Arkansas Talent Group Expands Again

Arkansas Talent Group is not your typical recruitment firm, and it is comfortably filling a specific niche in the Arkansas business market. Founded in 2024 by Chris Chunn and Stephanie Shine, each with more than a decade of executive recruitment experience for a Fortune 500 company, Arkansas Talent Group combines the professionalism and connections of the big firms with the personal touch and expertise of a local shop who are engrained in the community.

Relationships drive all business, and it is much easier to develop them when the recruiter is local and appreciates a client’s history and understands its needs.

“At Arkansas Talent Group, relationships, not transactions, are at the heart of everything we do and are what set us apart,” Shine said. “That is why we decided to leave our Fortune 500 recruitment jobs, to get away from the pressure and drive of corporate numbers to simply focus on doing recruitment better.”

Chunn added that the firm’s success “comes from a very intentional mix of deep Arkansas roots, white‑glove service and more than 50 years of combined local recruitment experience among our team of seven.”

“Our recruiters live here, work here and know the industries in which we work,” he said. “We’ve built trusted networks in accounting, finance, HR and leadership, and we use a proven search process focused on long‑term fits, not quick placements.”

The firm recently expanded its services with the addition of a temp and consulting division, Arkansas Talent Group Temp & Consulting. ATG now offers a full scope of services for staffing Arkansas’ businesses and employing top talent. From permanent placement to temp and project-based consulting, ATG can now support almost every hiring scenario clients may have.

“We’re a true one‑stop shop for every hiring need for our clients in Arkansas, from direct hire to temp, temp‑to‑perm and project‑based consulting,” Shine said. “No matter the scope, our mission remains the same — to connect top talent with exceptional companies in the state of Arkansas.”

For Shine, satisfaction comes not from the number of positions filled but by the quality and longevity of the relationships built with clients and candidates and the success of placements both for candidates and clients. Every business is in it to make a profit, she said, but at ATG, what truly matters is the relationships built and doing right by clients.

“What sets us apart is our commitment to excellence, partnership, our passion, integrity and our communication,” she said. “We’re not a Fortune 500 firm trying to maximize revenue and placements as quickly as we can; we’re a specialized, consultative partner built for Arkansas’s small and midsized organizations to help them thrive. We have a vested interest in ensuring the success of local businesses and talent and truly have a passion for what we do and think it’s vital to Arkansas’s continued growth.”

Arkansas Talent Group specializes in the accounting, finance and human resources fields and has also become known in Arkansas as the go‑to firm in the C‑suite space via efforts led by Chunn. Most clients have had to go to out-of-state firms to find executive talent in the past, often with low success rates due to a lack of a local talent focus. ATG offers a new, local option: a personalized approach, reduced fees, quicker timelines and a focus on hiring local talent first before going national.

“Arkansas Talent Group is positioned as the firm that knows the Arkansas community, talent and market trends better than anyone else, which is a clear differentiator from national firms with lighter local presence,” Shine said. “Our firm offers a collaborative, culture‑first approach. We devote time to vetting opportunities and candidates for not only a skills fit but also a culture and personality fit, as well, enabling clients and hires to hit the ground running on day one.

“We became the go‑to for C‑suite searches because Arkansas leadership knows us and our work already. After years of recruiting in this market, CEOs and boards turn to us when the stakes are highest; our executive placements and extended guarantees speak for themselves.”

ATG executes searches for key C‑suite and leadership positions, including C‑suite senior management and executive‑level roles in accounting, finance, HR and other C‑suite roles with a distinct Arkansas focus.

“Our executive search team runs a discreet, end‑to‑end process, from defining the leadership profile, backed by a six‑month guarantee on retained searches, led by our very own co‑founder/partner, Chris Chunn,” Shine said. “We have the local expertise but also national recruitment capabilities. We look inside the state first, then branch outwards. Our focus is to employ Arkansans first and foremost and to find the perfect fit for both company and candidate.”

Most executive searches wrap up with a focused slate of highly vetted candidates, Chunn noted, but corporate searches are subject to the type of role, client requirements and availability of talent — and can be much quicker than many expect.

“We have been able to cut the search time in about half from national firms timelines due to our touch on the market and quick ramp up,” he said. “We primarily recruit for roles based in Arkansas, where our network is deepest, but can tap talent beyond the state when a client’s needs call for it.”

ATG launched its temp and consulting division Feb. 23, after having soft‑launched the month prior for key clients, expanding its services beyond permanent placement and executive searches to include flexible, on‑demand talent solutions for Arkansas employers. From its first month, the division has been positioned as a game‑changing local resource: a reliable, Arkansas‑based source for fully vetted, high‑quality temporaries, contractors and project professionals who can step in quickly, keep work moving and uphold the same standards as permanent hires.

“From day one, our clients have asked for more flexible staffing solutions, alongside our permanent and executive search services,” Chunn said. “This launch allows us to thoughtfully introduce temp, contract and consulting options while maintaining the same first‑class, high‑touch experience they’ve come to expect from ATG.”

Through the new division, Arkansas Talent Group supports clients with short‑term project needs, interim coverage and specialized consulting engagements across the accounting, finance and HR fields. By extending beyond permanent placement and executive search, the firm can now provide agile talent solutions that help Arkansas companies respond quickly to growth, transition and seasonal demand — without sacrificing quality or fit.

In 2023, Chunn and Shine launched the Arkansas Talent Podcast to help business owners and candidates in the firm’s specialized fields.

“We started the Arkansas Talent Podcast to help business owners and candidates in the accounting, finance and human resource fields learn and grow,” Chunn said. “This has allowed us to help ourselves and others learn more about career choices in these fields, how others have found success and what challenges leaders in these fields face. We also discuss trending topics like burnout, remote work, career search tips, and general economy and job market updates. It was important to us to be involved in the industry and to be a place for knowledge sharing.”

AY Media Group has been aware of ATG’s potential to impact the market from its launch. In addition to features on the firm, Chunn graced AY About You’s “Men of Distinction” list in 2024. That same year, Chunn and Shine were named one of Arkansas Money & Politics’ “Dynamic Duos,” and last year Shine was recognized as one of AMP’s “Power Women” and one of AMP’s “Top 100 Professionals.” The firm was also voted by AMP readers as best recruitment firm in the state for 2024 and 2025 and is widely thought of as Arkansas’ recruitment firm of choice.

In addition to Chunn and Shine, the firm’s seven‑person team includes senior talent recruiters Jennifer Thompson, Bailey Clark and Sam Swensen; talent recruiter Laura Slay; and Anna Emerson, director of marketing and executive support.

ATG is located at 11311 Arcade Drive, Suite 210, in west Little Rock. For more information, visit arkansastalentgroup.com, email contactus@arkansastalentgroup.com, or call 501‑301‑0655.