ECL Group of Companies

What ECL Group of Companies does

ECL Group of Companies is a privately held Canadian professional services firm headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta, with a secondary office in Calgary, operating an integrated suite of talent and workforce services. Founded in 1974 as Executrade Consultants Ltd. by Rich Stoppler and reorganized into the ECL Group structure in 2016, the company today comprises five operating units: Executrade (professional recruitment across direct hire, temporary, and contract placements in construction, engineering, aerospace, defense, finance, HR, insurance, and sales), Richardson Executive Search (retained executive search from Director to C-Suite), Stoppler Hughes (HR advisory, fractional HR leadership, and managed HR outsourcing), Outsource Payroll Solution (managed payroll and Employer of Record services), and WAHVE Canada (remote workforce solutions via a 2022 partnership). The firm serves mid-market and enterprise organizations across Canada with bilingual English/French capabilities, delivering services through a consultative, relationship-first sales motion with multi-year contracts and recurring managed-service engagements.

The underlying technology stack is not disclosed; ECL Group is positioned and operated as a people-delivery business rather than a technology platform, with revenue generated primarily through professional services fees (placement fees for permanent and contract roles, retained search fees, project- and retainer-based HR advisory, and recurring payroll/EOR subscriptions). The 2026 addition of a Francophone Division extends bilingual reach across Canada. Ownership and control remain concentrated with the Stoppler family; the firm is bootstrapped with no disclosed venture or institutional funding, no acquisitions, and limited public financial reporting, consistent with a long-tenured independent operator in the Canadian staffing and HR services market.

Name

ECL Group of Companies

Legal name

The ECL Group of Companies

Website

https://ecl-group.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

ECL Group of Companies is a privately held Canadian talent and workforce services firm operating five subsidiaries that provide recruitment, executive search, HR advisory, managed payroll/EOR, and remote workforce solutions to mid-market and enterprise organizations across Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Edmonton

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional Recruitment Services: Direct hire, temporary, and contract placements through Executrade. Revenue generated from successful placement fees, typically one-time contingent or retained search fees depending on engagement type.
2. Executive Search Services: Retained executive search through Richardson Executive Search for C-suite, VP, and Director-level placements. Higher-value engagements with confidentiality and thorough candidate assessment.
3. HR Advisory and Outsourcing: Fractional HR leadership, HR outsourcing, and consulting services through Stoppler Hughes. Ongoing retainer or project-based engagements.
4. Payroll and Employer of Record Services: Managed payroll services and Employer of Record (EOR) solutions through Outsource Payroll Solution. Recurring service fees with scalability as client organizations grow.
5. Remote Workforce Solutions: Access to vetted experienced professionals through WAHVE Canada partnership for HR, insurance, finance, and administration roles. Flexible engagement terms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

ECL Group of Companies is an integrated talent and workforce solutions group that delivers professional recruitment, executive search, HR advisory, managed payroll, and Employer of Record (EOR) services through five sub-brands. The group's offerings span direct hire, temporary and contract placements; retained C-suite and VP-level executive search; fractional and outsourced HR leadership; accurate payroll processing and compliance reviews; and remote workforce staffing via the WAHVE Canada partnership.

Product overview

ECL Group of Companies is an integrated suite of talent and workforce services consisting of five distinct sub-brands working together: Executrade (professional recruitment for direct hire, temporary, and contract placements), Richardson Executive Search (executive search from Director to C-Suite), Stoppler Hughes (HR advisory and fractional HR services), Outsource Payroll Solution (managed payroll and Employer of Record), and WAHVE Canada (remote workforce solutions). These complementary services provide organizations with end-to-end people solutions spanning recruitment, executive search, HR advisory, payroll management, and remote staffing, unified under a single group since 2016.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Executrade: Professional recruitment services providing Direct Hire, Temporary, and Contract placements across Construction, Engineering, Aerospace, Defense, Finance, HR, Insurance, Sales sectors with deep Canadian roots.
• Richardson Executive Search
• Stoppler Hughes
• Outsource Payroll Solution
• WAHVE Canada

Products and services

• Executrade Professional recruitment services providing direct hire, temporary, and contract placements across construction, engineering, aerospace, defense, finance, HR, insurance, sales and more. Designed for Canadian organizations with deep Canadian roots and North American reach.
• Richardson Executive Search Retained executive search services partnering with organizations to identify and secure leaders aligned with culture, strategy, and vision. Covers searches from Director to Vice Presidents, C-Suite to Presidents using an inclusive, confidential retained approach.
• Stoppler Hughes HR advisory and fractional HR services for growing organizations facing compliance risk, culture gaps, and limited internal capacity. Offers full-service HR outsourcing or à la carte support, fractional HR leadership, employee relations, investigations, risk management, and policy development.
• Outsource Payroll Solution Managed Payroll and Employer of Record (EOR) services providing accurate, on-time pay across the workforce with payroll compliance reviews to identify risk, gaps, and regulatory exposure. Handles remittances and year-end reporting.
• WAHVE Canada Remote workforce solutions connecting organizations with vetted, experienced professionals for HR, insurance, finance, and administration roles, offering reduced onboarding and overhead with flexible engagement terms.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• WAHVE CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partnership established in 2022 to provide remote workforce solutions connecting organizations with experienced professionals. WAHVE professionals bring decades of experience in HR, insurance, finance, and administration, reducing onboarding time and overhead for client organizations. ECL Group integrates WAHVE's remote workforce capabilities into its comprehensive talent and workforce service offering.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Robert Half International: Global staffing and consulting firm placing professionals in finance, accounting, HR, and administrative roles. Directly comparable to ECL's Executrade and Stoppler Hughes lines in the professional placement and HR consulting space, though at significantly larger scale.
• Randstad: One of the world's largest staffing and HR services groups, offering temporary staffing, permanent placement, RPO, and EOR/global payroll. Operates in Canada and competes directly across all of ECL's service lines including recruitment, HR advisory, and payroll/EOR.
• Adecco Group: Global HR solutions provider with staffing, career transition, and talent development services. Comparable to ECL's recruitment and workforce solutions portfolio and serves many of the same mid-market and enterprise clients.
• Hays plc: Global specialist recruitment firm focused on professional and skilled trades roles across construction, engineering, finance, HR, and technology. Directly comparable to Executrade's vertical specialization and recruitment model.
• Korn Ferry: Global executive search and organizational consulting firm. Closely comparable to Richardson Executive Search at the senior leadership and C-suite placement level, with a broader consulting portfolio.
• Spencer Stuart: Leading global executive search and leadership advisory firm. Directly comparable to Richardson Executive Search for retained C-suite and board-level placements.
• ManpowerGroup: Global workforce solutions company offering staffing, recruitment process outsourcing, and talent management. Overlaps with ECL's recruitment and managed HR services, particularly for mid-market and enterprise clients.
• Insperity: U.S.-listed PEO providing co-employment HR services including payroll, benefits, and HR administration. Closely comparable to Outsource Payroll Solution's PEO/EOR and Stoppler Hughes HR outsourcing offerings.
• TriNet: PEO delivering payroll, benefits, HR compliance, and workforce management to small and mid-sized businesses. Comparable to ECL's PEO and HR advisory service stack targeting growing organizations.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm. Directly comparable to Richardson Executive Search for senior leadership and executive-level retained search engagements.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ecl-group-of-companies

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ECL Group of Companies