About Us

FireSeeds serves as a catalyst for companies that want to enhance culture and multiply leaders within their organization.

Meet our Team

Cord Sachs

President/CEO

Justin Harris

Chief Operating Officer

Matt Heard

Vice President of Operations

Josh Etress

VP of Sales & Client Success - Wildsparq

Wendi Stanley Coley

Senior Recruiter

Whitney Forrest

Lead Recruiter

Arden Long

Recruiter

Lindsey Vollenweider

Recruiter

Blake Atwell

Recruiter

Rikita Henderson

Recruiting Assistant

Billy Ivey

Brand Strategist

Josh Swing

Account Executive - Wildsparq

Emerson Paton

Client Success Leader - Wildsparq

Lacy Caughel

Sales Development Leader - Wildsparq

Emily Hobbs

Client Success Leader - Wildsparq

Peyton Welch

Sales Development Leader - Wildsparq

Cord Sachs

President/CEO

As president, CEO and chief inspiration officer of Wildsparq and FireSeeds, Cord’s number one goal each and every day is to guard the cultures he has worked hard to help create, hire and inspire the best of the best to help grow the companies, and drive bottom-line profit of the two organizations. Cord is a graduate of Samford University where he majored in Business and learned very early that he wanted to create an organization to serve and grow leaders. “I have always had a passion for great leadership and I’ve had so many great mentors and leaders in my own life,” Cord says. “I knew that I wanted to try and help replicate that passion and those leadership lessons in others.” Leading two thriving businesses is not Cord’s greatest accomplishment, however. He and his beautiful wife, Heather, have six incredible children: Jeremiah, Ellie, Saddler, Judson, Josiah, and Gideon. Cord spends his spare time — yeah, right — snow skiing, horseback riding, boating, and doing just about anything else you can do on the water at Lake Guntersville. He also enjoys serving as an Elder at his church, and coaching his kids in baseball, soccer, and flag football among other things.

Favorite Food My momma's french toast

Favorite Team War Eagle!

Favorite Book Good to Great - Jim Collins

Guilty Pleasure Bacon

Favorite Movie Braveheart

Justin Harris

Chief Operating Officer

Justin is the get-things-done guy around here. His passion is helping our teams stay focused and on-track, and that passion graciously carries over to our partners and friends. A graduate of Samford University with a degree in Physical Education, Justin is always searching for ways to rally the troops and encourage our teams to push toward excellence. He and his wife, Aimee (with two “e’s”), have three kids: Caed, Vivian, and Verity, and they are both highly involved in their church as well as their kids’ extracurricular activities. In fact, Justin says that one of his favorite accomplishments in life was coaching his son’s flag football team to a YMCA Championship last year. How sweet is that? Seriously. One of the greatest accomplishments in your life is coaching your son in flag football? That’s like next-level-sugary-sweet awesomeness right there. Anyway, when Justin’s not busy with his COO duties at FireSeeds and Wildsparq, he enjoys watching (his kids’) sports, working out, cheering on the Georgia Bulldogs, reading the next, great leadership book, or taking his dog out to potty.

Favorite Team Georgia Bulldogs

Favorite Book Total Truth, by Nancy Pearcey

Superpower Invincibility

Guilty Pleasure Guns-N-Roses

Favorite Movie Avengers (the first one)

Matt Heard

Vice President of Operations

Around these parts, Matt Heard is known as the go-to-guy. "For what?" You might ask. And the answer is “everything.” He started when FireSeeds was just a a couple of guys with an idea in Cord Sachs' basement, and now he manages FireSeed’s recruiting team while splitting time managing the finances and serving our partners on new recruitment searches. He says he enjoys wearing so many hats, but most of us think he's just showing off. Over the years, Matt had helped place candidates in just about every position, in just about every industry — from CEO's to Executive Assistants and different Directors at Chick-fil-A. Matt graduated from the University of West Georgia with a degree in Accounting and Finance, and then moved to Birmingham where he met and married his lovely wife, Anna. The couple now have a son, Carter, and that little guy keeps the happy couple on their toes day in and day out. In his spare time, Matt likes to play golf, go to Georgia football and basketball games, and spend time serving as a deacon at his church.

Favorite Food Blue Cheese Burger with Sweet Potato Fries

Favorite Team University of Georgia

Favorite Vacation Spot Destin, FL

When I Grow Up Professional Golfer

Favorite Movie Remember the Titans

Josh Etress

VP of Sales & Client Success - Wildsparq

Josh Etress is the Wildsparq sales guru. If you’ve got a question, he’s your guy. Need a quick business tip? He’s got a million of ‘em. His greatest joy is connecting with the right people at the right companies through the right channels at the right times and helping them to succeed in business and in life. His answer was a little less long-winded than that, but we liked the alliteration (or whatever you call it). “There are few things I enjoy more than providing our partners with a simple, easy to use system, to help them develop the next generation of leaders,” he says. Josh is a graduate of Berry College in Rome, Georgia, where he studied Business Management, and he has a Masters of Business Administration from the University of West Georgia. An accomplished sales and business leader, Josh says his greatest accomplishment in life was getting his wife, Shelby, to say “I do,” and I'd have to say that's probably true. She's super-cool and an extremely gifted visual artist. Anyway, they have two boys, Chamberlain and Ace, and when he’s not following up on phone calls or dishing out words of wisdom, you can usually catch him at Birmingham’s Railroad park, BIGSPOON creamery, or his local Chick-fil-A. Josh loves to read, write, and play pick-up basketball, and he is a proud member of Leadership Hoover, Aspire Movement, and the Urban Hope Leadership Initiative.

Favorite Food Nachos

Favorite Book Unshakeable Faith

Favorite Vacation Spot New York City

Superpower Teleportation

Favorite Movie Inception

Wendi Stanley Coley

Senior Recruiter

Wendi Coley is FireSeeds lead recruiter, and another of the “from day one gang.” She has been serving our clients, partners, and prospects with excellence from the very beginning, and continues to wow us (and the people who are fortunate enough to work with her) on a daily basis. She says the greatest thing about doing what she does is “helping great people find great places to work and grow, both personally and professionally," and she means it! Quite the athlete, Wendi graduated from Samford University with a degree in Physical Education, and went on to earn her Masters in Physical Education & Exercise Science from the University of Dayton. She is the proud mother of a wonderful son, and step-mother to two beautiful step-daughters. When she’s not going above and beyond for her clients at FireSeeds, Wendi enjoys spending time outside, working in the yard, going to the lake, working out, and beating people at any and every competition she undertakes. Like I said, she's quite the athlete...

Favorite Food Chips and Salsa

Favorite Book Abba's Child

Greatest Accomplishment AL Woman of the Year in 2001 by the NCAA

Superpower Invisibility

Whitney Forrest

Lead Recruiter

Whitney Ezell has been described by many as a ray of sunshine because of the great pride she takes in making everyone around her feel happy, warm, and a little brighter after they spend time with her. And that plays perfectly into her role as a Recruiter at FireSeeds. She sees each and every day as an opportunity to serve as the bridge between incredible clients, who are looking for top-notch, purpose-driven leaders, and the talented individuals who are looking for meaningful work and a company culture that fosters opportunities for growth, connection, and development. She says she sees her role as the missing puzzle piece that helps bring our partners together. Whitney earned a degree in Business and Marketing from Mercer University, and her Masters Degree in Education from the University of Virginia. When she’s not delighting her customers, you will probably find her working out at Iron Tribe Fitness, or playing one of her many sporting endeavors; including, soccer, football, kickball, volleyball, and her newly discovered and current favorite: disc golf. She loves writing letters — yes, real, hand-written letters to friends and family, as well as serving on the Junior Board for WorkFaith Birmingham.

Favorite Team 1999 U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (good ole' days)

Nick Name "Level Ten”

Favorite 80s Hair Band Bon Jovi

Favorite Vacation Spot Destin, FL

Favorite Movie The Sound of Music

Arden Long

Recruiter

Arden serves as the middle-man (her word, not mine) between our FireSeeds clients and the talented candidates we identify for possible placement within these great organizations. She graduated from Samford University as an accounting major, but learned pretty quickly that she's too much of a people-person to be locked up with a calculator doing taxes all day. She loves to sing, read, watch great movies, travel and try new restaurants with her new husband, Eli. Fun fact: Arden and Eli are talented singers, and they often lead worship together at their church! When they are not belting out beautiful music, they like to go to movies. Lots and lots of movies. In fact, it's not unusual for the couple to visit the Big Screen every week! Hey, maybe that's why she's such a good storyteller! This girl can make a trip to the grocery store sound like a grand adventure!

Favorite Food Cheeseburgers

Favorite Book Small Great Things

Favorite TV show(s) Stranger Things and This is Us

Favorite Vacation Spot Seagrove, FL

Greatest Accomplishment Being President of ADPi at Samford

Lindsey Vollenweider

Recruiter

Being a Recruiter at FireSeeds is the perfect job for Lindsey Volleweider, because she looooooves people. And at FireSeeds, she gets to interact with a ton of different people from different states, backgrounds, and professions every day! It might be the CEO of a Fortune 500 Company looking for a key leader on their team, or a curious candidate looking for a new opportunity at a start-up. Either way, Lindsey considers it a privilege to get to know them and to be a part of their journey. She graduated from Auburn University with a degree in Psychology, and then pursued her Masters Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Lipscomb University in Nashville. After finishing school, she felt a call to the business world and loves bringing her background in counseling to her work here at FireSeeds. When she’s not connecting with clients and candidates as a Recruiter, Lindsey loves exploring the great outdoors with her husband, Austen, and their dog Lola; hanging with their quirky cat Carlos; and hosting game nights or small groups. Any excuse to host! See? I told you she was a people-person.

Favorite Food Mexican food

Favorite Team Auburn Tigers

Favorite Book Wild at Heart

Favorite 80s Hair Band Had to Google "80s Hair Band”

Favorite Movie Forrest Gump

Blake Atwell

Recruiter

Blake Atwell is an Aggie. “What’s an Aggie?” You ask? That’s a great question. Just don’t ask Blake, because he’ll try to explain it to you, and ‘aint nobody got time for that, am I right? He’ll also try to defend his alma mater (Texas A&M University) as a deserving institution in the Southeastern Conference, and well... bless his heart. Anyway, for all that Atwell lacks in judgment regarding football teams, he makes up for in knowledge when it comes to just about everything else. This guy is wicked smart! Graduating with a degree in Business Finance, Blake has a keen sense of organizational structure and a thorough understanding of how culture and business should come together. “I am blessed to be able to connect great leaders with great organizations that want to maximize impact in the lives of others,” he says. “It’s a pretty remarkable position to be in, and I am super grateful.” When he’s not surpassing expectations here at Fireseeds, Blake enjoys spending time with his “much smarter and prettier” wife, Sarah, and their chocolate lab, Camp. Also, the couple are members at Grace Fellowship Church in Birmingham, where he helps lead the global missions team.

Favorite Movie I can quote almost all of Dumb and Dumber, so it must be my favorite be default.

Favorite Book Unbroken

Favorite Food Tex-mex! Fajitas, enchiladas, tacos... oh, my!

Favorite Team 🙄

Something people wouldn't guess about me "I was on a competitive jump rope team."

Rikita Henderson

Recruiting Assistant

Bio Coming Soon!

Billy Ivey

Brand Strategist

Billy Ivey is a longtime copywriter and brand strategist with more than 20 years experience working with brands like Chick-fil-A, Home Depot, Valvoline, and Major League Baseball. At FireSeeds, Billy serves as brand strategist and leads many of our clients through brand and story development. Billy earned his Bachelor of Arts in English from Samford University, and is about a semester away from holding a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Don’t hold your breath on that one, though. He stopped going to class in 1997. Billy prides himself as “probably the only true Vanderbilt fan you’ll ever really meet,” and can often be found screaming obscenities at his television if the Commodores happen to be on. Billy and his child bride, Bethany (not really, but she looks really great), have five better-than-average-looking children, the oldest of which is already in college, which means Billy is a lot older than he looks.

Favorite Team Atlanta Braves

Favorite Book He's writing it now...

Guilty Pleasure Rap Music

Guilty Food Burgers (plural)

Favorite Movie A Few Good Men or Dead Poet’s Society or Good Will Hunting or, nah, it’s Good Will Hunting. But sometimes the other two.

Josh Swing

Account Executive - Wildsparq

Josh Swing is tall. Like, really tall. That’s neither here nor there, but it’s worth mentioning, because it’s true. It is also a fact that Josh is a remarkable Account Executive at Wildsparq. Each and every day, Josh helps fulfill the mission of Wildsparq by empowering organizations to create multiplying movements of multiplying leaders within their culture and for the good of their business. Always smiling, always willing to learn and then share his newfound wisdom with others, Josh helps to round out a powerhouse team of caring, compassionate, impassioned, and, frankly, very impressive individuals who want nothing more than to serve our clients well. Josh graduated from Bethel University with a Business Management degree, and uses very bit of that great education to help lead our team at Wildsparq. Josh and his wife, Erin, have what they call their “fur-baby,” Piper, but there’s another actual human-baby on the way! He enjoys playing basketball (duh!), and getting outside to hike, run, swim, or “just be.” He is also passionate about coaching, and helps serve different youth leagues as a basketball coach in his free time.

Favorite Food Pizza

Favorite Vacation Spot The Beach

Favorite Book Hunger Games

Superpower The ability to control time

Favorite Movie Hoosiers, Anchorman, The Dark Knight

Emerson Paton

Client Success Leader - Wildsparq

“Hey, Emerson, what’s a client success leader?” I asked. “Great question,” she said. “Thanks,” I said. “My pleasure,” she said. And we went on like that for a few minutes, but then she told me that a Client Success Leader’s primary responsibility is to serve any and all clients, individuals or internal team members who need to know just about anything about everything Wildsparq. "Interesting!" I said. "I know, right?" she said, and then she went on and on. Basically, once a company moves forward with Wildsparq, Emerson helps get teams set up and running on the platform and then continues as the go-to for inquiries large and small. Born and raised in Tupelo, Mississippi, and a proud graduate of Mississippi State University, Emerson has known how to properly spell her home state with the appropriate number of crooked letters and humpbacks almost her entire life. When she’s not at Wildsparq serving as the source of all knowledge, she likes to exercise, draw, paint (ladybugs are her specialty), and spend time with her husband, Connor.

Favorite Food Chocolate Chip Cookies

Favorite Movie The Harry Potter Series

Favorite Book The Power of Positive Thinking

Favorite Vacation Spot Santorini, Greece

Guilty Pleasure Also Chocolate Chip Cookies

Lacy Caughel

Sales Development Leader - Wildsparq

Bio Coming Soon!

Emily Hobbs

Client Success Leader - Wildsparq

Bio Coming Soon!

Peyton Welch

Sales Development Leader - Wildsparq

Bio Coming Soon!