Upstate Recruits is a dedicated recruiting practice for small trades businesses that can't afford a full-time HR department. Flat fees. No agency markup. Real results.
Most business owners post on Indeed and hope for the best. But in the trades, the best technicians are already working. They aren't scrolling job boards—they need to be actively recruited.
That's where I come in. I bypass the traditional staffing agency model. Traditional agencies charge 20% to 30% of a hire's annual salary, eating into your profits. I operate on a flat-fee basis. You pay for the recruiting labor, you get a short-list of highly qualified, vetted candidates, and you keep every dollar of your hire.
"I built Upstate Recruits because small trade businesses deserve access to high-level headhunting without the bloated agency fees. I handle the sourcing, the phone screens, and the heavy lifting so you only have to show up to interview the best."
Every service is priced against the true cost of a delayed or bad hire — not against a job posting.
Job board costs ($140–$240/role) are passed through as a direct line item or baked into the project fee.
We talk through the role, your shop culture, comp range, and what hasn't worked before. I take the time to learn the people, not just the job description.
I go well beyond job boards to find candidates your competitors can't reach — including the ones who aren't actively looking but are open to the right opportunity.
Every candidate is screened before you see them. You get a shortlist of qualified, interested people — not a pile of resumes to sort.
You own the offer and the relationship. No markup on placement. No temp-to-hire confusion. Just your hire, done faster and better.
If you run a 5–50 person trades shop in Albany, Saratoga, Troy, or Schenectady, this practice was built specifically for you.
You don't need a staffing agency with a 20% placement markup. You need someone who knows your market, can reach candidates you can't, and has skin in the game to fill the role right.
No placement markup. You pay a flat project or retainer fee. Your new hire's salary is theirs — no ongoing cut to an agency.
Direct relationships. This is a solo practice. You deal directly with me, not a rotating cast of account managers.
Capital Region specialist. Local market knowledge, local candidate networks, local supply house relationships.
No enterprise overlap. This practice doesn't compete with your larger competitors for the same candidates. It works exclusively for shops your size.
Let's talk about your open roles, what's not working, and how we can build a pipeline of reliable talent for your shop.