Rust Belt Recruiting

What Rust Belt Recruiting does

Rust Belt Recruiting is a permanent placement recruiting firm founded in 2017 and headquartered at 1340 Depot Street, Suite 100 in Rocky River, Ohio, operating under the legal entity Workforce LLC. The firm connects manufacturing and industrial companies in Northeast Ohio and the broader Midwest with candidates for both professional leadership roles (plant managers, engineers) and skilled production positions (machinists, welders, press operators, maintenance technicians, tool makers). Service delivery is consultative and on-site: recruiters visit the client to assess culture and operations, pre-screen candidates against skill and wage requirements, and present vetted shortlists directly to hiring managers.

The firm generates revenue through two offerings: Direct Hire Search, a percentage-based placement fee with a retention guarantee whose terms vary by role, and Direct Staffing (the RBO model), which lets clients hire candidates directly onto their payroll while paying a spread-out placement fee over the first 90 days of employment, with billing stopping if the candidate exits during probation. Target clients are mid-market manufacturers with 150-300+ full-time employees located within roughly 150 miles of Cleveland, Ohio. The technology stack is described as industry-standard recruiting tools with no proprietary platform disclosed.

Marketing and brand-building are content-led, anchored by the Rust Belt Rundown podcast launched in 2020 (99+ episodes featuring regional manufacturing executives), the Shop Talk blog, an email newsletter, and community event sponsorships, including an active partnership with Manufacturing Works. Leadership includes Founder and President Taylor Evans, recruiter and U.S. Coast Guard veteran Kevin Morron (who assumed the podcast host role in September 2025), and additional team members such as Nate Stansberry. The firm has 10 employees, no disclosed external funding, no M&A activity, and no AI capabilities referenced in the source material.

Name

Rust Belt Recruiting

Legal name

Workforce LLC

Website

https://rustbeltrecruiting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Rust Belt Recruiting is a permanent placement recruiting firm that connects manufacturing and industrial companies in Northeast Ohio and the broader Midwest with candidates for leadership and skilled production roles, operating under Workforce LLC from Rocky River, Ohio.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Recruiting Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Skilled Trades & Industrial Direct Hire (BPACAFAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Professional & Technical Direct Hire (IT, Engineering, Finance, Healthcare) (BPACAFAC), Recruiting Administration Outsourcing (Recruitment Support, Scheduling, Onboarding Ops) (BPACAKAG)

Keywords

• Manufacturing recruiting services
• Permanent placement staffing
• Industrial talent acquisition
• Direct hire recruiting
• Skilled trades recruitment

Headquarters

HQ city

Rocky River

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Direct Hire Recruiting: Percentage-based fee for permanent placement recruitment services with a guarantee around candidate retention timeline. The percentage and guarantee vary based on the specific type of role being filled.
2. Direct Staffing: Allows clients to hire preferred candidates directly onto their payroll from day one while paying a spread-out placement fee over the first 90 days of employment. If a referred candidate does not work out during the 90-day probationary period, billing stops.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Rust Belt Recruiting is a specialized recruiting agency that connects manufacturing and industrial companies with top-tier local talent for permanent placement roles. The firm offers Direct Hire Search (percentage-based fee with retention guarantees) and Direct Staffing (RBO model with 90-day probationary period coverage), serving professional leadership and skilled production positions including machinists, engineers, plant managers, maintenance technicians, tool makers, welders, and press operators.

Product overview

Rust Belt Recruiting operates as a single unified recruiting service rather than a platform with modular components. The core offering is permanent placement recruiting for manufacturing and industrial companies in Northeast Ohio and the broader Midwest. Their service portfolio includes the Direct Hire Search (percentage-based fee model with retention guarantees) and the Direct Staffing/RBO model (full-process outsourcing with 90-day coverage). Both services focus exclusively on direct-hire, full-time placements ranging from production to professional leadership roles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Direct Hire Search

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Manufacturing WorkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManufacturing Works is a locally-based organization that provides expertise and resources to manufacturers interested in emerging trends, seizing opportunity and driving growth through the manufacturing industry. Rust Belt Recruiting has an active partnership with Manufacturing Works, collaborating on workforce initiatives and sponsoring their events including golf outings. The partnership focuses on strengthening the manufacturing talent pipeline in Northeast Ohio.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Robert Half: Robert Half is a major staffing and consulting firm placing finance, accounting, technology, and administrative talent, with industrial adjacency. Comparable as a professional direct-hire competitor for plant managers, engineers, and leadership roles that Rust Belt Recruiting also places.
• Randstad Industrial: Randstad is one of the largest global staffing firms with a dedicated industrial division serving manufacturing and skilled trades. Comparable to Rust Belt Recruiting in the manufacturing/skilled trades segment, but operating as a broad incumbent with significantly larger scale and broader service offerings.

Direct peers

• Insight Global: Insight Global is a national staffing and recruiting firm with significant industrial and manufacturing practice serving skilled trades, technical, and engineering roles. Comparable to Rust Belt Recruiting in serving manufacturing hiring needs with permanent and contract placements.
• Aerotek: Aerotek is a large staffing firm within the Allegis Group specializing in industrial, manufacturing, and skilled trades placements. It directly competes for the same Midwest manufacturing clients Rust Belt Recruiting targets, though it operates nationally and at far greater scale.
• Express Employment Professionals: Express Employment Professionals is a franchised staffing firm with strong industrial and manufacturing placement focus, including skilled trades direct hire. Comparable in business model and target customer base to Rust Belt Recruiting's manufacturing/skilled trades niche.
• Kforce: Kforce is a staffing and solutions firm placing technology, finance, and manufacturing/industrial talent. Its industrial practice directly overlaps Rust Belt Recruiting's professional and skilled trade placement offerings.
• CSI Recruiting: CSI Recruiting is a recruiting firm specializing in industrial, manufacturing, and skilled trades placements. Comparable to Rust Belt Recruiting in niche focus, direct-hire model, and emphasis on manufacturing employers.
• Sterling Engineering: Sterling Engineering is an engineering and technical recruiting firm serving manufacturing and industrial clients across the Midwest. Highly comparable to Rust Belt Recruiting in target customer (Midwest manufacturers), role mix (engineers, technicians, production leaders), and direct-hire business model.
• MRINetwork: MRINetwork is a global executive and professional search firm with industrial and manufacturing practice areas. Comparable in the permanent placement of leadership and technical roles into manufacturing organizations.

Others

• Manufacturing Works: Manufacturing Works is a Cleveland-based organization that supports manufacturers with workforce development and industry resources. Not a direct competitor, but a strategic ecosystem partner that overlaps with Rust Belt Recruiting's manufacturing client base and workforce-development mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/rustbeltrecruiting
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rustbeltrecruiting

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Rust Belt Recruiting