From tennis pro to talent pro: Whittington’s Match Point Recruiting hits the court

Mike Whittington established Match Point Recruiting in Bentonville after spending 21 years in executive recruiting. The firm’s name is a nod to his tennis roots.

Before starting the firm in January, Whittington worked at executive recruiting firm Cameron Smith & Associates (CSA) in Rogers for 21 years. The Magnolia native started playing tennis at 12 and was ranked No. 1 in Arkansas in his teens. He also played tennis on scholarship at Louisiana Tech University and Texas State University.

He said match point is a critical part of the game. Finding the right talent and career searches are also critical.

“That’s what we do is try to match the best talent with the company,” he said.

Whittington said he looks to take his experience and expand into other industries as he builds the firm and sets strategy.

He said his firm’s focus is on jobs, including manufacturing and sales, supply chain and logistics, and corporate services. The latter comprises finance and accounting, operations and human resources.

Also, he wants to partner with companies seeking artificial intelligence (AI)-related roles. One is prompt engineer, and he explained the position includes asking the right questions regarding AI.

“I’ve worked with the major companies and the small companies all across the board, and AI is increasing everywhere,” he said. “But it’s not just AI by itself. It’s how does AI integrate within the companies … Technology companies aren’t really into recruiting, and recruiters are not going to be necessarily developing AI. What we want to do is help these companies find the right people to integrate into their business model.”

Whittington started in the recruiting industry after looking for a career change and sought guidance from Cameron Smith. Before joining CSA, Whittington spent about 15 years as a tennis pro, teaching in Austin, Texas, Fort Smith, Houston and Texarkana.

Match Point Recruiting comprises four employees, including a talent manager, sourcer and resume writer. Whittington, who resides in Bentonville, handles account management and business development.