When Recruiting is the Real Superpower

Looking at the Data: In the Southeast, about 57% of employees say they're actively looking for or open to a new job — more than half the workforce, across every industry. Jesse Rack built Rack Electric from 5 employees to 160 in South Florida, and his retention playbook has nothing to do with perks and everything to do with how he hires and how he leads. He recruits for attitude over skill, treats a resume as "just a piece of paper," and leads from the front — work boots, ride-alongs, and an open door. In a region where the trades are short on people and long on demand, that's the whole game.

Watch the full interview with Jesse Rack

The data: the Southeast's retention and connection gaps

TriNet's 2025 State of Work report surveyed 111 employers and 80 employees at small-to-medium businesses across Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi.

In the trades, you can't outsource the work, so you recruit the right people, and you give them a reason to stay.

More than half of Southeast employees are looking for a new job. Leaders think their teams feel more connected than the teams actually do. And in physically demanding work — Rack Electric's crews are in 100-degree South Florida heat — the overwork gap compounds the retention risk. Rack's answer to all three runs through hiring and leadership, not a benefits brochure.

"A resume is just a piece of paper": hiring for attitude

Rack grew from a five-person shop to 160 employees, and the throughline of how he did it is a hiring philosophy most operators say, but few enforce.

"My greatest strength is not electric. My greatest strength is recruiting. I recruit extremely intelligent individuals who want to work with me and want me to lead them to a new level in their life, a new level in their career."* — Jesse Rack

He tends to prioritize  attitude and work ethic over technical skill, and places less weight ion what can be gathered from paperwork alone.

"We're a big believer in hiring for attitude, not necessarily always skill... A resume to me is just a piece of paper. We want to see them in action. We want to see them in the field. They get training. They get opportunities to work with people who have been here for 5, 10, 15-plus years. And usually, we'll know within those 90 days if they're a culturally strong fit."* — Jesse Rack

He's also honest about the job, which is its own filter.

"The trades are not for everybody. I tell people all the time, if you expect to be sitting in air conditioning, go drive Uber. We're not in air conditioning. We're outside. It's 100 degrees... But the opportunity is there to make a lot of money."* — Jesse Rack

The 90-day field tryout does what a resume can't: it surfaces grit, which Rack — a former athlete — treats as the trait that tends to be an indicator of success. It's hard to interview for hustle. It's easy to see it on a job site.

Lead from the front: how Rack closes the connection gap

The State of Work data shows Southeast leaders overestimate how connected their teams feel by nearly 18 points. Rack's model works to close that gap structurally by keeping leadership visible and in the work.

"I've always been a leader who's going to lead from the front, not from the back. I have an open-door policy. There are days when I'll jump out there and go in the field, I'll see the team, we'll do a ride-along, and I'll coach them up. I think that's part of our success — that our ownership hasn't abandoned the team. I work just as hard as they do, and I think they see that and they thrive on that."* — Jesse Rack

This is the part that doesn't show up on a benefits statement and matters more than one. The connection gap is largest in companies where leadership feels close from the top but distant from the field. Rack inverts it: he makes an effort to be visible on the job site, in the truck, and while coaching. The team's sense of connection isn't surveyed into existence — it's demonstrated.

He's also clear that culture does some of the hiring for him: a hard-working team tends to push out people who don't fit, without management having to force it.

Retention is cheaper than retraining — so build the ladder

Rack's retention logic starts with simple math, then moves to opportunity.

"We love to retain employees — number one because it costs a lot more to retrain new people. We give them opportunities to continue to excel. We put guys in trade school. And we're pushing — we want people to be the best."* — Jesse Rack

The opportunity is concrete: a real career ladder (journeyman, master electrician, foreman), employer-sponsored trade school, and a path off the truck for people who want it.

For a 160-person field business, that ladder is real HR work: licensing and certification tracking, multi-vehicle workforce management, overtime, and the benefits and development programs that make the ladder credible. Rack runs a full HR department; many SMBs in the trades reach that complexity well before they can staff for it, which is where HR Outsourcing or a PEO helps clients navigate compliance and provide access to Employee Benefits while the owner can better focuse on the team.

The trades are making a comeback — and demand is reshaping the work

Part of Rack's retention story is timing: he's in an industry that's growing and finally getting respect.

As one of the largest independent generator dealer in his market, Rack is quietly part of the infrastructure buildout: the growth of solar and data centers needs backup power, and backup power needs his crews. The demand is real and rising — which makes recruiting and retention the binding constraint on growth, not the work itself.

On technology, Rack's position is deliberately narrow: use it to make the team better, not smaller.

"Our goal isn't to eliminate any of our employees. Our goal is to enhance the current employees that we have... A hybrid model utilizing AI and human interaction is just the most efficient model that's out there."* — Jesse Rack

Why this matters for SMB operators in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi

Rack's playbook and the State of Work data converge on a specific reality for trades and field-service operators across the Southeast:

• Retention is the constraint on growth, not demand. With 57% of Southeast employees looking for a new job and the trades short on skilled labor, the operators who win are the ones who keep people, not the ones who can find them.
• Focus on attitude, verify in the field, and develop your team. A resume doesn't show grit. A 90-day trial period can help evaluate fit and highlight a growth plan.
• Visible leadership closes the connection gap. Southeast leaders overestimate the connection by 18 points. Owners who make a point to stay visible to their teams — open-door policy, on the job site, active coaching — can be better situated to close that gap and connect with their team.
• A real career ladder is the best benefit you can offer. Journeyman-to-master licensing, sponsored trade school, and field-to-office mobility give people a reason to stay that comp alone can't. Employees want to see a path for themselves within the business; otherwise, they will look to leave.
• Growth-stage trades businesses outrun their HR capacity. Scaling from 5 to 160 means licensing, multi-state HR Compliance, overtime, and Employee Benefits get complex fast. HR Outsourcing or a PEO lets the owner keep leading from the front instead of drowning in admin.

How to put this into practice

For Southeast trades and field-service operators working to build a team that stays:

1. Consider their attitude and make that emphasis clear during recruitment. Ask candidates their strengths, weaknesses, and 5-, 10-, and 15-year goals. Hire the people who want to be led somewhere.
2. Run a real 90-day field tryout. Pair new hires with seasoned employees, train deliberately, and evaluate culture fit in the work — not on paper.
3. Lead from the front. Get on the job site or in the warehouse. Shadow the team. Keep an open door. The connection gap closes when ownership is visibly in the work.
4. Build the ladder and fund it. Sponsor trade school, push people toward journeyman and master licensure, and create a visible path from field to office.
5. Manage workload honestly. In physically demanding work, a double shift isn't double output. Protect your best people from burnout instead of leaning on them until they leave.
6. Get your vision on paper — and get help with your admin. Write the goal and the metrics that get you there. Then get help from a provider with HR, payroll and benefits administration (HR Outsourcing or a PEO) so you can focus on the team.

What's next for Southeast trades businesses

The Southeast data describes a workforce in motion and leaders who think things are better than their teams feel. Rack's answer isn't a retention program — it's a way of operating: recruit people smarter than you, verify them in the field, lead from the front, and give them somewhere to climb. In an industry that's growing and short on hands, that's the difference between a business that scales and one that's always rehiring.

Read the full Southeast regional report from TriNet's 2025 State of Work

See how TriNet supports Southeast trades and field-service SMBs with HR Outsourcing, payroll, and benefits

FAQ

How do trades businesses in the Southeast recruit and retain workers?

Operators like Jesse Rack of Rack Electric recruit generally for attitude and less on skill, verify culture fit during a 90-day field tryout, and lead visibly from the front. Retention comes from growth opportunities like — licensing, sponsored trade school, and field-to-office mobility — not just from perks alone.

Why does Jesse Rack say a resume is "just a piece of paper"?

Because in the trades, the traits that predict success — grit, hustle, attitude — don't show up on a resume. Rack uses the first 90 days to see new hires in the field, paired with veteran technicians, before judging whether they're a culturally strong fit.

How can a trades business close the leadership-connection gap?

TriNet's 2025 State of Work report found Southeast employers overestimate how connected their teams feel by nearly 18 points (73.8% vs. 56%). Rack closes it by leading from the front: site visits, an open-door policy, and ownership that stays visibly in the work rather than managing from a distance.

What's the best way to retain skilled trades workers?

Build a credible career ladder. Sponsor trade school, push employees toward journeyman and master licensure, and create a visible path from the field into office and management roles. Rack's logic: retraining new people costs more than investing in the team you have.

Are the skilled trades growing?

Yes. As Jesse Rack notes, the trades are making a comeback, driven in part by infrastructure demand — data centers, for example, require backup power and the crews to build and maintain it. Rising demand makes recruiting and retention the main constraint on growth.

How should a trades business use AI?

Rack's approach is to enhance employees, not replace them — a hybrid model of AI plus human work. His company uses AI to handle high call volume and route work efficiently so technicians can focus on the jobs that matter, without cutting headcount.

When should a growing trades business consider HR Outsourcing or a PEO?

Field businesses hit HR complexity early: licensing and certification tracking, multi-vehicle workforce management, overtime rules, multi-state HR Compliance, and Employee Benefits administration. Scaling from a handful of employees toward 100+ usually outpaces in-house HR capacity, which is when HR Outsourcing or a PEO becomes core support.

What's Jesse Rack's advice for new operators?

Get your vision on paper and define the metrics that get you there. Surround yourself with people more intelligent than you. Build long-term enterprise value. And start slow — put your energy where you'll see immediate returns rather than expanding into work you don't yet understand.