Founder Spotlight: Ken Taunton, CEO of The Royster Group

Ken Taunton is an example of what can happen when you follow your passion.

He started his career as a pharmaceutical sales representative, then moved into human resources. But he realized what he truly loved from those roles was connecting with people and recruiting good talent, so he turned his passion into a business.

Taunton is the founder, president and CEO of The Royster Group, an executive search and professional staffing firm. He has helped companies like Merck and organizations like Atlanta Public Schools find talent. The company is based in Glenwood Park, near Zoo Atlanta.

Before starting the firm in 2001, Taunton worked for the executive search arm of Korn Ferry, a management consultancy. That experience led him to launch his own firm.

“One of the main reasons I started the company was when we were recruiting for executive level positions, there were no people of color or women on our engagements,” he said. “And I said, ‘You know what, let me start a firm that you really specialized in diversity recruiting.’”

Over the past 22 years, Taunton has grown The Royster Group — which comes from a family name on his wife’s side — beyond Georgia to operate in about 20 states. Last year, the firm made about $20 million in revenue and is on track to reach that again this year, Taunton said.

In March, Taunton was named Small Business Person of the Year for Georgia by the Small Business Administration. As part of the honor, Taunton met Vice President Kamala Harris during National Small Business Week.

Vice President Kamala Harris poses for a photo with small business owners during National Small Business Week, Monday, May 1, 2023, in her West Wing Office at the White House. Ken Taunton, CEO of The Royster Group, stands next to her on the right. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

Taunton has had a lot of help along the way to grow his business. Last November, he participated in a program at Morehouse College’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center that helped connect him to the U.S. Minority Business Development Agency. That connection is what led to his recognition as the state’s Small Business Person of the Year.

For aspiring entrepreneurs, Taunton says having help and good mentors is vital.

“If I had to do it all over again, that’s the one thing that I would have done is to seek out a mentor, because this whole entrepreneurial journey, it’s lonely at the top,” Taunton said.

Seeking out a mentor should be a priority, he said, “regardless of the size of your business, always have mentors in your back pocket, because you can always pick up the phone and call them.”