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At the center of your core group you want someone who's very good technically, plays wells with others, and can train others. The last two I'm sure you can determine yourself, but it's difficult to rate technical competence unless you know the technology about as well as the person you're trying to hire.
Your best bet might be to pursue someone with consulting experience. Not only would the person already have experience working for 3rd party clients, but as a very broad generalization, those working in such roles tend to undergo a little more scrutiny and are often held to delivering results more than an internal only position. Once you find this initial key player, they should be able to help you fill out the rest of your team.
