About BizFirst

Built different.
By design.

We started BizFirst because we kept seeing the same problem: companies paying top dollar for recruiting firms that treated them like a number. So we built the firm we wished existed.

How We Got Here

20 years on the client side.
Then we built something better

For two decades, Jeff Packard was the hiring manager, calling recruiting agencies and sitting through candidates who didn't fit. The pattern was always the same: sign a contract, get handed off to an account manager juggling 25 other clients, wait weeks for submissions that missed the mark.

BizFirst was built to fix that. Small team. Senior people. Real accountability. Every Client Delivery Lead manages just 3-4 accounts, backed by decades of combined recruiting, consulting, and delivery experience across the team.

BizFirst is American owned and operated, headquartered in Ashburn, Virginia, and led by a U.S.-based team accountable to you.

Great companies are built one hire at a time. I started BizFirst on a simple belief: recruiting should be personal, senior-led, and measured by the teams and careers it helps build, not the number of resumes it sends.

Jeff Packard, Founder & CEO

Boutique by Design

The senior lead on your hiring carries three or four clients.
Not twenty-five

That capped load is the whole point. It keeps the senior lead on your hiring hands-on from the first call to the signed offer, instead of triaging it against a stack of other accounts. As we grow, we add recruiters rather than pile more onto the people we already have. What boutique means at BizFirst →

3:1

Clients per Delivery Lead

Industry average is 20-30 clients per account manager. Our Delivery Leads carry 3-4 accounts. That means real attention, same-day responses, and someone who actually knows your business.

Same-day responses

When you send an email or leave a voicemail, your Delivery Lead responds the same business day. Not a coordinator. Not a chatbot. The person running your hiring.

Experienced people on every engagement

Your hiring is led by experienced professionals who've placed hundreds of candidates. The person who scopes your engagement is the same person who delivers results.

Leadership

The people behind BizFirst

At most firms, the person who sells you is different from the person who serves you. At BizFirst, Jeff is hands-on in every engagement, backed by advisors who keep us aligned to client needs and the marketplace.

Jeff Packard

Founder & CEO · Dulles, VA

Jeff spent 14 years at Dimension Data (now NTT Ltd), where he grew the global consulting and professional services practice from startup to over $1 billion with a team of 6,000. Before that, he held consulting roles at Accenture and KPMG. He's been the hiring manager, the P&L owner, and the executive sponsor, so he understands what good recruiting looks like from the client's chair.

He then co-founded an IT staffing firm serving large federal and civilian contractors, placed 100+ professionals, and exited through a sale.

He built BizFirst to do it differently: small teams, senior attention, and real accountability for outcomes.

The best recruiting relationships feel like an extension of your own team. That's what we're building here.

John Gasson

Advisor · CEO, Newport Cove Consulting · LinkedIn

John advises BizFirst on go-to-market strategy, client engagement models, and growth in the GovCon and mid-market sectors. He brings a practitioner's perspective to how BizFirst positions itself with clients navigating complex hiring environments.

He is the founder and CEO of Newport Cove Consulting and brings 20+ years of experience guiding Fortune 500 companies and federal contractors through mergers, digital modernizations, and large-scale system transformations. He has led programs exceeding $100M and delivered more than $500M in transformation-related cost savings.

Mike Walker

Advisor · Partner & Head of Global Operations, Vivanti Consulting · LinkedIn

Mike advises BizFirst on scaling operations and building delivery models that hold up as the business grows. He brings an operator's view of what good looks like inside a fast-scaling professional services firm.

He is a founding partner of Vivanti Consulting, a data-focused cloud consultancy with offices in the U.S., U.K., and Australia. Before Vivanti, he held senior leadership roles at Tandberg, Cisco, and Amazon Web Services, building and running global teams across more than 25 years in technology.

How Our Team Works

Three roles. One connected team

Every BizFirst engagement is supported by a tight team with clear ownership. For the step-by-step process and timeline, see how it works.

Client Delivery Leads

Your single point of accountability. They own the relationship, manage each engagement, and are the person you call when you have a question. Each Delivery Lead manages just 3-4 client accounts.

Recruiter(s)

The sourcing engine behind every engagement. Recruiters identify, screen, and vet candidates using a mix of direct outreach, AI-powered sourcing, and industry networks. Every submission is personally reviewed.

Founder & CEO

Jeff stays close to every engagement, not as a figurehead, but as an active participant. He's available to clients directly and involved in strategy, scoping, and quality reviews across the portfolio.

What Clients Say

Results that speak for themselves

After moving to PartnerHire Core, we filled 12 roles in six months at about one-third less cost than our previous recruiting firm.

Tom B., VP, Operations · Mid-Market Technology Company, New York

BizFirst understood our requirements from day one. The candidates they presented were exactly what we needed, and the team was responsive throughout the entire process.

CEO · Federal Systems Integrator

BizFirst at a glance

The facts, in one place

A quick, current reference on who BizFirst is, what we do, and what it costs.

What we are: A senior-led recruiting company
Headquarters: Ashburn, Virginia
Where we recruit: United States, nationwide (remote-friendly)
Ownership: American-owned and operated
Services: DirectHire, HireSelect, PartnerHire Core, PartnerHire Complete
Specialties: AI, data, technology, cybersecurity, GovCon, cleared, finance, business & operations
DirectHire fee: Typically 10–15% of first-year base salary (10% on a new 30-day exclusive). Executive, highly complex, and high-clearance roles may be quoted separately.
HireSelect fee: $3,500 flat for a single role
PartnerHire Core: From $8,500/month per dedicated recruiter, plus $1,000 per placement
PartnerHire Complete: From $18,000/month, plus $1,000 per placement
Replacement guarantee: 90 days on DirectHire placements
Client Delivery Lead load: Each carries only 3–4 clients
First candidates: About 3 business days on PartnerHire; about 5–7 days on DirectHire
Retention: 94% of placements still in seat past 90 days (company-reported)

Ready to work with a team
that actually knows your business?

We'll learn about your hiring goals and team culture, and together figure out the right approach, timeline, and investment.

Let's talk hiring

Book a time, email us, or just call. Whatever's easiest.

Download our Service Guide (PDF)

Built different.By design.

20 years on the client side.Then we built something better

The senior lead on your hiring carries three or four clients.Not twenty-five