Established in 1992 by Gregg Carlson, who previously served Fortune 100 companies in senior-level human resources positions, Carlson Group’s founding mission was to provide unsurpassed executive search services to performance-driven companies throughout the Midwest. As clients came to depend on Gregg for consistently excellent search results, they also began to look to Carlson Group for a broader array of leadership services.
To meet clients’ needs while building on its core values of integrity, quality and results, organizational consultant Gary Walljasper joined Carlson Group in 2012 to lead the firm’s leadership and talent services.
RESULTS
Our commitment is to deliver exceptional results.
For more than 25 years, Carlson Group has enjoyed outstanding client retention. We believe our clients depend on Carlson Group because we serve as their full partner, working collaboratively to deliver consistently exceptional results.
TEAM
Over the past 25 years, Gregg has provided highly successful executive searches for some of the Midwest’s best-known companies. Prior to launching Carlson Group, Gregg was a human resources executive with Target Corporation and Wells Fargo & Company. He earned his B.A. degree from the University of St. Thomas and his M.A. in Industrial Relations from the University of Minnesota.
With over 20 years of Human Resources experience, Erin has been an instrumental leader in the success of companies for which she has worked and has a deep understanding of executive level skills needed to drive sustainable success within organizations. Her background includes having served as the Chief HR Officer for two insurance organizations. Barfels holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree with an emphasis in human resource management from Iowa State University. She is also a certified professional coach.
Over her 18-year career, Melissa has focused her efforts in leadership, talent development, and business strategy. Her diverse background includes entrepreneurial business start-ups, as well as significant leadership roles in large corporations. Melissa is excited to bring her passion for people, team dynamics, culture, and business success to Carlson Group, serving as a leadership development and executive coaching consultant. Melissa holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, an MBA from Capella University, and she is also a trained professional coach.
Bringing over 20 years of behavioral science and talent management and leadership expertise to our team, Lee focuses on connecting talent to great opportunities. He earned a B.S. degree from Minnesota State University and currently serves on the Board of Advisors for the Cleantech Open Midwest.
Jeff has over 25 years’ experience building and leading cross-functional teams across multiple industries. He holds a BBA from the University of Iowa and an MBA from Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management. His background aligning talent with strategic and operational insights is central to his candidate research and recruiting efforts.