can they do the role”) and cultural fit (“will they do it the way it needs to be done”) in every Director-to-C-suite search — the same dual lens a nominating committee should apply to itself before opening a requisition.
Dual-Dossier Split Screen — with Blind Review mode
SYNTHETIC DOSSIERS — for discussion. Anchors: every retained search ends in a final slate of 3–5 candidates (site-verified); M&A’s process explicitly weighs leadership style, culture fit, goal matching and other intangible factors — blind scoring before names are revealed removes the “network recommendation” bias the firm writes about.
C-Suite Total Comp Engine — exit waterfall & dilution
SYNTHETIC MODEL — illustrative assumptions. Exit value assumes carry vests over a 5-year hold at stated EBITDA × multiple; no tax treatment modeled. Anchors: Forbes ranking covers firms specializing in $100K+ positions (PRNewswire-verified); PE-backed searches require leaders fluent in “creating and maintaining EBITDA” (site-verified).
Dynamic 9-Box — drag successors into place
SYNTHETIC NAMES — for discussion. Anchors: M&A helps clients plan team changes “without sacrificing progress on key initiatives” — often bridging gaps with interim/project consulting while a comprehensive search runs (site-verified). A plotted bench makes that conversation concrete.
360° Backchannel Radar — multi-source consensus
Interviews tell you who a candidate is on their best day. Backchannels tell you who they are on an average Tuesday. This instrument overlays three reference classes across six leadership axes and computes a consensus score — the lower the spread between rings, the more the backchannel corroborates the room.
SYNTHETIC REFERENCE DATA — for discussion. Anchors: M&A conducts 360-degree reference checks and evaluates candidates using stored performance feedback from previous engagements, competency assessments, cultural fit analysis and post-interview feedback loops — all site-verified from the interim search methodology.
Search Velocity Gantt — 8-week SLA tracker
MODEL ANCHORED TO VERIFIED CADENCE. Week-level structure mirrors the firm’s published interim phases: Analysis 1–2 days, Research & Identification 3–5 days, Integration up to 12 months — and the retained-search facts of 150+ prospects, 30–40 interviews, 3–5 final slate, with 3–6 interim candidates presented within one week vs 4–8 weeks typical.
First 100 Days — onboarding value simulator
SYNTHETIC PLAN TEMPLATE — for discussion. Anchors: M&A is the rare firm providing executive integration services up to a year following placement — satisfaction surveys, performance check-ins, Executive Roundtables and Industry Workshops — the phase that underwrites the 97% success rate and 1-year guarantee.
Search Committee Scorecard — weighted, live-ranked
Weights normalize automatically. The four criteria mirror M&A’s published Profitable Search Process: “leadership style, culture fit, goal matching and other intangible factors.”
SYNTHETIC CANDIDATE SCORES — for discussion. Anchors: culture fit is “the top factor in executive search failures” (site-verified editorial); a weighted rubric turns the chaotic post-interview debrief into a recorded, defensible committee decision.
Talent Market Density — scarcity & poaching pressure
SYNTHETIC REGIONAL SPLIT — for discussion; total anchored to the verified 10,000+ executive network. Anchors: M&A conducts local, national and international searches from Saint Louis Park; the firm surveys this network to present 3–6 interim candidates within one week — market mapping like this is why “unrealistic specs” get corrected at intake, not week six.
Open-Seat Cost Calculator — EBITDA bleed vs. retained velocity
SYNTHETIC MODEL — illustrative. Fee assumed at one-third of first-year cash comp (industry convention, not a firm quote); “seat exposure” is a planning estimate. Anchors: private-equity searches demand leaders accountable for “creating and maintaining EBITDA” (site-verified); M&A’s interim process presents candidates in one week vs 4–8 weeks typical and 30–45 days for permanent placements — velocity is the ROI.
Leadership gaps don’t wait.
Neither does this desk.
M&A matches hundreds of interim executives annually using the 4-phase Profitable Search Process — analyzing company culture and success factors, surveying the market to identify candidates, conducting 360-degree reference checks for selection, and providing 12-month integration support including Executive Roundtables and Industry Workshops.
| Engagement Type | Duration | Best Use Case | Key Benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interim Executive | 2–12 months | Critical initiative leadership, executive departure, transformation projects | Full executive focus on specific objectives without long-term commitment |
| Interim-to-Hire | Until permanent hire | Immediate vacancy fill while conducting a permanent search | Evaluate candidates in action before permanent commitment |
| Fractional Executive | Long-term, part-time | Ongoing leadership need that doesn’t require a full-time position | Executive expertise at a fraction of permanent salary cost |
Analysis
1–2 DaysM&A immerses into the organization — culture, stakeholder expectations, specific interim requirements — developing a position profile conveying key criteria and what makes the role compelling to top interim talent.
Research & Identification
3–5 DaysSurvey the network of 10,000+ interim executives; identify candidates with relevant experience; individually contact each prospect. Clear role definition before any candidate identification begins.
Selection
Within 1 Week3–6 highly qualified candidates presented — versus 30–45 days for typical permanent placements — evaluated with 360-degree reference checks, stored performance feedback and cultural fit analysis.
Integration
Up to 12 MonthsUnique to M&A: integration services throughout the engagement — client satisfaction surveys, Executive Roundtables peer advisory boards, and Industry Workshops on leadership trends and best practices.
Up to 12 months of integration support — client satisfaction surveys, performance check-ins, access to Executive Roundtables peer advisory boards, and Industry Workshops covering leadership trends and employment best practices. Candidates are additionally evaluated using stored performance feedback from previous engagements, 360-degree reference checks from former clients and colleagues, competency assessments, cultural fit analysis and post-interview feedback loops.
Yes. Interim-to-hire engagements let you evaluate executives in action before a permanent commitment. Many M&A interim placements convert to full-time positions after clients assess fit, performance and leadership capabilities firsthand.
Clear Role Definition: M&A assesses company culture, surveys stakeholders, identifies success factors and develops a detailed position profile — ensuring precise skill and knowledge requirements before candidate identification begins. That definition phase is what allows 3–6 candidates to be presented within one week.
It’s the question every planning season raises: What skills and experience are we lacking? Can we attract the right talent economically? Will making a move now negatively influence team culture — or will we be worse off waiting because of the time to find a replacement? M&A helps clients replace team members without sacrificing progress on key initiatives, often leveraging interim/project consulting to fill positions immediately while a comprehensive search runs. For interim, fractional and temporary expert talent, contact Dave Magnani at dmagnani@maexecsearch.com.
Recommended by the people
who couldn’t afford to get it wrong.
Abridged from testimonials published on maexecsearch.com. Several clients name partner Greg Albrecht directly — “great integrity driving the search process,” “one of the most business-oriented recruiters we’ve worked with.”
We needed a firm who could not only find qualified candidates, but also recommend candidates that fit into our culture. M&A spent time developing an understanding of our culture and conducted a national search. When it came time to interview, I was impressed by the several A-players I could hire. Highly recommend.
We used M&A Executive Search to do the search for President of our bank. Excellent job. The candidate recruited and hired is doing an excellent job — growing the bank, improving customer relationships, engaging employees and serving the community. Highly recommend.
Greg Albrecht is one of the most business-oriented recruiters I have worked with. He really takes the time to understand the business and learn the industry before making recommendations. I highly recommend him as a business partner.
Great integrity in driving the search process — high marks.
What the firm writes about
when it isn’t searching.
Almost all organizations understand the importance of cultural fit when recruiting senior leaders. Most also realize the top factor in executive search failures is issues around the cultural fit of the hired candidate.
However, the definition of “cultural fit” is not well defined — and when someone refers to a candidate “not fitting the culture,” the phrase is doing work no one has measured. This piece argues for defining culture operationally before searching, which is exactly what the firm’s comprehensive culture survey exists to do.
maexecsearch.com — News & EventsM&A has often been in situations where clients approach the firm to re-hire for a senior executive role because a previous hire didn’t work out. A large number of those failed hires were not the result of a comprehensive search — they were occasions where the company relied on business networks and trusted recommendations.
Network candidates skip the 150-prospect map, the passive-candidate outreach and the culture measurement — precisely the steps that produce the firm’s 95% success rate.
maexecsearch.com — News & EventsMINNEAPOLIS and ST. PAUL, Minn., April 17, 2019 — M&A Executive Search has been named one of the top 200 executive recruiting firms by Forbes magazine in its annual ranking of firms who specialize in filling positions with salaries of at least $100k.
Statista surveyed over 30,000 recruiters and collected over 14,500 nominations; firms with the most recommendations ranked highest. M&A was ranked 156 on the list, joining just four other Minnesota search firms to make it.
PRNewswire / Business InsiderM&A Executive Search is proud to be named one of America’s Best Executive Search Firms by Forbes Magazine — one of just two Minnesota-based firms to crack the top 100 on the list, and one of just three Minnesota firms recognized in consecutive years.
The firm moved up 63 spots on the Forbes list for 2020, ranked 93rd after being ranked 156th in 2019. Forbes partnered with Statista to compile the yearly list of top executive search firms specializing in positions with salaries of at least $100k.
maexecsearch.com — Top 100 article Forbes pageYour search is handled by a senior partner.
Not handed off.
Because M&A is a boutique, every confidential executive search is run by a senior partner with extensive experience in your industry. Below, each contact is tagged with the public record that verifies them — no invented bios, no synthetic executives.
Dave Cotter
Managing PartnerManaging Partner at M&A Executive Search, Minneapolis, Minnesota — listed as the primary business contact in Apollo’s people data for the firm.
dcotter@maexecsearch.comChandler McCoy
President & Founding PartnerPresident & Founding Partner — named on the Forbes Best Professional Recruiting Firms listing and on the firm’s 2019 PRNewswire announcement; cmccoy@ listed on the firm’s Facebook page.
cmccoy@maexecsearch.comDave Magnani
Partner — Interim & Fractional DeskNamed on the firm’s leadership page; the site directs interim, fractional and temporary expert-talent inquiries to him: “please contact Dave Magnani at dmagnani@maexecsearch.com.”
dmagnani@maexecsearch.comGreg Albrecht
Partner — Referenced in Client RecordNamed directly in published client testimonials: “great integrity driving the search process — high marks” (Dave Ring) and “one of the most business-oriented recruiters I have worked with” (Randy Ahlm).
Route via main desk ↓One empty seat is a board problem.
Make it a solved one.
Whether you’re looking for high-level executives, fractional/interim leadership, expert project consulting, or putting together an expert roundtable — M&A Executive Search can help. A senior partner responds; searches at this level are never routed to a junior desk.
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55416
Minneapolis, MN 55416 · Saint Louis Park
cmccoy@maexecsearch.com Facebook / Forbes
dmagnani@maexecsearch.com Site — Interim Desk
This page argues with evidence.
Here is the evidence.
Every factual claim on this page traces to a public record. Where something cannot be verified — keyword labels, instrument models, dossier data, fee assumptions — it is marked synthetic with its methodology stated. That discipline is the point: a search firm that measures culture shouldn’t be presented on a page that guesses.
| Claim | Source | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Founded 2008 · Minneapolis, MN | Apollo company data; Forbes listing; Facebook; Clutch | Verified |
| 22 employees | Apollo company details | Verified |
| 2–9 employees · 80% Executive Search / 20% Recruiting (Minneapolis profile) | Clutch | Verified |
| Annual revenue $27.0M | Apollo — annual revenue field | Verified |
| SIC 8742 · 7361 — NAICS 561312 · 541611 | Apollo | Verified |
| 1660 Highway 100, Minneapolis MN 55416 | Apollo company details (primary) | Verified |
| 1600 Utica Ave S, Fl 9 / Ste 900, Minneapolis MN 55416 · Saint Louis Park | maexecsearch.com (About / Contact / homepage) | Verified |
| 1660 Highway 100 S, Suite 555, Saint Louis Park MN | Facebook business page | Verified |
| +1 (952) 545-6980 · 888-521-3896 | Apollo (primary) · site + Facebook (toll-free) | Verified |
| dcotter@maexecsearch.com — Dave Cotter, Managing Partner | Apollo people data — primary business contact | Verified |
| cmccoy@maexecsearch.com — Chandler McCoy, President & Founding Partner | Facebook page + Forbes listing + PRNewswire | Verified |
| dmagnani@maexecsearch.com — Dave Magnani | maexecsearch.com leadership / interim pages | Verified |
| Forbes Top 200 (2019) — rank 156; four other MN firms on list | PRNewswire, Apr 17 2019; Business Insider | Verified |
| Forbes Top 100 (2020) — rank 93; up 63 spots; 1 of 2 MN firms in top 100; 1 of 3 MN firms consecutive years | maexecsearch.com Top 100 article; Forbes page | Verified |
| Statista: 30,000+ recruiters surveyed · 14,500+ nominations · $100K+ position focus | PRNewswire; maexecsearch.com | Verified |
| 95% success rate — 28% higher than industry average | maexecsearch.com — What We Do | Verified |
| 97% success rate · 1-year guarantee · integration up to a year post-placement | maexecsearch.com — retained search form | Verified |
| 150+ prospects · 30–40 interviews · 3–5 final slate | maexecsearch.com — retained search form | Verified |
| 10,000+ executive network · “almost 20,000 professionals” | Apollo (10,000+) · hr-guide.com (~20,000) | Verified |
| 3–6 interim candidates within one week · vs 4–8 weeks typical · vs 30–45 days permanent | maexecsearch.com — interim page | Verified |
| Interim phases: Analysis 1–2 days · Research & ID 3–5 days · Integration up to 12 months | maexecsearch.com — interim page | Verified |
| Proprietary culture assessment with Monarch Leadership; comprehensive culture survey | maexecsearch.com — retained page; What We Do | Verified |
| Testimonials — Hoagland (Engage Technologies), Terwilliger (Flagship Bank), Ahlm (NPI Medical / Spectrum Plastics), Ring (Asset Marketing / Minco) | maexecsearch.com — Testimonials (abridged) | Verified |
| 45-keyword specialization cloud (“executive & managerial searches, manufacturing, CPG…”) — labels on this page | Apollo shows 45 keywords; labels inferred from SIC/NAICS + site copy | Representative |
| Board instruments, candidate dossiers, reference data, comp/fee assumptions, regional network split | Modeled for discussion; each anchored to a verified figure above | Synthetic |