The Jacob Group consistently ranks in the top 3% among independent search firms, with many practices ranking in the top 1%. A key reason for this success is the quality of our practice team leaders. Each has either extensive industry/function expertise on your side of the desk and/or deep experience recruiting within a particular specialty area.
Don’s roots in recruiting began directly out of college with Leonard and Associates. He leveraged those early skills with Oscar Mayer and Pepsi-Cola for 17 years. Don and his family moved 12 times in these 17 years progressing through the ranks of marketing, sales and general management; several at the VP level with Pepsi-Cola.
As founder of The Jacob Group in 1992, Don has built a nationally recognized firm principled around a better way of conducting search. His personal practice was consistently ranked in the top 10 in a network of over 4,000 recruiters. He is a regular speaker at Regional, National and International events, sharing The Jacob Group’s best practices with the search community.
Today as CEO, he leads seven practice teams and personally uses a hands-on approach to assure our client’s satisfaction with the quality and speed of our talent search activities. Don’s wife, Becky, is a partner with him in the business and he enjoys their two children and three grandchildren who all live within a few miles of “The Ranch”.
Becky is one of the founding partners of The Jacob Group established in 1992. She leads all support groups for the team including the Market Intelligence Group, Fulfillment Team and Administrative Staff. She also manages the Human Resources function for the firm and outside supervision of our financial, legal and technology partners.
Becky is a member of The Board of The Jacob Search Group, LLC and a sitting member of the Marketing Committee and Operations Committee. The excellence she has demonstrated in her role has helped The Jacob Group achieve international recognition as one of the top independent firms.
When given any spare time, Becky loves to travel and relax with family, especially playing swimming instructor to three very active Grandchildren.
Michael Patterson
SVP - Restaurant / Retail / Hospitality Recruiter
Mike brings an extensive background in professional development and executive search to The Jacob Group. He has enjoyed a 23 year career with the firm and over that time has placed 100’s professionals in the restaurant, hospitality and retail industries. Formerly a team leader for Dale Carnegie Centers of Excellence, Mike chairs the training committee and is a member of the Board of Directors for Jacob Search Group LLC. It should be noted that he is recognized as one of the top performers among his peers throughout the world, is a perennial Pacesetter and is a member of the MRI Pacesetter Hall of Fame.
Mike leads a team of Account Executives and Project Managers focused on senior through mid-level executive search for numerous clients in the restaurant, retail and hospitality industries. He has developed a team to address virtually any/all functions within the industries he supports including corporate/franchise operations, sales, real estate, human resources, culinary, R&D, marketing, finance, real estate and merchandising. He and his team execute both domestic and international searches.
Mike is a graduate of Stephen F. Austin University, with a BA in Business Administration. When he is not working you will find he and his wife in the outdoors cycling, camping or mountain biking. He is also active in his church and is part of a men’s quartet.
David is a dynamic leader whose energy and enthusiasm is contagious. He brings 26 years of experience in the Hospitality industry, most recently with Dave & Buster’s Inc., where he was the Sr. Director of Talent. Over the span of his career, he has hired thousands of Operators, Corporate Support and Executives in all functions. His deep understanding of the Hospitality industry, the unique skillsets and leadership styles required in this space, and incredible ability to quickly identify a candidate's individual strengths will make David an ideal partner in your team's searches.
David partnered with The Jacob Group for more than a decade as a client and recently joined the firm to lead our Hospitality efforts. He joined The Jacob Group because of the level of service they provided and the quality of candidates they consistently presented. David will focus on mid-level through senior executive searches in the Hospitality industry, primarily working with restaurants, casinos, hotels and cruise lines on a broad spectrum of roles, including Operations, Human Resources, Sales, Development, Culinary, R&D, Marketing, Finance, and Purchasing.
David studied Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston. When he is not at work, you will find him at the lake or a river or cheering on his kids in sports.
Matt started with The Jacob Group 15 years ago and quickly grew his role and responsibility with the firm. Matt currently leads a research group that is recognized in helping The Jacob Group with its outstanding reputation with superior talent at industry leading speed.
Before leading the Marketing Intelligence group, Matt has had roles as a Research Associate and member of our Project Fulfillment Team. He also handles all internal technologies including data systems networks and marketing graphics.
Matt is a member of the Operations and Marketing Committees for the firm. In his spare time he is a technology junkie and is grooming his son into a 4th generation Green Bay Packers fan!
Nicole is a dynamic, strategic and collaborative partner who specializes in delivering effective and holistic people solutions by leveraging 20+ years professional experience across consumer goods in food and beverage, retail and luxury companies. Her specialties include brand/digital marketing, customer/shopper marketing, innovation, insights, sales, sales strategy and business development across public and private sectors.
Nicole joins the Jacob Group from a successful career building brands in the luxury category at Nambe, the outdoor retail company with REI, and most recently in the food and beverage space with SoBe Beverages, Pepsi and Frito-Lay, where she partnered with top tier customers such as 7Eleven, Dollar General and Kroger to drive growth across a portfolio of brands, including Quaker, Tropicana and Gatorade. This rich cross-category experienced complements her progressively broad reaching capability set across brand strategy, driving breakthrough innovation and unlocking industry award winning customer and sales partnerships, making her an ideal addition to our CPG recruiting practice. In addition, Nicole brings broad experience across company environments, having worked in high growth startup to established category leaders. Her range of career experiences provides her with the deep industry and functional knowledge to quickly assess and understand her clients’ business strategies and talent needs, and successfully recruit, qualify and motivate top-quality potential candidates.
When she is not focused on building partnerships and connections, Nicole enjoys the many outdoor activities her family is engaged in including skiing, competitive swimming and soccer. Nicole earned an MBA from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business with focus in marketing, and a BA from Colgate University in New York with a focus on sociology and art history.
Rick has recruiting responsibility for key consumer packaged goods segments within the Sales and Marketing practice at The Jacobs Group, with particular emphasis in Food and Beverages. He brings 30+ years of progressive Marketing and General Management experience to The Jacobs Group.
His success rising through the ranks of Fortune 500 companies, from Marketing Assistant to the C-Suite as Chief Marketing Officer, comes from managing a range of small, medium and large revenue brands. It’s also what makes him an ideal client and candidate partner for our practice. Through these companies, Rick brings a breadth of category experience via his Marketing and General Management roles at Purina (baked goods, cereal, pet food), Hasbro Toys, Sara Lee/Hillshire Brands, The Coca-Cola Company (Minute Maid, Dasani, Coca-Cola), Dean Foods (Dairy) and Post Holdings (Dymatize Sports Nutrition). The depth of his functional knowledge also gives Rick a unique ability to quickly understand his clients’ business strategies and talent needs, and successfully recruit, qualify and motivate top-quality potential candidates.
Rick also has board experience, having served as Vice Chairman of the Milk Processors Education Program (the fluid milk trade association responsible for the iconic Got Milk? marketing campaign).
Rick earned his master’s degree in Advertising from Northwestern University and his Bachelor’s Degree in Advertising from The University of Kansas.
Kenny brings an accomplished 30+ year background of senior headquarters and field leadership experience to The Jacob Group representing 100’s of national, regional, and startup brands in the consumer-packaged goods industry. His talent sourcing efforts are focused on highly successful candidates within Sales, Category Planning, and Consumer Insights.
Throughout his career Kenny established a solid reputation for consistently guiding the efforts of cross functional teams in the delivery of accelerated topline and bottom-line revenue and market share growth. In addition to building and implementing highly effective business plans for grocery, mass-merch, convenience, club, drug, specialty, and e-commerce channels, Kenny successfully guided numerous startup brands through every phase of the commercialization and product launch process. Kenny’s breadth of brand experience stretches across numerous national brands such as Kraft, Oscar Mayer, Nabisco, Maxwell House, Post, Jell-O, Oreo, Philadelphia, Claussen, Breakstone, California Pizza Kitchen, DiGiorno, Tombstone, Louis Rich, Crystal Light, Capri Sun, A-1, Grey Poupon, Kool-Aid, Bull’s-Eye, Velveeta.
Kenny has always been actively involved with the community and very much enjoys volunteering for Habitat for Humanity and Junior Achievement. Kenny also volunteered as a football, basketball, and baseball coach for 10 years when his two sons were growing up. During his free time Kenny is quite the outdoorsman, enjoys any and all fitness and sports related activities, and traveling to see and do new things as often as possible.
Kenny is a graduate of the University of Texas at Dallas, with a BS in Business Administration where he also served as the Student Senator for the School of Management.
Martin is an accomplished, creative, bilingual, highly strategic sales and marketing professional with over 15 years’ experience in the beverage industry. His specialty is developing brands and markets across the U.S. by creating engaging, best-in-class, and strategic programming for both soft drink and adult beverage companies. A proven track record of outstanding results in strategy, program building, consumer insights, and consumer trends has allowed Martin to have success in his CPG career.
Martin brings his beverage expertise to The Jacob Group by leading the Adult Beverage Division. His experience in sales, marketing, and leading teams at Molson Coors (previously MillerCoors) brings a strong and experienced professional approach to the Adult Beverage Division at this firm. While in the beer business, Martin was able to develop, execute, and manage sales and field programming in states such as California, Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah. This led to managing sales teams and field marketing programs driving brand growth in the market. Eventually, Martin was building the bench-strength at Molson Coors by training and developing field reps across the country for their Sales Management Program. He continued his success in beverage by working with Keurig Dr Pepper where we drove wholesaler relationships, developed marketing programs, and developed brands such as Clamato and Penafiel by partnering with adult beverage companies in cross promotional programs across the Central U.S.
As a student of life, Martin continues to learn while also sharing his expertise to companies and individuals. Martin earned his Marketing, BA from Texas Tech University and his MBA from Colorado University. When not driving his education or career, Martin spends his time writing music, focused on health and fitness, and being a girl dad to his amazing daughter.
Rebekah is a seasoned consultant with over 20 years of experience in the non-profit and financial sectors. She has worked with some of the most influential leaders in business and community, and has a knack for building strong relationships across a wide range of Fortune 500 companies and organizations. As a new member of The Jacob Group, Rebekah is eager to apply her skills and expertise to the financial services practice.
Rebekah loves spending time with her family, friends, and her 7lb dog. She is an avid reader and learner who is always looking for ways to improve herself and others. She is passionate about mindfulness, personal growth, and achieving one’s full potential.
Kim brings over 15 years of full-cycle technical recruiting experience in the Aviation industry to The Jacob Group, where she has joined as an enthusiastic Account Manager/Executive Recruiter. Her extensive experience and dedication make her a valuable addition to The Jacob Group, where she continues to identify and recruit top talent for her clients with unwavering enthusiasm.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from McMurry University in Abilene, TX.
Beyond her career, Kim enjoys quality time with her 2-year-old Corgi and her husband, exploring new destinations, strengthening bonds with family and friends, and passionately cheering for The Dallas Cowboys.
Alexandra joined the firm after 6+ years of Full-cycle Technical Recruiting in multiple industries including Defense Contracting, IT, Human Resources, Finance, Manufacturing, and Marketing. She has a passion for connecting the right person with a position and employer that will elevate them both personally and professionally. She also has hands on experience in Procurement and Production Management prior to becoming a Technical Recruiter and is thrilled to have the opportunity to blend both of these passions into one.
When she is not identifying and recruiting top talent for her clients, she spends her time working on project cars with her 2 children and DIY projects at home with her husband.
Kyle’s passion is helping companies and individuals achieve their potential. Talent is often the biggest differentiator between companies, and his focus is finding exceptional talent. For individuals, Kyle seeks out meaningful opportunities in which candidates can excel. Kyle firmly believes relationships last a lifetime and the devotion it takes to make them impactful and meaningful is critical in everything we do at The Jacob Group.
Kyle leads the financial services practice at The Jacob Group. With over a decade of experience in talent consulting, Kyle has helped startups and Fortune1000 companies alike to exceed their goals. Kyle has a background in placing hard to fill roles including CXOs at Private and Public companies, Partners and Directors at Public Accounting firms, and other Senior Management positions in high growth opportunities. He has worked with boutique offices in the top ranked search firms in the nation and continues to deliver a level of attention and excellence to candidates and clients that is often lost in the recruiting cycle. Kyle brings a consultative approach and specializes in partnered and hard-to-place searches. Past clients have responded to the exceptional quality of candidates presented that they were not aware of or had previously thought to be unattainable.
Kyle continues to support his alma matter, Purdue University, through career coaching for graduates and undergraduates who have finance, engineering, technical, and entrepreneurship interests. In his spare time, Kyle volunteers for nonprofit boards and committees focused on youth-development and services. He is an avid chess player, coffee enthusiast, and enjoys the occasional soccer game. Kyle calls DFW home with his wife, daughter, and Huskey who you will often find outside as a family gardening, renovating, running, or playing.
Buddy brings a track record of success to the executive search team at The Jacob Group. Drawing from nearly 30 years of experience, he has a solid understanding of every aspect of the hospitality/restaurant industry which has helped him meet and exceed expectations working with his clients. He understands how to best support client and candidate needs having placed hundreds of individuals in the hospitality/restaurant industry.
Buddy’s industry background includes operations, training and development, beverage, recruiting, purchasing, operations services, and operating systems. His experience has been valuable when recruiting corporate level positions by offering unparalleled understanding of roles and responsibilities in numerous functions and levels within the hospitality/restaurant industry.
Buddy is a graduate of Arizona State University, with a BS in Psychology. In his free time, he spends time with his wife and five kids, mostly attending his kid’s sporting events!
Dawn joins the firm with over 20 years of sales, marketing, sales management, advertising, and relationship building experience in the publishing industry. Also a published author, she brings a creative approach to her diverse skills in marketing and promotion to the Restaurant/Hospitality/Retail team. She has held various leadership roles for a local non-profit organization, serving on the Advisory Board and promoting their outreach programs as Public Relations Chairperson.
Dawn is a graduate of Texas Woman’s University, where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism. In her spare time she enjoys traveling, writing, gardening, reading, and cooking. Dawn resides near McKinney, Texas with her husband and two fabulous rescue animals.
Melinda is a Project Recruiter in our Retail Practice Group. As a Generalist for 10 years with The Jacob Group, she successfully lead fulfillment teams in Sales & Marketing, Human Resources, Research & Development, Restaurant/Retail, Hospitality, and Supply Chain/Logistics. Her breadth of experience, proven success, and passion for our industry has made Melinda a valuable asset to our firm.
Melinda started with The Jacob Group as a Research Manager, and then as a Project Manager with our Fulfillment Team, with primary accountability toward retained and multi-hire assignments.
Melinda is an active member of our Market Intelligence Group as well as our Operations Committee. She holds a BA in Psychology with a minor in Business from The University of Texas at Arlington. In her spare time, Melinda enjoys swimming, reading, and watching funny movies with her two children.
Ashley joined the firm after 10+ years of nonprofit work with a background in Administration and Customer Service. She has extensive experience in managing staff, contractors, and volunteers in large settings; and has a passion for helping others realize their full potential and fulfill their personal and professional goals. Ashley served on the Board of Directors for Texas Mosaix, a 501(c)3 organization comprised of some of DFW's top talent that uses music and the arts to assist other organizations in their own fundraising and awareness campaigns, locally and around the world.
Ashley studied musical theatre at Averett University in Virginia before relocating to Texas in 2007 to start a family. She is a self-described "Disney fanatic" and her favorite Broadway production is Wicked. When she is not identifying and recruiting top talent for her clients, she spends her time as a wife and mom, leading worship at her church, or performing in musical theatre.
Dakota started with The Jacob Group in January of 2016 as a Research Associate for the Market Intelligence Team. In his role, he manages several projects all relating to database excellence. From updating old contact information, sourcing new talent from miscellaneous sources online, and quality assurance of data accuracy; Dakota’s role is critical to our organization.
In his spare time Dakota enjoys spending time with his family, playing cards with friends, and playing tennis for multiple teams through the USTA.