Legacy Leadership: Building and Expanding a Family Business While Staying True to Core Values

In this episode of High Octane Leadership, Donald Thompson sits down with Drew Turner, President of Collegiate Sports Associates (CSA), to explore the evolution of a boutique executive search firm from its athletics-focused roots to a broader academic leadership recruitment powerhouse, while maintaining the relationship-driven culture that made it successful.

What You'll Learn:

• The strategic process of expanding a successful legacy business into new markets while maintaining its core values.
• How to effectively rebrand a well-known company by leveraging existing brand equity while signaling innovation and growth.
• The critical role of genuine relationships, responsiveness, and trust in the high-stakes executive search industry.
• Insights into the unique demands and fast-paced nature of high-profile executive searches, including surprising anecdotes.

About the Guest(s)

Drew Turner is the President of Collegiate Sports Associates (CSA), a premier executive search firm specializing in collegiate athletics and academic leadership recruitment. With deep roots in collegiate athletics administration and a background spanning multiple Division I institutions, Drew has transformed CSA from a boutique firm into an industry leader conducting over 50 high-profile searches annually. Under his leadership, CSA has become one of the top three premier search firms in college athletics, managing critical placements including athletic directors at Ohio State and football searches at institutions like North Carolina and Texas A&M. In this episode, Drew shares insights on legacy leadership, business transformation, and the strategic expansion of CSA into academic executive recruitment, drawing from his experience in growing a family business while maintaining its core values of relationships, trust, and results.

Resources:

• Drew Turner - President of Collegiate Sports Associates (CSA)
• CSA Search and Consulting Website
• CSA Search and Consulting LinkedIn
• Donald Thompson - Host, High Octane Leadership

High Octane Leadership is hosted by The Diversity Movement CEO and executive coach Donald Thompson and is a production of Earfluence.

Order UNDERESTIMATED: A CEO’S UNLIKELY PATH TO SUCCESS, by Donald Thompson.