How we work
Scope, commercial structure, evidence standards, and what happens after a mandate begins.
| Entity | Intermesh LLC dba A2 Recruiting |
|---|---|
| Founder | Vince Dufour |
| Engagements | Retained, engaged, and selective contingent |
| Standard fee | 25 percent of first-year base salary |
| Introduction protection | 12 months |
| Guarantee | 90-day replacement |
| Primary functions | Finance · Corporate development · Strategic finance · Controller and CAO |
| Level | Director through C-suite |
| Geography | United States, weighted to Texas and the South |
| Contact | vince@a2recruiting.com · (979) 814-4800 |
Which engagement structure applies?
Retained work fits senior, confidential, or market-constrained mandates that require full population mapping and sustained direct outreach. Engaged structures fit defined Director, Controller, and similar mandates where the client wants committed coverage with a staged payment schedule. Selective contingent work is used when the relationship and mandate make speculative execution commercially sound.
The signed agreement controls the actual payment schedule, protection period, guarantee, exclusions, and replacement conditions for each search.
What happens after launch?
- Specification. Define the mandate, operating context, outcomes, constraints, compensation, geography, and evidence required for each selection criterion.
- Market map. Build the credible population, including passive executives and adjacent profiles that generic title matching misses.
- Direct calibration. Contact candidates to establish capability evidence, compensation, relocation constraints, timing, and actual stance.
- Slate and close. Present evidence with each candidate, manage interviews and references, and support offer construction through acceptance.
What is the A2 Executive Market Map?
It is a structured view of the credible executive population for one defined seat. It can be purchased before a search, used for succession planning, or used to audit a search already in market. The output distinguishes what is known, how strongly it is sourced, whether a credible access path exists, and whether the executive's stance has been established directly.
Read the full market-map specification.
Where is coverage deepest?
A2 is deepest in finance and corporate development leadership across energy infrastructure and adjacent industrial markets. Recurring verticals include advanced nuclear and small modular reactors, data center power, LNG, midstream, upstream oil and gas, critical minerals, and advanced manufacturing. Select commercial, legal, and technical mandates are accepted where sector access and evidence discipline are decisive.
Does A2 work on contingency?
Yes, selectively. A2 does not describe itself as retained-only. The structure is chosen based on mandate seniority, market difficulty, relationship history, urgency, and how much original mapping and direct candidate calibration the work requires.
Start a discussion
Send the company, role, location, compensation range, timing, and the decision the hire must improve to vince@a2recruiting.com.