Ben Franklin is the Founder and CEO of Franklin Recruiting Group LLC, a firm built on one simple principle: great organizations grow when the right people are placed in the right roles — consistently, deliberately, and strategically.
Ben’s recruiting foundation was forged in one of the most challenging hiring environments in the country: United States Air Force recruiting. Military recruiting is unlike traditional hiring — only about one percent of the U.S. population ever serves, meaning recruiters must identify, develop, and motivate highly qualified candidates from an extremely limited talent pool while meeting strict performance, aptitude, medical, and character standards.
During his Air Force recruiting career, Ben successfully recruited candidates across a wide spectrum of specialties, from aircraft maintenance professionals and technical specialists to healthcare personnel. His performance earned him the prestigious Century Club Award three separate times — the top honor in Air Force recruiting services — recognizing elite production, professionalism, and sustained excellence.
Beyond individual performance, Ben distinguished himself as a leader and innovator. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when traditional face-to-face recruiting methods suddenly became impossible, he helped implement adaptive recruiting strategies that kept mission requirements on track. These included remote candidate engagement systems, digital relationship-building processes, and modernized evaluation workflows. Many of those operational adjustments remain in use today, demonstrating both effectiveness and lasting impact.
Following his military career, Ben transitioned into the private sector in Wisconsin, where he spent the past five years working within a large organization and experiencing staffing challenges from the employer’s perspective. There he gained firsthand understanding of workforce shortages, retention struggles, hiring inefficiencies, and the financial impact of vacancies — realities many businesses face daily.
Today, Ben bridges both worlds:
the precision and discipline of military recruiting with the practical realities of private-sector staffing.
His approach focuses on:
• Building structured recruiting systems rather than reactive hiring
• Improving candidate quality, not just candidate volume
• Reducing turnover through better fit and expectations alignment
• Helping organizations compete for talent in tight labor markets
Ben’s mission is to help businesses succeed by treating recruiting as a strategic function — not an administrative task — ensuring companies don’t just fill positions, but build teams capable of long-term growth and stability.
Ben Franklin
CEO – Founder