LLC is not a business type, you are a partnership. All an LLC filing does is isolate your personal assets from the company in the event a law suit goes against the company.
Partners in a partnership are not allowed to be on payroll, you continue to take equity draws (not distributions which are only used in a chapter S corporation).
Yes you can hire what was an independent contractor, a QB "quirk" requires that the employee name must be different, so add in an initial or something.
1099 payments and salary are two different animals, the tradesman gets paid as 1099 for the period that he did the work as a 1099 contractor, and received a w-2 for the period you hired him.
