Spark

DFM Partnership: Executive Dashboard

BlueOval Battery Park · Marshall, MI · Q3 2026 close · data through October 7, 2026

QBR LIVE · --:--
QUARTERLY BUSINESS REVIEW · Q3 2026 CLOSE

DFM Partnership
Performance Review

Exclusive recruiting partner · 351 placements year to date · 143 Spark team members on site · 21 of 22 vacancies already covered with candidates in process
Ford BlueOval
DFM
Spark
SERVICE DELIVERY ▸
◂ TALENT PIPELINE
0
Spark active on site
plus 13 DFM direct · 156 total active
0
Open vacancies
21 covered with candidates in process
0
Uncovered opening
one maintenance seat with nobody in process
0
YTD placements
Q1 104 · Q2 124 · Q3 120 · 3 onboarding
0
Lower turnover, Q3 vs Q2
35%/mo Q2 avg → 29%/mo Q3 avg
0
Addendum A run rate
$9.7K saved in first 4 weeks

NET WORKFORCE FLOW

starts vs terms by quarter · roster export basis
CONTEXT
Read Q1 and Q2 as one ramp. 70 of 104 Q1 starts landed in March, and 52 of Q2's 90 exits came from Q1 hires (42 from the March group alone). Q3 held hiring at 120 starts while average headcount held near 120, and Q4 opens with 21 of 22 vacancies already covered.

MONTHLY TURNOVER RATE

terms ÷ average headcount · green line = trend since the April peak · October prorated
READ
Turnover is coming down. From the 42% April peak the trend is about 3 points lower each month, and since June it has held in a 24 to 32% band. Q2 averaged 35%/mo, Q3 averaged 29%/mo, and October is pacing at 17%. Maintenance turnover halved quarter over quarter; general cleaners are the open problem.
0
of 178 roles covered
99%
ROLE COVERAGE · OCTOBER 7
177 of 178 roles are covered.
156
Filled today143 Spark team members + 13 DFM direct
21
Open, with candidates in process8 general cleaners · 12 maintenance · 1 pack plant
1
Open, nobody in process yetone maintenance seat
MONDAY
8 general cleaners are targeted to start Monday (10/12). If all 8 start, General Cleaners go from 65 to 73 of 73.
0%
Overall Fill
156 of 178 seats filled today
0%
General Cleaners
65 of 73 · 8 targeted to start Monday
0%
Technical Cleaners
44 of 44
0%
Maintenance
35 of 48 · 13 open, 12 in process
0%
Supervision & Eng
10 of 10

SEATS BY DEPARTMENT

Spark active · DFM direct · vacancy covered · vacancy uncovered

WHAT TO SAY IN THE ROOM

headcount as of October 7
✓
156 active against 178 seats143 Spark, 13 DFM direct (3 of those converted from Spark)
✓
Technical Cleaning 100% staffed44 of 44, all shifts covered
✓
Supervision and Engineers 100%every effective seat placed
!
Maintenance: 13 open, 12 covered2 offers, 1 interview, 3 pending feedback, 6 submittals. One seat with nobody in process.
✓
General Cleaners: 8 targeted to start Mondaythat would put General Cleaners at 73 of 73, with a large bench behind them
0
YTD placements
348 started, 3 onboarding
0
Q3 starts
Q2 was 124; volume held
0
September starts
third-biggest month, after March (70) and June (57)
0
Maintenance starts since July QBR
7 in Aug, 7 in Sep, 1 in late July

MONTHLY START VOLUME

March ramp annotated · October shows scheduled starts
PLAIN ENGLISH
Three hiring waves. March was the launch: 70 people started to build the site. June was the second wave (57 starts), timed with the move to 7-day, 2-2-3 coverage. September was the third (50 starts: 35 general cleaners, 8 technical cleaners, 7 maintenance), keeping seats full while 34 people left that month. In between, hiring ran steady at 30 to 38 starts a month. About 7 in 10 new hires make it past day 30.

YTD PLACEMENTS BY ROLE

351 placements
→
Skilled share risingMaintenance and HVAC were 5 of 104 Q1 starts and 21 of 120 Q3 starts
i
In an average Q2 month, about 35 of every 100 team members left. In Q3 that fell to about 29 of every 100, and October is pacing at 17. Headcount grew from 88 to 119 over the same period, so the rate improved while the site got bigger.
0
Lower turnover
35%/mo Q2 → 29%/mo Q3
i
The average Spark team member on site today has been with the program 91 days. In July that figure was 66. The roster is maturing: a third of the active team has passed 90 days.
0
Avg active tenure
median 79 · was 66 in July
i
People who left stayed an average of 48 days. In July it was 39. Exits are happening later, which means fewer first-week washouts and more exits from people who had settled in.
0
Avg tenure at exit
median 35 · was 39 in July
i
In Q1 a departing team member had lasted 18 days on average. In Q2, 38 days. In Q3, 61 days. Departures last three times longer than they did at launch.
18→61
Tenure at exit by quarter
Q1 18 · Q2 38 · Q3 61 days

MONTHLY TURNOVER RATE

green line = trend since the April peak · three events marked · October prorated
2-2-3
The schedule change did not drive attrition. In the 60 days before the June 22 go-live, turnover ran 31%/mo. In the 100+ days since, it has averaged 27%/mo, with Q3 ending at 28% and October pacing at 17%. Seven-day coverage is in place, overtime burden is spread across the rotation, and retention improved through the transition.

TERMINATION REASON MIX

toggle quarter · 217 exits YTD
TRENDING RIGHT
Measured against headcount, attendance exits fell 26% (12.5 → 9.2 per 100 per month), policy violations fell 50% (7.2 → 3.6), and conduct and safety exits fell 43% (3.0 → 1.7). TimeKeep is catching problems before they become terminations.
WATCH
Resignations rose from 4.9 to 6.7 per 100 per month. Half of Q3 maintenance exits were voluntary. That may be a wage and competition signal, which the tiered pay plan is meant to address.

SURVIVAL CURVE

share of hires reaching each milestone · eligible hires only
Reach 30 days
71%
Reach 60 days
53%
Reach 90 days
40%
COHORTS
Q2 hires reached 90 days at 43%, against 38% for Q1 hires. Early survival was about the same for both (72% reach day 30, 54 to 55% reach day 60), so the gain shows up in who stays past day 60.

WHEN EXITS HAPPEN

217 YTD exits by tenure at exit
SHIFT
44% of exits now happen inside 30 days, down from 51% in July. Exits past 90 days grew to 17% of the total, which is what a maturing roster looks like.

TENURE AT EXIT BY QUARTER

how long departing team members lasted
WHAT IT MEANS
The first-week leak is sealing. Exits in Q3 averaged 61 days, triple Q1. Fewer people fail out of onboarding; the exits that remain are later and, increasingly, voluntary.
REQUESTED
Turnover by role, as asked for in the July review. Rates are terms divided by average headcount in the role, per month. Each role is compared to its own Q2.
i
General Cleaners are 65% of all exits and the one role where the monthly rate did not move between Q2 and Q3. Attendance is the top reason in both quarters. This is the retention focus for Q4.
0
General Cleaners · Q3 monthly
Q2 36% · flat
i
Technical Cleaners improved from 29% to 23% per month and the department is fully staffed at 44 of 44. Active tech cleaners average 107 days on site.
0
Tech Cleaners · Q3 monthly
Q2 29% · down 22%
i
Maintenance turnover halved, from 40% to 20% per month, as the department doubled in size. 6 of the 12 Q3 exits were resignations, which is why the tiered pay plan matters.
0
Maintenance · Q3 monthly
Q2 40% · cut nearly in half
i
Supervision, engineering and admin: 7 placements, 4 exits all year, 1 exit in Q3. Active tenure averages 151 days.
0
Supervision & Eng · Q3
1 exit · 151-day avg tenure

EACH ROLE: Q3 VS Q2

monthly turnover · the white line marks where each role was in Q2
Bar = our Q3 monthly turnoverWhite line = Q2 (previous quarter)Green zone = improvement since Q2
MaintenanceQ2 40% → Q3 20%
HALVED SINCE Q2
20%
▼ 19.5 pts
Q2 · 40%
Q3: 20%, cut nearly in half from 40% in Q2 (19.5 points lower), while the team grew.
Technical CleanersQ2 29% → Q3 23%
22% LOWER THAN Q2
23%
▼ 6.3
Q2 · 29%
Q3: 23%, down from 29% in Q2 (6.3 points lower). The department is fully staffed at 44 of 44.
Supervision & EngineeringQ2 19% → Q3 10%
LOWER · ONLY 1 EXIT
10%
▼ 9.1 pts
Q2 · 19%
Q3: 10%, down from 19% in Q2. Only 1 exit in the quarter, so read it as stable rather than a real win.
General CleanersQ2 36% → Q3 36%
FLAT VS Q2
36%
Q2 · 36%
Q3: 36%, flat against Q2. General Cleaners are the largest group and 65% of all exits, so this is the Q4 retention focus.
0%10%20%30%40%
BOTTOM LINE
Maintenance is the biggest improver, cut nearly in half in one quarter. Technical Cleaners are down 22%. General Cleaners are flat, which is why the Q4 retention work is aimed there.

EXITS BY ROLE, BY MONTH

217 exits YTD · each color is one role
MAINTENANCE · SEATS, PIPELINE AND WHAT CHANGED SINCE JULY
0
Maintenance seats
up from 46 in July
0
Active
27 Spark · 8 DFM direct
0
Open
down from 19 in July
0
In process
2 offers · 1 interview · 3 pending feedback · 6 submittals
0
Uncovered
the only seat on site with nobody in process

WHAT CHANGED SINCE JULY

the July review named interview turnaround as the bottleneck
15 maintenance and HVAC starts since July 177 in August, 7 in September, 1 in late July. A steady pace of about 7 a month.
Open seats cut from 19 to 13while the department grew from 46 to 48 seats
Monthly turnover halved: 40% → 20%attendance exits 4 → 1, conduct exits 3 → 1
Resignations: 6 of 12 Q3 exitshalf of Q3 exits were voluntary, so pay competition is worth testing

ROLE DETAIL

reason mix shifts by role between Q2 and Q3
RoleQ3 exitsQ2 → Q3 rateAvg tenure at exitTop Q3 reasonsRead
General Cleaners6636% → 36%52 daysAttendance 25 · Resignation 13 · Performance 9 · Policy 8Policy exits fell 15 → 8. Resignations nearly doubled. Attendance still the top driver.
Technical Cleaners2329% → 23%39 daysAttendance 7 · Performance 5 · Resignation 4 · Policy 4Fully staffed. Resignations fell 6 → 4.
Maintenance1240% → 20%42 daysResignation 6 · Job abandonment 2Attendance exits fell 4 → 1. Half of Q3 exits were resignations.
Supervision & Eng119% → 10%39 daysResignation 1Stable.
ADDENDUM A · TENURE-BASED RATE REDUCTIONS

Signed in September.
Saving money the first week.

Realized savings through week ending 9/27/26 · roster as of 9/28/26 · weeks end Sunday · rates step down automatically as team members reach their tenure trigger
i
For the week ending September 27, DFM paid $2,289 less than the standard rate schedule on the hours actually billed for the 40 team members at the reduced rate.
0
Weekly savings
week ending 9/27 · 40 team members at reduced rate
i
Four weeks since launch on September 6, DFM has saved $9,653 against the standard schedule, an average of $2,413 per week.
0
Cumulative savings YTD
4 weeks since 9/6 launch · $2,413/wk average
i
The average weekly savings so far, multiplied by 52 weeks. This is the floor: it rises every time another team member reaches their tenure trigger.
0
Annual run rate
average week × 52
i
44 team members are now billed at the reduced rate: 42 in Group A (cleaning and technical roles) and 2 in Group B (maintenance and trades). Combined, that is $57.81 per hour removed from the standard schedule.
0
At reduced rate
42 Group A · 2 Group B · $57.81/hr reduction in force
i
Twelve more team members reach their tenure trigger in the next four weeks, three per week. Using September's average realized savings per person, they add about $824 per week and lift the run rate to $178,199.
0
Flipping in next 4 weeks
+$824/wk · run rate rises to $178,199

PHASE-IN CURVE

team members at reduced rate and weekly savings · solid = billed, dashed = projected

WEEKLY RESULTS

standard vs actual billing on the team members at the reduced rate
Week endingAt rateStandardActualSavings
9/6/2637$48,629.19$45,974.10$2,655.09
9/13/2636$42,164.90$39,781.17$2,383.73
9/20/2637$43,969.13$41,643.41$2,325.72
9/27/2640$48,177.01$45,888.20$2,288.81
Total150 tm-wks$182,940.23$173,286.88$9,653.35
GROUPS
Group A (cleaning and technical) delivered $8,972 of the $9,653. Group B (trades) delivered $681 with only 2 team members at the rate so far; more trades reach their trigger in Q4.

NEXT 4 WEEKS

who reaches their tenure trigger, what they add, and the run rate once they are in · additions estimated from September's average realized savings per team member ($63/wk Group A, $85/wk Group B)
Week endingNewly at reduced rateTeam at reduced rateAdded this weekAdded since 9/27Projected weekly savingsAdjusted run rate
10/4/26 invoicing this week3 flipping44+$190+$190$2,603$135,351
10/11/263 flipping47+$190+$379$2,792$145,208
10/18/263 flipping50+$190+$569$2,982$155,065
10/25/263 flipping53+$211+$780$3,193$166,062
11/1/263 flipping56+$233+$1,014$3,427$178,199
WHY IT COMPOUNDS
Every month the roster holds, more team members cross their tenure trigger. Retention and rate reduction are now the same lever: the longer the team stays, the less DFM pays per hour. Nothing to administer on DFM's side.
TIP
Click any card to flip it for the seat-level breakdown as of October 7.

General Cleaners 65 OF 73

  • 65 Spark active, 8 open, and 8 targeted to start Monday (10/12)
  • Largest role on site and 65% of YTD exits
  • Monthly turnover flat at 36% Q2 to Q3; attendance is the top reason
  • Q4 focus: first-30-day touchpoints and lead coverage on afternoons and midnights
FLIP FOR SEAT DETAIL ⟳
General Cleaners: seats
Fully staffed target
73
Spark active
65
Vacancies
8
Targeted to start Monday
8
Uncovered
0
NOTE
Active general cleaners average 82 days on site. 68 of the 211 general cleaner placements this year are still active.
FLIP BACK ⟲

Technical Cleaners 100% STAFFED

  • 44 of 44 Spark active, zero vacancies
  • Monthly turnover down from 29% to 23%
  • Active tech cleaners average 107 days on site, the longest of any hourly role
  • Leads in place: Aquala Boykin, Shawna Heinz, Heather Robbins
FLIP FOR SEAT DETAIL ⟳
Technical Cleaners: seats
Fully staffed target
44
Spark active
44
Vacancies
0
NOTE
82 tech cleaner placements YTD, 47 exits, 35 in the roster export plus 9 confirmed on the site roster. Two supervision seats were closed by promoting Shawna and Aquala.
FLIP BACK ⟲

Maintenance 13 OPEN · 12 COVERED

  • 35 of 48 active: 27 Spark, 8 DFM direct (3 converted from Spark)
  • 15 starts since the July review; open seats down from 19 to 13
  • Monthly turnover halved, 40% to 20%
  • Remaining exits are mostly resignations, which the tiered pay plan targets
FLIP FOR SEAT DETAIL ⟳
Maintenance: seats and pipeline
Fully staffed target
48
Spark active
27
DFM direct
8
Vacancies
13
Offers out
2
In interview
1
Pending DFM feedback
3
Submitted
6
Uncovered
1
FLIP BACK ⟲

Supervision, Engineers & Pack Plant 10 OF 10 · PACK 2 OF 3

  • Maintenance supervisors 3 of 3 (2 Spark, 1 DFM)
  • Cleaner supervisors 4 of 4 (2 Spark, 2 DFM) · Tech clean supervisor 1 of 1 (DFM)
  • Engineers 2 of 2 (Selvaraj via Spark, Controls via DFM)
  • Pack Plant 2 of 3, one open seat with bench candidates ready
FLIP FOR SEAT DETAIL ⟳
Supervision · Engineers · Pack: seats
Maint supervisors
3/3
Cleaner supervisors
4/4
Tech clean supervisor
1/1
Engineers
2/2
Pack Plant cleaners
2/3
NOTE
Supervision and engineering staff on site average 151 days of tenure. One exit in Q3.
FLIP BACK ⟲
FEEDBACK & ALIGNMENT

Feedback and alignment,
moving forward together.

156 active against 178 seats · turnover down 18% quarter over quarter · Addendum A saving from week one · your perspective shapes how we plan Q4
🗓

Program Horizon & Planning

In July the horizon was described as fluid: a multi-year contract with a likely extension, and a longer-term plan to transition part of the team to DFM direct. Visibility helps us build and hold the right bench.

Has Ford's production schedule or scope changed the horizon since July?
How much lead time can we expect on conversion decisions, so retention and Addendum A planning stay aligned?
What would help you most in supporting the extension case internally?
📈

Headcount Trajectory

Fully staffed seats now stand at 178, with maintenance up from 46 to 48 since July. No reductions were expected in July; new scope was driving increases.

Over the next two quarters, is the plan to grow, hold, or reduce at Marshall?
Which departments flex first, and does the 2-2-3 model extend further?
If a ramp lands, how much notice do we get? We can pre-build pipeline against a signal.
🛡

Ford Feedback & the PER Amendment

In July, Ford's only headcount pressure point was maintenance. The Positive Employee Relations amendment introduces two documented interviews per hire.

Where does Ford stand on maintenance now that open seats are down to 13 with 12 covered?
Is the amendment signed, and when do we align on the two-interview documentation and audit trail?
Anything else on Ford's radar we should be engineering around now?
🤝

Growth, Both Directions

DFM is bidding new work and asked for an on-site recruiter for direct salary hiring. Spark's network spans OEM, manufacturing and facilities leaders across Michigan.

Status of the new business bids, and what headcount a win would create?
On-site recruiter: scope, location, and the fixed-cost structure we discussed with Anthony.
Any accounts where a warm introduction from Spark would help DFM?
🗺
IF TIME PERMITS

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