About Us
irwin & wagner, inc.
Our boutique search firm specializes in finding exceptional talent that exceeds our clients’ needs.
With a focus primarily on the hospitality industry, sourcing regional, corporate, and C-suite executives, as well as key property-level leaders, our personalized approach has a proven track record of finding the right candidates, setting our clients up for long-term success.
Based in Chicago, Illinois, Irwin & Wagner serves clients throughout the continental United States and Hawaii, as well as within the wider North American Continent by request.
our history
Irwin & Wagner was founded in 1992 by an experienced Talent Acquisition Executive and successful hospitality leader in Operations, Human Resources, and Marketing.
In the past 32 years, we have placed leadership positions for large entertainment companies, catering companies, hotels, restaurants, contracted management firms, and ownership groups.
We have also routinely worked with well-respected hospitality companies, placing candidates at iconic properties.
Our Leadership
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Founder & President
After several years working in restaurant leadership for highly successful establishments, at age 24, Mary Ellen was elevated to the position of Vice President of Human Resources for a Chicago-area full-service restaurant Group. There, she learned the impact that Executive Search can have on an organization, going on to join the Executive Search firm with whom she primarily contracted. She achieved the title of partner within the first year and routinely ranked as a top biller within the organization. Confident in her ability to bring her expertise to companies across the hospitality industry, she formed Irwin & Wagner, where she continues to oversee her long-term clients’ projects and the overall quality of the firm’s services.
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Vice President & Managing DirectorA home-grown champion of the power of Executive Search, Michael entered his family’s firm straight after graduating with honors from Loyola University Chicago with a degree in Classical Civilization. He spent the next five years directly under Mary Ellen’s tutelage, learning every inch of the Executive Search process. After becoming an accomplished recruiter in his own right, Michael turned his focus on the growth of the firm, becoming instrumental in codifying Mary Ellen’s processes and training the next generation of recruiters to the rigorous standards of Irwin & Wagner. Michael now oversees all aspects of the firm’s operation and growth, in addition to maintaining a book of legacy clients.