REC Solar is one of the top three commercial solar contractors in the U.S. with more than 20 years of experience building solar projects. Vice President of Operations, Dan Alcombright, who had previously partnered with Duffy Group for executive recruitment at two previous companies, referred Duffy Group to REC’s former HR Director David O’Grady upon evaluating REC’s prolonged hiring processes.

The Recruiting Challenge

Initially, David harbored skepticism toward traditional executive recruiting models due to past disappointments. He had grown cynical of recruiting firms and their all-too-common claims of exclusive candidate access. Despite his serious doubts, he decided to give Duffy Group a chance, and he is glad he did…

The Strategy

“Duffy Group is doing something quite different and it won me over, and I’m not easily won over,” says O’Grady. “It was refreshing to have a recruiter who would actively partner with me rather than send over unvetted candidates.”

“I still get calls and emails daily from more traditional recruiters and when I tell them about the Duffy model, the conversation usually ends quickly as they do not have a product that is remotely competitive. Plain and simple Duffy has the model HR professionals have been looking for and they flat out work harder than anybody else.”

Duffy Group is passionate about renewable energy recruitment and stays abreast of emerging technologies. We leverage our executive search experience in solar, green and alternative energy recruitment to connect with passive talent.

REC had several key positions to be filled in a short period of time. We prioritized the positions with the hiring leaders and developed a unique strategy to recruit quickly and effectively in several areas of the United States. We targeted their competitors nationally and regionally first.

The Duffy Difference

David highlights that Duffy Group recruiters provided invaluable market data, helping REC’s hiring leaders understand the competitive landscape. REC maintains stellar hiring standards, seeking only exceptional candidates.

Duffy Group’s research-driven recruitment model offered insights into the profiles of competitors’ employees, including their educational and professional backgrounds, and compensation. This information prompted hiring leaders to adjust their requirements, streamlining and expediting the recruitment process.

“The [recruiter] spent the time listening to our hiring needs; she was an arm of my department,” says O’Grady. “When I think about the number of candidates we hired, Duffy Group’s fee structure was very cost effective. They were a true partner and helped us build a candidate data base we could leverage to fill positions for other hiring leaders. A traditional recruiter would never have shared candidates without demanding a full fee.”