Our People

Team Trident’s management team is made up of former military officers and senior enlisted leaders with significant experience in the energy industry. Team Trident’s leadership team includes:

Rod Long, President and Co-Founder

Rod was commissioned in the U.S. Marine Corps in August of 1988 after graduating from Texas A&M University. He served in Desert Shield / Desert Storm and remained on active duty for 10 years. He has remained in the reserves and was activated two of the last 7 years after 9/11. He has a distinguished record of service and is currently a Lieutenant Colonel in the Marine Corps Reserves. As a Sales Executive for LIM and Loomis International, Rod’s customer base have included Oil & Gas National Oil Companies (NOCs) like Petrobras, Super Majors like BP, Chevron & ConocoPhillips, natural gas marketers like Dynegy and power companies like Calpine. Rod lives in Cypress, Texas with his wife and two children.

As President of Team Trident, Rod focuses on business development and the strategic management of the firm.

Rick Restivo, Senior Vice President and Co-Founder

Rick started his career in the United States Navy, serving 10 years on active duty as a Commissioned Officer. He was deployed worldwide on 3 different Navy ships, and spent the majority of his time around ships’ engineering equipment and technicians. His civilian work background includes serving as Field Service Engineer, Technical Sales Rep for Varco Drilling Equipment. Rick is a 1991 graduate of Texas A&M University. He also earned an MS in Physics from the Navy Postgraduate School and an MBA from Tulane University. He currently lives in Columbus, Texas with his wife and daughter.

As Senior Vice President of Team Trident, Rick participates in business development and contributes directly to the strategic management of the firm. Rick actively participates in the recruiting, screening and placement of candidates with clients.

Tim Carpenter, Vice President Operations

Tim served in the United States Marine Corps as a Helicopter Crew Chief in the mid to late 1980’s. Upon leaving the Marine Corps, Tim worked in refineries for companies such as Matrix, TIMEC and Tradesman International, serving as Senior Foreman and Project Coordinator. He put his combination of hiring skills and technical experience to work as an executive recruiter focusing on technical sales, engineering and executive-level roles for Richard, Wayne and Roberts (RWR) where he was consistently a top producer. He became Director of Global Recruiting & Engineering Staffing for Maverick Technologies before joining Team Trident in early 2007.

As Vice President of Operations, Tim is an integral part of Team Trident where he trains and leads our recruiter team and ensures only the very best candidates are forwarded to our clients.

Michelle Smith, Vice President Business Accounts & Development

Michelle has a distinguished record of service in the United States Marine Corps, serving 6 years on active duty as a Commissioned Officer, and currently serving as an Aide de Camp to the Commanding General of Marine Forces Reserve. She has been a top performing Sales Executive and Service Branch Manager for Johnson Controls, Inc. where she was named "Sales Rookie of the Year" in 2001. Michelle is a graduate of the University of Nebraska.

As Vice President of Accounts & Business Development, Michelle focuses on bringing new business opportunities to Team Trident and on existing customer satisfaction. She actively participates in the placement of candidates with clients.