Terms, scope, and the questions buyers actually ask, answered without adjectives.
| Entity | Intermesh LLC dba A2 Recruiting |
|---|---|
| Founder | Vince Dufour |
| Practice | Retained executive search |
| Sectors | Energy · Industrial · Manufacturing |
| Verticals | Advanced nuclear and SMR · Data center power · LNG · Midstream · Critical minerals · Upstream oil and gas |
| Functions | Finance · Engineering · Legal, Director through C-suite |
| Level | Director through C-suite |
| Geography | United States, Texas-weighted |
| Fee | 25% of first-year base salary |
| Ownership | 12 months |
| Guarantee | 90-day replacement |
| Contact | vince@a2recruiting.com · (979) 814-4800 |
A2 Recruiting is a retained search practice focused on advanced nuclear and small modular reactor developers, covering finance leadership (CFO, VP Finance, VP Corporate Development, Controller) and senior technical leadership. Coverage is United States, weighted to Texas and the Austin, Houston, and Dallas corridors where advanced reactor and data center power development is concentrated.
Standard terms are 25 percent of the placed executive's first-year base salary, with 12-month candidate ownership and a 90-day replacement guarantee. Engaged and container structures with a non-refundable portion at signing are available for Director and Controller-level mandates. CFO mandates are retained.
A replacement guarantee commits the search firm to conduct a replacement search at no additional fee if the placed executive departs within a defined window. The A2 Recruiting standard window is 90 days from start date.
The qualified population is small and largely passive: energy investment banking associates and vice presidents, private equity investment professionals at energy sponsors, and internal corporate development managers at operators. Most are not on job boards and will not respond to generic approaches. A2 maps the population against a defined rubric, contacts individuals directly to establish stance on compensation, relocation, and interest, and delivers a slate with that calibration attached rather than a list of resumes.
An executive market map is a structured inventory of every credible holder of a defined seat, assessed against a published rubric, with evidence separated from inference. It is worth buying separately when a sponsor is underwriting whether an acquired asset can be staffed, when a board needs the shape of the market before committing to a search, when an existing search has stalled and coverage is in question, or when planning succession 12 to 24 months ahead of a vacancy.
Advanced nuclear and small modular reactors, data center power and behind-the-meter generation, LNG, midstream, critical minerals, and upstream oil and gas. Beyond energy, A2 covers industrial and manufacturing operators on the same functional lines. The client base is weighted to private-capital-backed platforms, meaning private equity portfolio companies, private-credit-backed operators, and venture-funded developers, alongside public operators and independent industrials.
Contingency is exception-only and is used as an on-ramp with proven clients. Default engagements are retained or engaged, because the work that determines outcome quality, which is direct calibration of passive candidates on compensation, relocation, and stance, cannot be performed speculatively at volume.