RFT was built on a simple premise. The people running your search should have skin in the game. After 14+ years and an 80%+ repeat client rate, that premise still drives everything we do. Learn more about RFT Search Group.
Linda Ferrante
Co-Founder and Director of Recruiting Operations
Linda started her recruiting career in 1998 in the engineering and IT sector. Early on, she noticed a pattern: companies were hiring fast and fixing problems later. The rush-to-market model produced short-term placements and long-term headaches. She shifted her focus toward something more useful, actually solving the hiring problem rather than filling a seat.
That shift is what she brought to RFT when she and Jason co-founded the firm in 2012. With 28 years of placement experience, Linda works directly with business owners to work through the if, what, and who of adding to their team. Most recruiters spend 2 to 3 years in the industry before moving on. Linda has spent nearly three decades developing the instincts that come only from that kind of depth.
Her perspective on recruiting has earned her a platform well beyond the firm. She has been published in recruitingblogs.com, thingscareerrelated.com, and whosyourgladys.com, featured in the Wall Street Journal, and interviewed on national radio programs. She has spoken as a panelist at the MBPA Women in Leadership Conference, received the Customer Service Hero Award from Corp! Magazine, and serves as a lead presenter at RFT Search Group’s Business Owner Forums and an annual speaker through Career Ministries. She is active and direct on LinkedIn, where her point of view on recruiting reaches a large and engaged audience.
Linda is open about her personal experience as a parent of an autistic child and engages with the autism community. She lives in Farmington Hills with her husband and two sons.
Recognition and Publications
Wall Street Journal · National Radio · Corp! Magazine Customer Service Hero Award · MBPA Women in Leadership Conference · recruitingblogs.com · thingscareerrelated.com · whosyourgladys.com
Jason Verlinde
Co-Founder and President
Some people choose a career. Jason built one. After earning his Physics degree from Michigan State University, he quickly realized his instincts ran toward ownership and strategy, not a job title on someone else’s org chart. He started his first company in 2004, and that decision shaped everything that followed.
When Jason co-founded RFT Search Group in 2012, he brought that business owner’s lens with him. He works with clients the same way he thinks about hiring for his own company: from a financial and strategic perspective, not just a placement perspective. When a business owner calls RFT, they are talking to someone who has made payroll, managed benefit packages, navigated a bad hire, and felt the impact of getting it right.
That background extends well beyond the firm. Jason is deeply engaged in Michigan’s business and policy community as a participant, not a spectator. He served two full terms on the board of the Small Business Association of Michigan from 2018 through 2024, reaching the term limit. He currently chairs the SBAM Workforce and Education Policy Council, serves on the SBAM Leadership Council and Legislative Action Committee, sits on the board of the Small Business Resource Center, and serves on the board of the Livonia Westland Chamber of Commerce, including the Executive Committee and Government Affairs Committee. He also participates in advisory workgroups with the MI Workforce Alliance and Launch Michigan for the Michigan Education Guarantee.
Jason lives in his hometown of Farmington Hills with his wife and his 6-year-old son.
Civic Leadership
- Chair, SBAM Workforce and Education Policy Council
- Member, SBAM Leadership Council and Legislative Action Committee
- Board Member, Small Business Resource Center
- Board Member, Livonia Westland Chamber of Commerce – Executive Committee and Government Affairs Committee
- Advisory Workgroup, Launch Michigan – Michigan Education Guarantee
- Committee Member, MI Workforce Alliance
What owner accountability actually means for your search
When the people running your search have built businesses, managed employees, navigated benefit packages, and felt the real cost of a bad hire, they evaluate candidates differently. Not just on qualifications, but on fit, on sustainability, and on what happens two years after the start date. That is the perspective Jason and Linda bring to every search, and it is why our livelihood depends on your success, not just your signature.
Ready to talk?
A 20-minute conversation costs nothing and tells you everything you need to know about whether we are the right fit.
For business owners
If you are looking to hire a leader for your company, let’s have a confidential conversation about your search. No pressure, no commitment.
For professionals
If you are a professional exploring new opportunities, learn how retained search works and see our current openings.