Wine Industry
Executive Search

“What a pleasure it was to work with Jim and Courtney.

“I would recommend them without reservation, but even better, to expand on my thoughts with others personally.....at any time. Thorough, broad, complete, incisive and fun, are only some of the positive qualities of their work.”
— Don Sebastiani, Founder,
Don Sebastiani & Sons

“My experience as a candidate working with The Cypress Group was very positive. Jim and Courtney were focused, discreet, smart, diligent and a real pleasure to work with. They represent compelling opportunities and take the time to accurately describe both the positive aspects of a role as well as the flaws. They provided meaningful insight about the role I ultimately accepted as President and COO of Don and Sons and kept me informed throughout the duration of the search with constructive feedback and regular follow-up. My time was respected throughout and The Cypress Group made the whole process painless and easy. When I need help recruiting Business Leaders in my new role Jim and Courtney will be the first people I contact.”
— Mike Holden, President and COO,
Don Sebastiani & Sons

“Swanson Vineyards engaged The Cypress Group for our search to find a Chief Operating Officer for our company. It was an enjoyable, useful and productive experience working with The Cypress Group's two principals, Jim Anderson and Courtney Andrain. Particularly helpful, they assisted me in more clearly defining the relative roles between me as CEO and the duties of a new Chief Operating Officer.

“Jim and Courtney took the time to get to know our team, learn our issues and culture and truly understand the nuances of our position and business. They presented a slate of very well qualified candidates and were extremely customer focused through the recruiting process. We received personal attention from both partners and were delighted with the final results of the search.

“I would not hesitate to retain them again.”
— Clarke E. Swanson, Proprietor
Swanson Vineyards

“Very simply, we could have never found the caliber of candidates that The Cypress Group introduced without their help. Their search process enabled us to make our hire within our time frame which was by necessity an accelerated pace. We were impressed with the attention to detail and counsel given by The Cypress Group during the course of the search, and we found our perfect candidate!”
— David Duncan, CEO
Silver Oak Cellars

“Through our experiences working with The Cypress Group, we learned the value of working with search professionals. Jim and Courtney clearly understand how to identify and attract top quality people in our competitive environment. They extended our reach far beyond our personal networking and introduced a broad panel of high quality candidates.

“Simply put, The Cypress Group helped us maximize our odds of getting the best candidates for our General Management position. That's why we retained them and that's exactly what they delivered. We highly recommend The Cypress Group and look forward to working with them on future searches.”
— Tom Shelton, Former CEO
Joseph Phelps Winery

A courageous and beloved icon in the Napa Valley wine industry, Tom Shelton died of brain cancer on July 26, 2008. His memory lives on in the minds and hearts of all who knew him, and we consider it a special honor to have worked with him.

“I had a very positive experience working with The Cypress Group on our important VP National Sales search. Courtney and Jim brought us an outstanding panel of candidates which was honed to our needs. They ran a tight process with a high degree of communication and follow through. I look forward to working with them again when the need arises and would recommend their services without reserve.”
— Erle Martin, President and CEO,
Crimson Wine Group

“The Cypress Group helped me find my dream job in the wine industry. The products, the people and the opportunity are exactly how The Cypress Group described them to me during the interview process. The position profile sent to me the first day is extremely close to actuality and I greatly appreciated their candor and integrity. Each step from the initial phone call to the signing of the offer letter was handled professionally and personally. The Cypress Group kept me up to date throughout the process and made me feel like they had my best interests in mind as well as the company’s.

“The Cypress Group has continued to check in with me to see how the job is going and that's impressive. I imagine that they are doing the same thing with the client—another impressive tactic. When I have the opportunity to hire a recruiter anytime in my future, I'll be calling The Cypress Group.”
— Karen Hunt, Vice President, Sales
Francis Ford Coppola Presents, LLC

“Over the past several years, we have completed several successful searches with Jim and Courtney. Bottom-line, you will not find better business partners with which to work. They take the time to understand your business needs and corporate culture, systematically identify first-class candidates that will excel in your environment, help everyone build a win-win in the offer process, and make your overall search experience a whole lot of fun!

“Candidates love working with them because of the extra attention they provide, whether or not they get selected. As a result, they develop long-lasting relationships with candidates and have an excellent database with which to work.”
— Dave DeWalt & Joe Gabbert
EMC Software

“Building a great company starts with great people. Jim and Courtney were an integral part of building a world-class executive team. If I were building another company, they’d be my first call.”
— Jeffery A. Miller,Partner
Redpoint Ventures

“Being placed by the Cypress Group into my current position was the most positive and professional of experiences. Courtney & Jim represented their client to me in the most accurate and proficient manner, always providing me with detailed & insightful advice. Their precise distilling of their clients 'Position Profile' allowed me to completely understand every nuance of the position I was applying for.

“The Cypress Group kept me informed throughout every step of the hiring process and their insight and advice was always excellent council. I will always look to both Jim & Courtney as more than just a 'search firm'. They are savvy business people that truly understand the complexities of the relationships that make the business of wine so unique.

“Any company that has the insight to choose The Cypress Group as their executive search firm can be confident they will be represented by the very best.”
— Peter Godoff, Senior Vice President Operations
V.Sattui Winery