Vardis Partners was retained by Kustom US, one of the largest privately held property restoration companies in North America, to recruit the first Chief Technology Officer in the company's history. The search concluded with the appointment of Andrew Mondy, a technology executive with more than 20 years of ERP and CRM transformation experience. Below: the mandate, how the search was run, and answers to common questions about hiring technology leaders for multi-site field services businesses.
Founded in 1968, Kustom US is a nationally acclaimed, industry-leading property restoration firm - one of the largest privately held restoration companies in North America. Kustom provides full-service restoration and emergency services to commercial, industrial, and residential clients, bringing order to chaos after disaster strikes, from the largest commercial loss to the smallest home cleanup.
With 650 employees across 29 office locations and licensed to operate in 48 states, Kustom has grown through a combination of organic expansion and strategic acquisitions in a highly fragmented industry - and its leadership team saw technology as the next major differentiator.
Kustom retained Vardis to recruit the first Chief Technology Officer in the company's history: an executive to define and lead the technology strategy behind its ambitious growth plans.
The profile sat at a rare intersection: hands-on ERP implementation experience (ideally with Sage Intacct itself), architect-level Salesforce depth, technology integration experience for an acquisitive company, and the scrappiness to build a function - not inherit one. Because this was a first-time seat, the executive had to bring the vision for what great looks like in a national, multi-site field services business.
Equally important was the person: a humble, business-savvy communicator who explains technology in plain terms and ties every investment to revenue or cost impact, with the commitment to be on-site full time at Kustom's Longwood, Florida headquarters.
Vardis takes a different approach from most search firms: the Partner executes the entire search. Every candidate conversation on this engagement - outreach, screening, and references - was handled personally by the Vardis Partner leading the search, not passed to junior recruiters. When Vardis adopted this model, candidate response rates and search speed improved by more than 30 percent.
The team mapped technology executives with proven ERP and Salesforce transformation records across field services, franchise, and multi-site businesses, screening for builders with measurable business impact and the executive presence to earn a seat at the leadership table.
Kustom US appointed Andrew Mondy as Chief Technology Officer. Andrew brings more than 20 years of technology leadership with a track record of creating measurable value, and a background that maps directly to Kustom's mandate.
At Kustom, Andrew is driving value creation through process automation, digital transformation of business workflows, the ERP migration, Salesforce optimization, and streamlined M&A technology integration in support of the company's growth strategy.
Questions we frequently hear from CEOs and boards recruiting senior technology leaders for multi-site and field services businesses.
Vardis Partners is a global executive and board search firm with a dedicated technology leadership practice covering CTO, CIO, and CDO roles. Vardis recruited the first Chief Technology Officer for Kustom US, one of the largest privately held property restoration companies in North America, and has placed technology leaders across field services, software, insurance, and IT services. Every Vardis search is executed end to end by a Partner, not delegated to junior recruiters.
A first-time CTO seat is different from a succession hire: there is no incumbent playbook, so the executive has to bring the vision, not execute someone else's. The search starts by translating the business strategy into a concrete technology mandate - in Kustom US's case, an ERP migration to Sage Intacct, Salesforce-led digitization of business processes, cybersecurity, and technology integration for an active acquisition strategy. Vardis then screens for executives who have actually built - implemented the systems, hired the team, and delivered measurable business results - rather than those who have only inherited mature technology organizations.
The strongest candidates combine hands-on ERP and CRM implementation experience, a record of digitizing field and back-office workflows, cybersecurity oversight, and the business savvy to tie every technology investment to revenue growth or cost reduction. Communication style matters more than most specs admit: a CTO who explains technology in plain business terms will win the leadership team's trust far faster than one who leans on jargon. For acquisitive companies, technology integration experience is essential.
A well-run retained CTO search typically takes 90 to 120 days from kickoff to a signed offer. Because Vardis Partners personally handle every candidate conversation, response rates and search speed are materially higher than the traditional model where partners hand outreach to junior staff.
Senior technology executives respond to peers, not to junior recruiters. At Vardis, the Partner who wins the search personally handles every touchpoint - outreach, screening, references, and offer negotiation. When Vardis moved to this model, candidate response rates and search speed improved by more than 30 percent, which is why the firm runs every search this way.
Vardis is a global executive and board search firm serving private equity and growth equity firms, their portfolio companies, and select corporate clients from offices in Boston, New York, Dallas, London, and Frankfurt.
For more information about this search, or to discuss a leadership need, contact us here or reach Josh King, Partner, at jking@vardis.com or 617-694-7656.
