History of Tristaff

On August 23rd, 1971 Rich Papike and Gary van Eik went to work for an Executive Search firm in San Diego. They joined the San Diego Dunhill franchise as junior recruiters.  One year later they bought the company and their partnership lasted 52 years.  During that time the company grew beyond Executive Search to include Temporary Staffing and Consulting divisions.  In November of 2023 Rich and Gary sold the Temporary and Contract divisions and Alex Papike took over operations of the Executive Search division as the President of TriStaff Search.

Alex joined the company in 1995 and worked alongside his father Rich placing executives in Media, including: Newspapers, Television, and Digital Media.  In 2009 while the Media industry began to suffer from a difficult economy, consolidations, and constricting revenues Alex shifted into Renewable Energy working in Wind, Solar, Storage, and Waste to Energy with clients ranging from EPCs, IPPs, Developers, OEMs, etc…

TriStaff Search has now been in business in San Diego for 52 years and is still locally owned. The company has dedicated teams of recruiters focused in Renewable Energy, Banking, Engineering, Media, and Accounting/Finance both locally and Nationally.

Why TriStaff Search?

  • Family and locally owned – you deal directly with decision makers and avoid corporate red tape.
  • Tenured recruiters – they bring an average of 12 years’ experience and specialized knowledge.
  • Ongoing training – we’re committed to keeping up with the latest in hiring practices.
  • Tailored services – we can build a customized hiring strategy for high-volume or seasonal requirements.

Put our knowledge to the test.
Let us find the right people or position for you.