Now Accepting Q2 Retained Searches

The seat
stays open
too long.
We fix that.

Rick Kloete is an executive recruiter and compensation expert with 20+ years and 1,000+ placements. The retained search partner CEOs, Founders, and HR Leaders call when internal HR is stretched thin, job boards are noise, and the last recruiter vanished after the kickoff call.

Book a 30-Min Call → (615) 823-7723
20+
Years in Retained Search
1,000+
Executive Placements
75%
Repeat Client Rate
Rick Kloete, founder and managing partner of Kloete Group — executive recruiter with 20+ years and 1,000+ leadership placements, photographed in Franklin, Tennessee.
President · Kloete Group
MCKEE FOODS MARS PETCARE BRIDGESTONE WALGREENS TENNESSEE TECH NORANDA ALUMINUM WISE METALS DADA HOLDINGS CBL PROPERTIES MCKEE FOODS MARS PETCARE BRIDGESTONE WALGREENS TENNESSEE TECH NORANDA ALUMINUM WISE METALS DADA HOLDINGS CBL PROPERTIES
The Problem

Most executive searches take
too long, cost too much, and end with a hire that doesn't stick.

01

HR Stretched Thin

Internal HR can't run an executive search while also running everything else. Time-to-fill stretches into months. Good candidates move on.

02

Job Boards = Noise

You're not getting the leader you need from a posting. The talent you actually want isn't applying. They're being headhunted.

03

Recruiters Disappear

Big firm signs the retainer, kicks off the search, then vanishes. Six months later, the seat is still empty and the fee is gone.

I built Kloete Group to fix all three.

Receipts

Numbers don't lie.
Marketing copy does.

Every number below is a real, audited outcome from 15+ years running Kloete Group. No bait. No spin.

1,000+
Executive Roles
Placed Globally
20+
Years in Retained
Executive Search
75%
Repeat Client
Engagement Rate
96%
12-Month Candidate
Retention Rate
1/3
Less Time-to-Finalist
vs Industry Average
25%
Lower Search Fees
Than Competitors
1 Yr
Placement Guarantee
on Every Search
30+
Searches for One
Multinational Client
The 8-Step Process

A proprietary system,
not a sales pitch.

Built around the three things hiring leaders actually care about: quality candidates, faster delivery, and real accountability. This is how we close searches other firms walk away from.

STEP 01

Discovery & Role Design

Deep-dive intake with the hiring leader. We define the seat, the success metrics, and the cultural shape of the right hire.

STEP 02

Compensation Benchmarking

Market-grade comp analysis so the offer holds up. No guessing, no losing finalists to a number you could have anticipated.

STEP 03

Sourcing Strategy

Target maps built off proprietary networks, AI-informed talent pools, and 20+ years of executive relationships across industries.

STEP 04

Direct Outreach

We approach the executives who are actually doing the work — not the ones who are job-hunting. Quiet, professional, persistent.

STEP 05

Vetting & Assessment

Multi-layer evaluation against role criteria, leadership capability, and cultural fit. Candidates earn their way to your inbox.

STEP 06

Finalist Presentation

You receive multiple hireable finalists for the same seat. Clients regularly tell us the hardest part was choosing.

STEP 07

Offer & Close

We quarterback the close — counter-offers, references, comp negotiation — so the finalist signs and starts on time.

STEP 08

1-Year Guarantee

If the placement doesn't work in the first year, we re-run the search. Most firms won't touch this. We require it of ourselves.

What Clients & Peers Say

Real words, from real
people, in real seats.

Over the years, Kloete Group has successfully placed over 30 mid-to-senior leadership roles within our organizations. Each candidate brought in by Rick has demonstrated exceptional qualifications and has seamlessly integrated into our teams.

Monte Schaefer
CFO · 15+ Year Client

Rick's not the kind of guy who vanishes after the kickoff call. His 8-step retained search process isn't just a sales pitch — it's how he actually operates. His repeat client rate says more than any marketing copy could.

Gary Perman
Headhunter · 676 Placements

If you are a CEO or HR professional who needs a trusted partner to place leaders who stay, Rick is that partner. He asks the questions everyone else avoids — and then turns the answers into a practical, executable plan.

Mindy Stern, SPHR
Career Coach & Author
The Recruiter

20+ years.
1,000+ placements.
One unfair advantage.

Portrait of Rick Kloete, executive recruiter and compensation expert at Kloete Group, smiling in a navy suit and light blue shirt.
CDR
AIRS Certification
Certified Diversity Executive Recruiter
PRC
AIRS Certification
Professional Executive Recruiter
CIR
AIRS Certification
Certified Internet Executive Recruiter

Rick Kloete is the founder, President, and Managing Partner of Kloete Group, Inc. — a boutique executive search firm built to solve the three problems that wreck most executive hires: time-to-fill, quality of finalist, and accountability after the placement.

For 15 years as Senior Partner and Executive Recruiter, Rick has led retained search across manufacturing, healthcare, financial services, higher education, supply chain, and technology. The niche isn't an industry. It's a level: leadership.

Before founding Kloete Group, Rick spent over a decade as a national sales leader at Lucent Technologies, AVAYA, NextiraOne, and Verizon Enterprise Solutions — earning Achievers Club every year, Millionaires Club nearly every year, and a Leaders Council trip to Nevis/St. Kitts for the top 2% of sales leaders worldwide.

He brings the same standard to every retained search: quality, speed, value, and a 1-year guarantee in writing.

Selected Clients
McKee Foods Mars Petcare Bridgestone Walgreens Tennessee Tech Noranda Aluminum Wise Metals Dada Holdings CBL Properties YMCA SAIC Erlanger Health
What We Do

Two services.
One obsession with fit.

Whether you're filling a critical leadership seat or pressure-testing a comp band, the work is the same: get it right, get it fast, stand behind it.

★ Flagship

Retained
Executive Search

End-to-end retained search for mid-to-senior leadership roles — VP, SVP, C-suite, and direct reports. National reach, boutique attention.

  • Proprietary 8-step recruiting process
  • Finalists in roughly one-third the typical time
  • Multiple hireable candidates for the same seat
  • 1-year placement guarantee in writing
  • Fees roughly 25% below industry average
Start a Search →

Executive
Compensation Strategy

Independent comp benchmarking and offer architecture so finalists don't walk over a number you could have anticipated. Trusted by Fortune 100 HR leaders and executives in transition.

  • Market-rate benchmarking by role, region & industry
  • Variable comp & long-term incentive design
  • Offer-letter pressure-testing before it goes out
  • Candidate-side comp coaching for executives in transition
Request a Benchmark →

If the leadership seat
has stayed open
too long —
let's fix that.

30 minutes. No pitch deck. Just a frank conversation about the role, the market, and whether we're the right partner. If we're not, you'll leave the call sharper anyway.

— Three Ways to Reach Rick —
📅
Book Direct
30-Min Zoom Call
→
☎
Call
(615) 823-7723
→
✉
Email
rick@kloetegroup.com
→
Frequently Asked

The questions hiring
leaders actually ask first.

What kinds of roles does Rick Kloete recruit for?
Mid-to-senior leadership roles across virtually every industry — VP, SVP, C-suite, and direct reports — with a particular depth in manufacturing, healthcare, financial services, higher education, supply chain, and technology. The niche isn't industry; it's leadership level.
What is the 1-year placement guarantee?
If a placement we make doesn't work out in the first 12 months, we re-run the search at no additional search fee. It's one of the strongest guarantees in the executive search industry, and most firms won't touch it. We require it of ourselves because real accountability is what separates a search partner from a vendor.
How fast can you deliver finalist candidates?
Our 8-step process consistently delivers finalists in roughly one-third less time than the market average — often with multiple hireable candidates for the same seat. Speed without sacrificing fit is the entire point of the process.
How do your fees compare to other executive search firms?
Our retained search fees run approximately 25% below industry averages. You're not paying less for less work — you're paying for a boutique partner without the big-firm overhead, with a guarantee most large firms won't offer.
Do you only work with companies in Tennessee?
No. Kloete Group is headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee, but we run retained searches for clients across the United States and have placed leaders into global operations for multinational clients.
Can Rick help with executive compensation, even without a search?
Yes. Rick provides independent executive compensation benchmarking and offer-architecture work for HR leaders at Fortune 100 firms as well as for executives in transition. It's a separate engagement from search and can be scoped as a project or retainer.
How do I start a conversation?
The fastest path is the 30-minute Zoom link: calendly.com/rkloete/30-minute-zoom-call. You can also call (615) 823-7723 or email rick@kloetegroup.com.