MRC Team

The first influences of MRC started when I was a freshman in High School and took my first Spanish class.

It didn’t take me long to realize that I was infatuated with the language and excelled at it. During my summer breaks, I worked for landscaping companies and was able to utilize my Spanish skills while working side-by-side H2B employees, from high school throughout college.

While attending Ohio University I studied abroad twice in Mexico, perfecting my Spanish. With the help and guidance of my brother who is highly experienced in the industry, I was fortunate to have an internship with ValleyCrest where I was familiarized with many facets of the industry and also served as a liaison and translator between the Spanish-speaking workforce and non Spanish-speaking managers. My goal was to find a Human Resources position in the lawn care and landscaping industry upon graduation.

Life had a different turn for me however, and I found myself enrolled in the Peace Corps, a dream I always had.

This experience brought me to Ecuador for 26 months where I got to work side by side some amazing people, get my hands dirty working outdoors and reinforcing my appreciation for nature. As I helped indigenous tribes with challenges such as reforestation and community tourism projects, I luckily gained an entrepreneurial experience. I realized that I wasn’t afraid to seek out and pitch project and partnership ideas to universities, agencies, museums, and government officials if I was confident in it’s success.

After Ecuador, I moved back home to Cincinnati and worked at the local Hispanic Center leading educational programs. In my heart I knew I wanted to continue with the Peace Corps, which led me to Panama for 2 years in my mid-twenties.

Afterwards, I landed a job in Upstate New York working for a dairy farm staffing agency.

I was responsible for recruiting, managing, and training employees from Mexico, but my specialty became evident quickly. I successfully hired hundreds of Puerto Ricans for the company while working remotely and providing interpretation services

In 2016, I was at the Bengals game, and my buddy asked me when I was going to start pursuing my dreams.

I always dreamed of starting a business and at that moment I knew I had a unique skill set and it was the perfect time to put it into practice.

That night, I was online for hours researching labor shortages that plague the green industry. I was immediately overwhelmed with the amount of articles about successful businesses struggling to find manpower.  It was obvious to me that I had to do something to provide quick and reliable solutions to labor shortages around the country. I knew with confidence that I could provide the answer.

I began to connect with people in the industry and drafted Martin Recruiting and Consulting’s (MRC’s) very first business plan. I heard about the Green Industry Expo in Louisville, Kentucky on a Thursday, had business cards made within a day, and on the following Tuesday I was sitting down for dinner with renowned business owners and consultants that I had read about in magazines.

One thing I’ve noticed about the lawn and landscape industry is that the people in it always give back.

I’ve seen people’s eyes light up when I tell them about my unique and necessary business and that’s what motivates me. I’m equally passionate about creating opportunities for my recruits as I am about providing labor solutions for businesses. Being a liaison and alleviating labor shortages is what MRC excels at.

How can I help you reach your dreams?

-Clay Martin