By Alisha Dixon

Almost one month after gathering at S³’s corporate headquarters in Detroit, members of the elite Defenders of the Green sat down with the Communications Team to discuss their success, the steps they took to achieve it and what it’s like to be a leader in the field of recruiting.

This weeks’ interview is with Wendy Long, a senior technical recruiter with Team Motown who has been with S³ for 12 years.

Q: What’s the secret to your success and what sets you apart?
Wendy: Good communication with my team and my consultants. Also, being in close touch with everything, watching all of the details and not letting anything slip.

Q: Can you offer one tip to your fellow S³ers?
Wendy: Stay very close to your team, but also stay close to others in other branches. For a new recruiter, I always tell them that their first priority is to cover their local market and have solid candidates submitted. But, also stay in touch with out of branch marketers because you never know when things are going to slow down temporarily in your market and you always want to have a back-up plan. And you always want to know where the good business is rather than waiting for things to slow down and scramble. While it’s rare in Detroit because our team is always busy, if things ever do slow down and it’s always for a very short time, I always have a couple of people that I can call right away. Sometimes you have to seek it out because you can’t ever get comfortable in this business.

Q: What gives you the most satisfaction in your job?
Wendy: Having candidates and consultants tell me “thank you” because we we’re able to find them that perfect position. A lot times they have already dealt with other companies and other recruiters and may have been trying to get into a certain company for years and I was able to get them into their dream company or dream job. That is always satisfying.

Q: Name a challenge you faced and how did you overcome it?
Wendy: This kind of goes back to a previous question where I talked about timing. It’s always key with this business. I was challenged with finding the right candidate at the right time. It’s matching that candidate’s pace with the customer’s pace. Sometimes a candidate will want to move a lot faster than a customer wants to move. So, it’s about matching up timing and making sure that you pre-close candidates along the way as you’re talking with them and keep them engaged and interested. While at the same time, working with marketers to make sure the manager is interested in moving at the same pace and ready to move forward at the same pace.

Q: What’s your next big goal?
Wendy: To make Club! That’s always my goal every year!

Q: What does Green mean to you?
Wendy: Green to me is bringing the entire company together. It’s a feeling. It’s an atmosphere. It’s a little bit different for me because I work remote. So, I don’t have to necessarily have to wear green every Wednesday, but it’s not just the clothes we wear. It’s the comradery with the rest of the company that we might not see on a daily basis, but we’re still working under the same umbrella. That’s what it means to me.

Please look forward to next week’s profile of Molly Celestini, technical recruiter, Team Motown about her success as a recruiter and being a member of the Defenders of the Green.

By Alisha Dixon

Almost one month after gathering at S³’s corporate headquarters in Detroit, members of the elite Defenders of the Green sat down with the Communications Team to discuss their success, the steps they took to achieve it and what it’s like to be a leader in the field of recruiting.

Our first interview was with Cathy Grant, a senior technical recruiter with Team West Coast who has been with S³ for 10 years. Learn more about Cathy below!

Q: What’s the secret to your success and what sets you apart?

Cathy: I would probably say persistence. Typically, I work an order until it’s filled, not just until it’s covered. Sometimes you can work an order until it’s covered; meaning you have 4 or 5 candidates that you feel good about. Then there is ensuring that in the event a candidate is rejected, I work until the position is the filled. For me, it’s not just a matter of having candidates, it’s about filling the role. I don’t know if that really sets me apart. I really just think it’s my work ethic and that has paid off.

Q: Can you offer one tip to your fellow S³ers?

Cathy: Time management is key. Try to structure your day as tightly as possible and stay on course with that schedule the next day. It’s important to not to get distracted by too much outside of what you’re trying accomplish.

Q: What gives you the most satisfaction in your job?

Cathy: Winning a position for the candidate!

Q: Name a challenge you faced and how did you overcome it?

Cathy: One of the most challenging situations I’ve faced was probably in my first and second years here. At that time, I was on Team Atlanta and there really was not a lot of business. I had to figure out new ways to find and fill positions. As a result, I looked to fill roles in other markets and subsequently, most of my closes and wins were out of branch. That was a big challenge because I spent that time just working out of branch and that was difficult because of time zones and having to work out of market. That experience taught me how to acclimate anywhere quickly because one day I was doing something in Boston and the next day I was working something in Texas. Having to work all of those markets and still get the hires was very challenging.

Q: What’s your next big goal?

Cathy: To make Club this year for sure! And to consistently make Club every year. In addition to Club, there are five account managers that we’re supporting and I would like to have a steady flow of hires with each of them.

Q: What does Green mean to you?

Cathy: S³ and how good it has been to me! I’m very proud of that! I’m happy when I see it everywhere and I just think it’s an awesome company to work for. Green also means go. There’s nothing stopping you from doing well while representing S³ in the right way.

Please look forward to next week’s profile of Wendy Long, senior technical recruiter, Team Motown about her success as a recruiter and being a member of the Defenders of the Green.

By Alisha Dixon

Detroit Lady, one of the newest members of the New Orleans Police Department’s Mounted Unit, is celebrating her first birthday today! Named in honor of the home of Strategic Staffing Solutions, a strong supporter of the department and unit, Detroit Lady is being groomed to join the rest of NOPD officers, both human and equine, to patrol New Orleans streets by the time
she is fully developed at 3 years old.

“S³ has been an amazing partner, not only in recruiting efforts, but in overall support of the New Orleans Police Department,”
said Melanie A. Talia, President and CEO, New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation. “Our mounted officers, both the four legged and two legged, work more than the average officer. With 152 sanctioned festivals in the city, not including Mardi Gras, Essence and Jazz Fest, our officers work a lot. One mounted officer is said to be the equivalent of as many as 8 to 10 officers on foot. When you’re that high up, you can see trouble as it’s beginning to occur and potentially stop it. This makes it critical that we have a mounted unit and that can only happen with the continued support of organizations like S³.”

Born on site at the New Orleans Police Department’s Mounted Unit stable, Detroit Lady came into the world to the open arms of NOPD officers anxiously awaiting her arrival. A gorgeous chestnut color with a sleek shape to match, Detroit Lady is not shy and reportedly, loves being photographed.

“She’s a camera hog. As soon as you walk into the pen with your phone out, she is headed right towards you and ready to have her picture taken. She wants you to pet her and touch her nose. She’ll even nibble on your ear or hair. She’s very friendly.”

By immediately introducing her to human contact, sounds, voices and the human smell, Talia explained, it prepares Detroit Lady for the kind of experiences she will have throughout her career as an NOPD Mounted Division equine officer.

“It’s called imprinting,” Talia said. “When it’s Mardi Gras and you have a million people crammed into a 6-12 block area, everybody’s drinking and having a good time, she’s going to have to be on duty and patrol those streets. She has to be able to handle all of the sights, sounds and distinct smells that we as humans often don’t even think about. This is why imprinting is so important.”

Recent changes in sourcing new equines for the department has made partnerships like the one between S³ and NOPD more important than ever before.

“For us, this partnership is absolutely huge! Historically, we receive most of our equine officers from the Angola State Penitentiary through an Angola breeding program, meaning they came to us exposed to some of the same things they will experience while on patrol. Due to many changes at our state penitentiary, that program has been discontinued. As a result, we had to figure out how we would get horses for our mounted unit.”

For more information about the New Orleans Police Department’s Mounted Unit, visit nopjf.org/adopt-a-horse.

At S³, we love St. Patrick’s Day for the holiday’s obvious connection to GREEN! As a global company, celebrating a holiday that is loved in so many communities where we live, work and serve, S³ employees have traditionally celebrated with a St. Patrick’s Day lunch for many years. This special day creates the opportunity to celebrate and connect with the S³ family, our consultants and our customers… In green fashion, of course.
From the S³ family, Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Mark Redman on the SIA’s 2018 Executive Forum

By Alisha Dixon

Staffing Industry Analysts hosted its 2018 Executive Forum in Miami last month. Now in its 28th year, owners, CEOs, and senior-level executives from staffing firms of all sizes and sectors from throughout the industry convened to network and learn during the Forum’s various breakout sessions at the 4-day event. Mark Redman and several members of S³’s Executive Leadership Team attended the event. Mark sat down with S³’s Communication Team to discuss what he learned at the Forum.

Why did you want to attend SIA’s 2018 Executive Forum?

Mark: It was an opportunity to talk to other people in the industry and understand what they’re experiencing and to hear some of the discussion around topics like pricing, margins and maybe some of the regulatory challenges.

How were the breakout sessions? What stuck with you?

Mark: In some cases, the sessions provided confirmation of what we already do at S³. April’s panel was about moving from the traditional time and materials business to a solutions based business, meaning finding other ways to build and have engagements. I also heard from some of her contemporaries in the industry and what they’re doing and what they’ve done to be successful and expand their business.

There were some group sessions with some incredible speakers, like author Adrian Gostick. He gave a great presentation about the four secrets to successfully hiring people. He prefaced it by saying 50% of hires, maybe more than that, don’t work. He said this lack of productivity costs companies 15 times the annual salary of a bad hire. By following his four secrets to success, he indicates that you can get up to a 90% success rate in your hires. Hiring the right people is incredibly important.

How are companies addressing recent legislative changes in the U.S.?

Mark: There was some discussion about taxation in the industry, which with the new tax laws there are a lot of changes. There are some things that seem like they shouldn’t have affected the staffing industry that do. The session helped me to determine how we will deal with some of these new changes while making sure we are capturing things from a tax advantage perspective.

What did you learn about the future of technology and how it will affect the staffing industry?

Mark: There was a lot of discussion at the conference about artificial intelligence and there is definitely some skepticism over it. There are also some things that are happening that aren’t necessarily artificial intelligence, but involves using information technology to improve processes to become more automatic and efficient. So, anytime there is a repetitive process, they’ve figured out ways to automate those things, even it takes a search function.

What were you most surprised to learn at the Forum?

Mark: I was also really surprised to learn about all of the different industries there are in staffing. I met a guy that has a physician staffing company. They deal with hospitals throughout the country, some in small remote areas, that when the doctor gets sick, goes on vacation or must be away, they are able to find a physician to fill in until a full time replacement is chosen. It sounds like they have a pretty sizeable pool of physicians that are working in hospitals all over the country at any one time.

What were some of the industry-wide issues addressed during the forum?

Mark: There was a lot of talk about the industry being commoditized. That didn’t use to be the case. We’re seeing that in a lot of the things we do with the strong pricing pressure on margins. The idea of dealing with some of the solutions work is to change that equation. The solutions work is based more on expertise, skillset and being able to manage projects with a successful end result. This is an opportunity to make additional money, additional margin, but the opposite can happen to if you’re not good at it. It’s definitely more risky.

It seems as though the Executive Forum was packed with informative sessions. Thanks for sharing, Mark!

Finalists Announced in 2nd annual Lithuanian-American Innovation Award

By Alisha Dixon

Strategic Staffing Solutions CEO Cindy Pasky announced on Wednesday, Feb. 28 the winners of the 2nd annual Lithuanian-American Innovation Award at Vilnius University in Vilnius, Lithuania. Established by the Baltic American Freedom Foundation, the American-Lithuanian Business Council and the U.S. Embassy in Vilnius, the Lithuanian-American Innovation Award was created to be awarded to a Lithuanian individual, organization, university, or firm that has developed an innovation in collaboration with a U.S. partner.

“Congratulations to the future leaders of innovation,” said Pasky, the only non-Lithuanian trustee on Vilnius University’s endowment. “What is most exciting is the bilateral partnerships that all finalists have formed. These collaborations will move the world forward. Thank you to the ALBC, BAFF, the U.S. Embassy here in Lithuania and Vilnius University for supporting innovation.”

At the ceremony co-sponsored by the U.S. Ambassador, American Lithuanian Business Council and funded by the Baltic American Freedom Foundation at Vilnius University, the top two winners were awarded cash grants of 10,000 euros or 5,000 euros. Earning the first place award, UAB Vittamed, which created the world’s first non-invasive gauge of pressure head (intracranial pressure) and in second place, Deeper, the first smartfood sonar fishfinder.

“Innovation is a major factor in the growing economy. No matter what it is – medicine, industry, agriculture, or business – innovation leads to and boosts economic efficiency and competitiveness,” Anne Hall, U.S. Ambassador said during the ceremony. “For this reason, we are contributing to the Lithuanian-American Innovation Awards – they draw attention to the high level of innovation and cooperation between Lithuanian and American partners and provide modest financial support for this cooperation to continue. Our states are at the forefront of the development and implementation of innovative solutions. This award is one of the ways to spread the message to the world.”

For a complete list of finalists, visit amlithbc.org.

At S³, we don’t say no, we find solutions

By Alisha Dixon

All Staff is a terrific event where the entire S³ family has a chance to come together and come away with renewed energy and attention to S³’s four pillars and mission. Nashville-based Anthony Bordonaro, one of S³’s Team Charmed newest account managers sat down with us to share his takeaways from our 2018 All Staff meeting, and what it’s like to work at S³.

What have you taken away from your first All Staff?

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned from working at S³?

Anthony: The biggest take away from All Staff was that at S³ we don’t say no to anything.
It was almost immediately after All Staff that I was presented with a large opportunity
with a client that wasn’t in our typical “wheelhouse” and not what we normally do.
But, I remembered Cindy’s message from All Staff where she said, “We don’t say no, we find solutions.” Cindy’s message really stuck with me and I went to work to be able to find a solution for the client. The difference is a lot of people and some other companies would just say that’s not something they can do, but with S³, we work based on the clients’ needs.

Why did you decide to work for S³?

Anthony: I’ve had experiences with larger sized firms and more boutique firms. I felt S³ really kind of fit in that perfect middle ground where we have the resources and the power of a larger firm, but with the ability to be customizable to our customers’ needs like a boutique firm. I just felt it was good fit for my personal style and professional style.

What’s it like to work for S³ and what has it done for you personally?

Anthony: I’m still new (started with S³ in June 2017). It’s provided me with new opportunities that are the result of learning new things, developing new relationships and growth. I’ve grown a lot from just being able to learn from my fellow team members and different perspectives. I’m in one of the more unique situations because the rest of my team sits all over and it’s just me here in Nashville. Although I physically sit alone, no one from any part of the organization, top to bottom, has ever made me feel like I’m by myself in any way. It’s just great to be a part of team that’s so strong and so committed to supporting each other that even if you physically sit alone, you are never truly alone.

How do S³’s four pillars and your values align?

Anthony: Pretty closely! Two of them really stand out to me. I don’t think you can be successful and happy in this industry if you don’t want to make other people happy and successful. You must have a passion for changing someone’s station in life. This could be by giving a consultant a new opportunity, creating an environment for more work-life balance or even with our customers by providing the resources they need to make their lives much easier. We really do have the ability to affect a lot of change, whether we see it or we don’t. My background in charitable work directly aligns with S³’s commitment to the community and how active we are. That is something I am extremely proud to be a part of.

By Alisha Dixon

Fulfilling S³’s four pillars goes beyond serving external customers. For more than 25 years, S³ has played a major role in changing the lives of its team members by providing opportunities that have led to success beyond what many believed was possible. David Stevenson, an account manager with S³’s Team Charmed sat down with us to tell us just how S³ has changed his station in life and the importance of being green.

How did you learn about S³?

David: I started recruiting at 19 years old when I was at Walt Disney World on an internship at the casting center. I got a call one day from Marvin (Daugherty) who began telling me about this company that was green and really did things differently. But at that time I had made a vow that I would never go back into recruiting. I had had enough. I had seen enough and I was very disenchanted. But, the more I learned about S³, the more I was intrigued. I remember Cindy interviewing me while she was in Scotland. A CEO calling you from Scotland? That shocked me. Halfway through the interview she says, “David, somebody needs to give you a chance to change your station in life.” I was all in from that point.

What has working for S³ done for you personally?

David: Yesterday (Monday, Feb. 12), I put in an offer on a home. Just 3, 4 or 5 years ago, I never would have dreamed of this possibility. I can help people in need now. My mother-in-law passed away this year and my father-in-law has struggled financially but we’ve been able to help support him. We just rented a hotel room for a woman who didn’t have a place to stay. We are so blessed because of S3 we are honored to do this. Before all of this, I could barely afford food or a roof over my head. I was struggling terribly. I was steps away from being homeless myself. To say S³ changed my life is probably the biggest understatement ever. It changed everything. I’m so appreciative and so thankful that someone had faith in me.

A lot of that has been done for me since I’ve been with S³_. When I first started, my lead recruiter at the time, David Flores, pulled me aside and told me I was going to be successful because he was in my corner. We all need that. We all need someone that’s going to believe in you. If we truly want to be the best and continue to grow, that’s what it takes.

How do S³’s four pillars and your values align?

David: My values and S³’s values are pretty much one and the same. I believe in those four pillars in everything I do. I was raised that way. The fact that we care about people and we go that extra mile for our consultants, I’m truly passionate about that. We genuinely care about our customers. The reality is that when you don’t take care of your customer, there are repercussions that can reach very far down the food chain. It goes beyond just us. People can get hurt if things aren’t done right.

I’m green at heart because of the values that we convey within the community, with our customers and with our consultants. The way we treat our consultants is just as important as we treat our customers. It’s how we separate and distinguish ourselves.