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Talent Is the Strategy: How Growing ESOPs Build the Leadership Capacity to Scale

Webinars October 13, 2026 9:30 am PT

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Continuing Education Credit Offered For Live Session Only: Generic, SHRM

Webinar Details

Strategic Talent Partners Principal Rick Rittmaster and Amanda Graham of Concord General Contracting will explore why growing ESOPs need a talent strategy that directly supports their business strategy. As ESOPs scale, their leadership, organizational, and talent needs change, and what worked at one stage of growth may not be enough for the next. Using the Growth Leadership Model™ as a framework, participants will learn how to identify emerging leadership needs and gaps, translate business priorities into clear talent priorities, and approach talent strategy as an evolving business discipline rather than a one-time HR initiative. Amanda will also share real-world examples of what leading talent strategy looks like inside a growing ESOP.

Learning Objectives:

Understand how talent strategy supports business strategy and how growth changes leadership expectations, organizational structure, and talent needs within an ESOP.
Identify leadership needs and gaps at different stages of growth, including areas such as leadership capacity, succession and bench strength, manager capability, role clarity, and decision making.
Apply a practical process for translating a business priority into a clear talent priority by defining the leadership shift required, identifying where the organization is least prepared, and determining where to act.

Webinar Slides

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Webinar Replay

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Presenters

Rick Rittmaster

Rick Rittmaster is a leadership and talent development expert and leads the Leadership Solutions practice at Strategic Talent Partners. Rick has over a decade of experience partnering with CEOs and executives to increase the engagement and impact of talent to help companies grow. Working with leaders in large, mid, and small organizations, Rick helps identify a situation’s root cause and then develops practical, action-oriented solutions. Rick has consulted on leadership and organizational effectiveness, innovation strategy, change management, diversity and inclusion, and employee engagement and culture. He is also a member of the Forbes HR Council and has spoken at many conferences around leadership development including the 2024 EOS Conference. Rick is also the Co-Founder of Groveland Leadership, a program designed to help new and aspiring leaders successfully transition into leadership roles.

Rick’s passion is leadership and developing strong relationships. He is an avid consumer of leadership literature and research, and “gets out of bed” each day to coach and mentor leaders to help them accomplish their goals. Rick is most proud when a leader or team no longer needs his services because of the capacity they have built working together.

Outside of work Rick loves spending time with his family and watching his three young children – Claire, Alice, and Charlie – grow and develop. Rick is also an avid runner and has completed 14 marathons.

Amanda Graham

Amanda has spent the past 17 years working exclusively in the construction industry, building deep expertise in human resources management.

Amanda is currently the Director of Human Resources and Talent Development for Concord General Contracting, where she oversees all HR functions and leads the organization’s people strategy. She partners with Executive Leadership to support employee growth, leadership development, workforce planning, and organizational effectiveness. Amanda is passionate about creating a workplace culture where employees feel supported, engaged, and empowered to grow in their careers.

She holds the designation of SHRM-CP and is an active member of the national Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), local SHRM of Greater Phoenix (SHRM-GP), and the Arizona Builders Alliance (ABA) HR Committee. Amanda enjoys collaborating with other HR and construction industry professionals to share best practices and support the continued development of people-focused workplaces within the construction industry.

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Presenters

Rick Rittmaster

Amanda Graham

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