Adding a Trade or Service Line

The situation

Adding a Trade or Service Line: a GC self-performing concrete, a roofer adding windows and siding, a dealer adding EV or ADAS work, a contractor adding a commercial service sales team.

Start from the trades involved: browse every trade, or tell us the scope.

How the search runs

Growth that depends on one hire

Contractors add lines for good reasons. A general contractor starts self-performing concrete. A roofer adds windows and siding. A dealer adds electric vehicle or driver assistance work. A mechanical firm builds a commercial service sales team. In each case the new line depends on a handful of people who have done it before, and a poor first hire can set the effort back a year. This page is for owners who want those first hires made carefully.

Owners often underestimate how much of a new line is reputation. Customers will judge the new service by the first few jobs, so a careful first hire protects the brand the company already has.

Choose the leader before the crew

A new line needs a leader who has built, run or sold the work somewhere else. For a self-perform concrete group that may be a foreman or superintendent. For an exterior line it may be an installer with crew leadership and a sales partner. For a service line it may be a manager who has handled agreements. We help clients write the leader's scope in plain terms, including authority, budget and expected results.

A second hire matters too. A leader without a capable lead technician or estimator beside them carries too much, so we discuss the first three seats together rather than one at a time.

Credentials and licensing for the new work

New work can trigger new licensing, registration, insurance or manufacturer authorization requirements. Window and siding work, electric vehicle charging, advanced vehicle calibration and commercial service agreements each have their own rules. We ask candidates what they hold and what the employer will need to obtain. Everything is stated as something to confirm for the job location, and we encourage clients to check licensing classifications with the proper authority before advertising the new service.

Insurance carriers and bonding companies may also ask questions when a firm adds a line, so we encourage owners to speak with them early.

Hiring for fit with the existing business

A new line lives inside an existing culture. A leader hired from a much larger company may expect systems that do not exist, while one from a smaller shop may struggle with the pace of a bigger one. We ask clients about their tools, estimating practices, pay structure and how they treat new leaders. We then match to people who have succeeded in similar settings, not only to impressive resumes.

We also ask how the owner will handle disagreements, since a new leader needs real authority to succeed.

Screening the first hires

We review the largest project each person managed, the margins they tracked, the crews they supervised and a specific error from which they grew. For sales roles we verify exact figures in their own words and never inflate them. For technical roles we confirm hands-on task competence. Clients must conduct their own legal vetting of candidate criminal, substance or motor vehicle records as we do not manage these.

Where the experienced people are

People who have launched similar lines are usually employed, and they rarely read postings. We approach them directly, including specialists at firms that already run the line, former owners and managers who want a defined role, and experienced crew leaders ready for more responsibility. Pools are described by type only and we do not name employers. We respect each person's current commitments.

How the engagement works

Permanent direct hire is our default for leaders and key technicians in a new line, because those people need long term ownership. Other structures can be discussed on request, with terms written for that engagement. The hiring company remains the employer for pay, insurance, supervision and training. We are the recruiter, we brief the client in writing and we leave the operating decisions to the owner.

Some owners start with a small pilot, such as one crew or one account, and expand once results appear.

Starting the conversation

Tell us the line you want to add, the market, the leader you imagine and the timing. We will say plainly whether the plan is realistic, which roles to fill first and what credentials to confirm. The related role and industry pages below describe the titles most often requested for new lines. Send the request when you are ready and we will begin with the leader.

A written plan for the first ninety days, covering projects, margins and reporting, helps a new leader start well, though we leave the details to the owner.

What happens next

1. You send the trade, scope and location. Two short steps.
2. Ivan or a senior team member will reach out soon.
3. We search, qualify people live, and send a written brief on each person we present.

Details on our process and recruiting fees.

What happens in The Six-Step Search?

Every Skilled Trades Headhunters client search follows the same six named steps. Here is what happens at each one and what you get from it.

1. 1

   Intake and calibration

   We agree on the work, location, pay, schedule and credentials before contacting anyone.

   What you get: You get a clear role profile with the deal breakers named up front.

2. 2

   Targeted market research

   We map the trade backgrounds and local or traveling talent that fit. We use relevant employer types, referrals and public license lookups where available.

   What you get: You get a search aimed at the actual work, not a job title alone.

3. 3

   Personal outreach

   We contact working tradespeople individually about the opening and what would make a move worthwhile.

   What you get: You reach people who are not replying to your job advertisement.

4. 4

   Live qualification

   Each person is talked through the scope, equipment and schedule in a live conversation. Applicable licenses are checked with the issuing authority.

   What you get: You only hear about people who understand the job and want it.

5. 5

   Written shortlist insight

   We present a short list with a written brief on each person: what they do now, what they want and what to probe.

   What you get: You interview a few people instead of reading a stack.

6. 6

   Interview and offer support

   We help you prepare interviews, discuss the offer and address counteroffers. We stay in touch through the agreed start.

   What you get: You have support for the hiring decision. The signed agreement sets the replacement terms.

Send Us Your Open Role

What we do not do

• No hourly billing and no workers on our payroll.
• No retainer unless agreed in writing.
• No reposting your opening on job boards.
• Not a same-day labor hall.
• No drug, MVR or background checks; your company runs any the role requires.

Details on how our fee works.