At Benton + Bradford, Our Work Isn't About Us.
It's About You.
Current and future employees, ascending leaders, high-performing team members, and customers who demand only the best ...
Our partnership benefits them all.
We solve HR problems with solutions that move your business forward by building on your organizational strengths.
Whatever the project or industry, we aim to align and optimize staff performance with your organization’s goals.
Clients benefit from our insightful, collaborative, results-driven and often fun approach. We focus on the real instead of the hypothetical, knowing that counsel provided today may be applied tomorrow, or even sooner.
Our Leadership
Richard A. Smith
At Benton + Bradford, Richard combines his extensive executive coaching, human resources, and talent acquisition background with the instinctive ability to translate customer needs into high-impact solutions. Working with clients ranging from small, entrepreneurial non-profits to large Fortune 500 organizations, Smith understands how to align individuals and teams for business goal achievement and long-term success.
Whether working on finding the right talent for strategic program execution, consulting on diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies or succession planning, aligning HR operations with business targets, or coaching emerging and current leaders, Smith serves clients as a perceptive listener and creative problem-solver. His commitment to action and positive results has enabled B+B to forge successful partnerships with Comcast, Cox, Serta Simmons Bedding, Georgia Power, and Truist, among others.
Before founding B+B, Smith led diversity, equity, and inclusion, talent acquisition, executive search, leadership coaching, HR consulting, and training initiatives across a host of roles with Terex Corporation, Wal-Mart, Roosevelt Thomas Consulting and Training, and Bell Oaks Executive Search.
Visit Richard A. Smith’s LinkedIn page for more about his background and expertise.
The Real Benton + Bradford
At B+B, you won’t find any team members named Benton or Bradford. Founder Richard A. Smith selected the names of two influential family members whose philosophy — “Life is about people, not plans.” — is rooted in the firm’s mission and vision. Today, B+B continues this legacy by partnering with clients who feel successful in their own contributions to meaningful people and places.
Whether you need to refine your Executive Coaching/Leadership Development, HR consulting, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategy and Tactics, or Recruitment approaches, we focus on the human aspect of the business. We cultivate a commitment to your plan of execution and oversee change that drives achievement.
Phase 1 – Engagement
Initiation: Meet with key stakeholders to launch the project, determine measures for success and create Statement of Work.
Research: Use current organizational data and history to understand company culture, nuances and climate, and leverage our industry experience and proprietary methods to identify trends and potential challenges.
Interviews: Conduct qualitative meetings with leadership to understand business goals, middle management to understand challenges, and the front line to understand work procedures.
Phase 2 – Strategy Development
Analysis: Based on collected data and interviews, identify gaps and develop a progressive strategy for forward organizational momentum.
Tactical Plan: Recommend strategy-based tactics and accompanying measurements to demonstrate current success and identify improvement opportunities.
Phase 3 – Implementation
Execution: Develop implementation team and provide counsel throughout the strategy and tactical plan implementation process.
Follow Up: Remain on-call as new opportunities surface throughout the process to sustain success.
