workforce magazine - august 2015

30 Workƒorce | work fo r ce . com A U G U S T 2 0 1 5

ADAM ROBINSONChief ‘Hireologist,’ Hireology, Chicago

CEO and entrepreneur Adam Robinson is changing the way employees are hired. After co-founding recruitment process outsourcing fi rm Illuma in 2004 at age 29, Robinson set out to launch a new company that would help growing businesses make better hiring decisions. The result was Hireology, a data-driven approach to hiring and selecting job candidates. Robinson’s patented system takes managers through every step of the hiring process, taking care of everything from pre-hire assessments to background checks to compensation analysis.

Now 38, Robinson has led Hireology to tremendous success: The Chicago-based fi rm has seen a reported year-over-year growth of more than 300 percent and has been lauded as one of the city’s most innovative companies. As chief “hireologist,” Robinson takes the entrepreneurial spirit seriously by taking on leadership roles at the Entrepreneurs Organization, which is designed to enable leaders to learn from each other. —Amy Whyte

SIRMARA CAMPBELL TWOHILLChief human resources offi cer, LaSalle Network, Chicago

When Sirmara Campbell Twohill joined LaSalle Network as an offi ce assistant, there was no HR department. More than a decade later, she is the chief human resources offi cer.

“Looking back, I realize how lucky I was that Sirmara walked into my offi ce,” president and CEO Tom Gimbel wrote. “She has been instrumental in our growth.”

Twohill, 35, has lowered unemployment costs for LaSalle Network, saving the company an estimated $250,000. She has implemented a benefi ts package for all 2,000 temporary employees, which sets them apart from other staffi ng fi rms. Also adding an onboarding program, exit interview process, mentoring program and short-term disability insurance are just a few of her other major contributions to the company. —Lauren Dixon

THIS MARKS THE FIFTH YEAR of Workforce Game Changers, an award program designed to recognize those in workforce management who are pushing the fi eld forward with innovative people-management practices. Even though we’ve given out these awards fi ve times, there’s still no set mold into which all the Game Changers fi t.

Our winners have tackled issues such as talent acquisition, employee development, and benefi ts design and management in a variety of creative ways over the past fi ve years.

The thread that ties them all

together is that their efforts engage employees and help their respective companies succeed.

Workforce’s editorial staff selected 25 winners this year based on the appli-cants’ ability to drive measurable results within their organizations.

Much like last year’s winners, this group of workforce management practitioners and strategists in human resources-related fi elds — all under 40 years old — didn’t focus their efforts on a single industry trend.

Some addressed employee skills gaps while others concocted ways to integrate new technology platforms into

their practices to make them more effi cient and user-friendly. Still others worked to help their companies grow on a global scale.

In each instance, the Game Changer took a risk and worked to incite change in a fi eld that is often bogged down by protocol and leaders content with the way things have always been done.

For the willingness to embrace the spirit of innovation, we recognize 2015’s group of well-deserving Game Changers.

Congratulations to all the winners.—Sarah Sipek

25 AT 525 AT 5GAMECHANGERS

A U G U S T 2 0 1 5 work fo r ce . com | Workƒorce 31

GAME CHANGERS

F IF T H A N N U AL

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Adam Robinson and Sirmara Campbell Twohill are two of this year’s Game Changers.


WENDY SMITHHead of new employee experiences, NCR Corp., Duluth, Georgia

To Wendy Smith, today’s worker is much like a consumer, shopping for employer brands just as they do products and services outside of work. It is to that end that Smith, head of new employee experiences at technology fi rm NCR Corp., has remodeled how the company thinks about new employee onboarding.

Since 2014, Smith, 39, has built an onboarding effort, NCR First Steps, that has set a new consumer-employee mindset for the more than 5,000 employees annually that come to work for NCR — a mindset that, according to colleagues, has been applied to develop other human resources programs at the company.

“Wendy Smith is an ultimate game changer,” wrote consultant Kevin Finke. “She’s that highly engaged professional who makes innovation seem almost effortless, and she always has a knack for shifting the ways things are done.” —Frank Kalman

JON BISCHKECEO and founder, Entelo, San Francisco

Where do the ESPNs, Teslas and Ubers of the world turn to as part of their recruiting strategies? They go to Entelo.

While recruiting software is somewhat ubiquitous in today’s human resources, Entelo’s ability to get its foot in the door in the aforementioned companies and others like Facebook Inc. in less than four years is eye-opening. Entelo gathers information from various social media outlets to create a more robust candidate profi le.

The company, led by CEO and founder Jon Bischke, 39, boasts 45 million candidate profi les and reportedly has no voluntary attrition since the company’s inception.

But perhaps even more impressive than the company’s growth and ability to reel in high-profi le clientele is how Entelo gives back to the community. Under Bischke’s leadership, for every person who gets hired via Entelo’s software, the company makes a donation to CodeEd, a nonprofi t that teaches computer science to girls in underserved communities.

“Jon Bischke is a man motivated by individual development,” wrote Jill Erickson, chief revenue offi cer at Shiftgig. “The beating heart of his drive is clearly evident among his employees, his philanthropic efforts and his entrepreneurial record.”

Not to mention his newly anointed Game Changer status. —James Tehrani

JOHANNA PYSTYNEN Vice president of people operations, Vincit Oy, Helsinki, Finland

Finnish company Vincit Oy wants its employees to achieve their dreams. Johanna Pystynen, head of people operations, works to make this utopian ideal possible.

She achieved this goal by creating a human resources department at Vincit Oy, a software company, that facilitates conversations between employees and managers about their passions —everything from travel to video game programming — and fi gures out how those dreams can be achieved through fl exible scheduling.

Pystynen, 35, ensures that the company is doing more than molding well-rounded employees by helping execute Vincit Oy’s “money back guarantee” to clients. Those not satisfi ed with the results of the software receive a full refund. As a result, the staff remains motivated to produce high-quality work.

Her combined efforts have helped Vincit Oy win Finland’s Best Place to Work award in 2014 and 2015. —Sarah Sipek


COLLEEN KARPINSKY CONEVice president, talent and culture, Dyn, Manchester, New Hampshire

Talk about baptism by fi re — before her one-year anniversary at Internet performance company Dyn, Colleen Karpinsky Cone had led two company acquisitions and a $38 million growth equity investment.

She survived unsinged, and three years later is still with the fi rm. As vice president of talent and culture for a 450-person company, Cone, 35, leads the organization’s recruiting and retention practices as well as handles day-to-day operations.

Before joining Dyn, she was a lawyer at the McLane Law Firm and Irving Oil Corp., experiences that have helped her tackle tricky legal issues and guide clients through company crises. In her spare time, she serves as secretary of the Manchester Youth Professionals Network, an organization dedicated to making New Hampshire attractive to young talent. —Kate Everson

SARA PICCOLLO Vice president, global head of inclusion and diversity, PIMCO, Newport Beach, California

Sara Piccollo is the defi nition of a rising star, rapidly climbing the ladder at PIMCO in her nine years at the company. After joining PIMCO as an entry-level learning and development coordinator in 2006, Piccollo worked her way up the global investment management fi rm to become head of diversity and inclusion.

Piccollo, 33, has been a key player in developing PIMCO’s diversity and inclusion strategy, implementing unconscious bias training, offering incentives for inclusive leadership and ensuring that all employees are involved in the company dialogue about diversity. Recently, Piccollo led the design and launch of PIMCO Parents, an initiative focused on mothers and fathers.

A champion of diversity of thought, Piccollo works constantly to prove the truth of PIMCO’s diversity and inclusion philosophy: Diverse teams create better business results.—Amy Whyte

JULIO ACEVEDO Human resources director, Lake Wales (Florida) Charter Schools

Julio Acevedo has always sought to better himself. Small wonder then that he rose to a position where his job is to help his colleagues better themselves.

The pursuit of self-improvement motivated the Puerto Rico native to move to Florida in search of better opportunities for himself and his family. He found that opportunity at the Lake Wales Charter School system, where he took a position as a kindergarten teacher. Putting his bachelor’s degree in drama to good use, he engaged students with impersonations of famous singers, including Elvis Presley, in order to drive their interest in reading.

The satisfaction he gained from successfully motivating his students to improve themselves drove him to enroll at Nova Southeastern University’s educational leadership program. He graduated from the Fort Lauderdale, Florida-

based school in 2011 with a specialist degree that he immediately put to use in his school system’s administrative offi ce to coordinate programs for English for Speakers of Other Languages and migrant workers and their families. Setting policy wasn’t enough for Acevedo, though. He paid attention to the needs of the population he was serving and created Conexion Hispana, a federally funded, community partnership that provides free health screenings, legal services and educational programs for Hispanic families .

His efforts have earned him great rapport with students and colleagues, so when the HR director position opened up, Superintendent Jesse Jackson had to consider him. “During my fi rst meeting with Mr. Acevedo to discuss the position, my statement of expectation was quite simple,” Jackson wrote. “If he was going to be effective in the job, he would have to pay very careful attention to the customer service provided to all of our stakeholders.”

In his dual role as HR director and English Language Learners coordinator, Acevedo has been able to streamline the district’s onboarding process as well as continue to deliver services to the school’s Latino community .

“I love to be able to help my staff understand their benefi ts and our system,” Acevedo, 33, wrote. “I have always been passionate about helping others, and, as the HR director, I feel that I am able to help many people.” —Sarah Sipek


BRAD WILKINSVice president of talent management, Adcap Network Systems Inc., Alpharetta, Georgia

Before Brad Wilkins started as vice president of talent management for Adcap Systems Inc. in 2012, the Alpharetta, Georgia-based business technology fi rm did $25 million in annual revenue. Just two years later, in 2014, and with the help of Wilkins’ sharp recruiting and talent management chops, the company had doubled its annual revenue to $52 million, while decreasing its payroll by roughly $700,000.

Such effi ciency is par for the course for Wilkins, 31, who in 2014 was named the top U.S. recruiter by TheLadders.com. In addition to helping Adcap reduce payroll and

increase revenue, Wilkins saved the company more than $300,000 in recruiter fees in 2013 compared with the prior year, propelled by what colleagues call his novel approach of creating talent pools for the niche industry. Wilkins’ most game-changing contribution has been the creation of Adcap’s apprentice programs for sales and technical roles for entry-level, industry-transition and returning military veteran employees.

Wilkins’ commitment to Adcap appears to extend beyond his normal duties. According to Rolf Versluis, Adcap’s founder and chief technology offi cer, Wilkins even wrote and performed a song about Adcap in front of the entire company. “He’ll do anything,” Versluis wrote. —Frank Kalman

DON CHARLTONFounder and CEO, The Resumator, Pittsburgh

As the creator of a performance recruiting software startup, Don Charlton, 38, has built a multimillion-dollar venture with more than 3,000 customers.

Charlton’s dream as a teen was to become an artist, but he also had a secret love for coding. When

speaking with a guidance counselor, he learned how to combine those two passions. Throughout his education at Rochester School of Technology, he painted classrooms and worked in fast-food restaurants to support his family.

Luis Salguero, account executive at Highwire Public Relations, wrote that Charlton’s hard work during school is “that same kind of perseverance and daring spirit that led him to start The Resumator.”

The software that Charlton created profi les candidates and plans out the recruiting process for companies. The Resumator’s website says the software uses a performer-centric approach.

It started out in Pittsburgh, which isn’t known as a hub for technology, and the company has remained competitive by opening a second offi ce in the technologically competitive San Francisco area. The Resumator has also gained the support of presidential campaigns, with the 2012 Obama and Romney campaigns using the software.

A customer of his, Tara Ronel of SnapRetail, wrote that Charlton’s success comes from following his own advice: “If you want great people to work for you, you have to make working for you great.” —Lauren Dixon

LORI LORENZODeputy director, Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, Richmond, Virginia

Learning is a lifelong process, but for the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity’s program manager, Lori Lorenzo, that notion is also part of her job.

Lorenzo, 36, provides development opportunities for lawyers in all stages of their careers as a way of promoting inclusion in the legal sector. She spearheaded the Pipeline Partnership Program with college advisers to address barriers that minorities face when applying to law school. Another initiative she started, the Pathfi nder Program, helps law students develop professional networks and foundational leadership skills. Lorenzo also helps experienced lawyers transition into executive leadership positions.

“Lori understands that an inclusive legal profession is a critical business and social imperative,” wrote Bruce Strothers, managing council at Coca-Cola Co., where Lorenzo has conducted Leadership Council on Legal Diversity sessions. “She is self-aware and empathetic, yet shrewd in managing the business of building innovative talent development models.”—Kate Everson


JUSTINA SANCHEZ-UZZELL Chief people offi cer, Providence Service Corp., Tucson, Arizona

When Providence Service Corp. acquired four new companies, the Tucson, Arizona-based company needed a system to align initiatives. Enter the “Change Management Playbook,” created by Justina Sanchez-Uzzell .

The guide uses a set of fl exible protocols to accelerate the acceptance of change while aligning the acquired companies into Providence Service, which provides and manages government-sponsored human resources services.

Sanchez-Uzzell, 36, said the guide is intended to help identify how the acquired company and its employees are adapting. By fi rst identifying where the companies connect, Sanchez-Uzzell then wraps that critical connection into the change initiatives.

Warren Rustand,

Providence’s former CEO who stepped down in June but remains a senior adviser, said that Sanchez-Uzzell focuses on ensuring that managers value their people .

Her inclusive leadership approach comes from the organization’s value placed in diversity and inclusion.

Sanchez-Uzzell has also focused on succession planning. She said she looked at evidence-based best practices and aligned it with her culture of valuing people, and it became clear that leaders will be driving their particular segment of human services and health care.

To identify future leaders, her team built models of succession based on evaluations of employees. Skill sets are plotted against time to plan for building those skills. This allows her to plan for the future .

“It’s important at all levels to get the organization bought into any initiative,” she said. “But when it comes to HR, I think it’s even more important to have leaders understand” why certain things happen.—Lauren Dixon

DYLAN CHOONGDirector of human resources, Asia-Pacifi c, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Asia-Pacifi c, Singapore

It takes a hard-working staff in all departments — even those not directly involved with customers — to create a relaxing and recreational environment for guests in the hospitality industry.

If that’s the case, count Dylan Choong, 36, at your service.Choong, Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc.’s director of

human resources, Asia-Pacifi c, has been working hard the past four years to bring new strategies and talent management enhancements to the organization through the Starwood Careers program.

During his tenure, the development program has doubled with a reported 65 percent promotion rate for executive graduates of the program.

“Against a diverse spread of regions, languages and cultures, his work involves directly with GMs [general managers] and directors of HR to infl uence the development of 14,000 associates and evolve organizational culture to one that is performance-driven, engaging and caring,” wrote Francis Tan, vice president of learning and talent management at MGM Macau.

Caring is what hospitality is all about. —James Tehrani

TERESA CLARKESenior director, human capital and employment counsel, Achievement First, New York

For large companies, a $1.8 million savings in health care costs might elicit a polite smile and nod from senior leadership, but for a midsize nonprofi t

organization with a mission to bring high-level education to urban students, it’s quite an achievement.

Achievement First’s Teresa Clarke, 39, was able to bring home those insurance savings in the fi rst few months after she joined the organization, and she even negotiated a rate cap to ensure continued savings.

It’s a nice luxury to have a lawyer in the human resources department managing a staff of four HR generalists.

Max Polaner, Achievement’s chief fi nancial and strategy offi cer, wrote: “Teresa led the effort to bring our HR function out of the dark ages by leading the charge to overhaul some of the antiquated processes.”

And that’s only a taste of why Clarke deserves to have the spotlight shown on her as a Workforce Game Changer. —James Tehrani

MARK THOMPSON PHOTOGRAPHY


STACY LOWMANVice president of training and communications,World Travel Holdings, Wilmington, Massachusetts

When 70 percent of your employees work from home, building engagement and keeping everyone connected can be a challenge. Not for Stacy Lowman.

Lowman, 39, designed programs at World Travel Holdings to keep the company’s employees on the same page. One such program is Voyager, an intranet that offers company tools, updates and communications where employees can share ideas. Another is MeetUps, which are monthly 30-minute virtual meetings where an executive gives a quick company update, news or hosts an open Q&A.

“The company takes its vision, mission, core values and goals very seriously,” wrote Rachel Shapiro, a pubic relations specialist at World Travel Holdings. “And as a result of Stacy’s innovative programming, all employees have an awareness of these beliefs and embody them on a daily basis.” —Frannie Sprouls

DZMITRY NIKITSINChief technology offi cer, Appcast, Lebanon, New Hampshire

Most job seekers say the worst part of the job search is the dreaded résumé black hole.

They apply for jobs and never hear back from a recruiter. When

he was chief technology offi cer at StartWire, Dzmitry Nikitsin, 26, created a platform that brought free, automated application status updates to job seekers via daily email and text, which allowed job seekers to harness the power of social networks in their job search. His technology helped more than 4.5 million U.S. job seekers to fi nd their way out of the application black hole.

In his next role, Nikitsin turned his attention to the recruiter experience. As chief technology offi cer for Appcast, he created a pay-per-application job advertising model, which moves away from traditional word-, duration- or click-based advertising pricing models and allows employers to pay only when a job seeker makes a physical application on the recruiter’s applicant tracking system. Further, the technology captures analytics on performance of the ads that users buy to help them understand what’s working and what’s not. For the fi rst time, recruiters are able to allocate budgets toward hard-to-fi ll positions that need advertising, giving them better returns on their advertising spending.

“Being a recruiter comes with a unique set of challenges and opportunities, from changing workforce demographics and new business objects to a highly competitive job market,” Nikitsin said. “In order to be more effective on a daily basis, talent acquisition leaders need to understand and leverage available data to optimize hiring efforts.”

Nikitsin launched Appcast in January 2014 after developing it at the StartDate Labs’ recruitment technology incubator — where StartWire was created as well.

When asked why he has focused on human resources technology, Nikitsin said he likes helping people. “Building new features with Appcast energizes me every day because I know it’s a product that helps recruiting professionals save time and money to fi nd the right people that they need to bring into their organization,” he said. “It’s really fulfi lling.” —Ladan Nikravan

KELLY PLOEHN Department analyst, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, Lansing

In 2014, the Quality of Life Leadership Academy — the organization formed by the Michigan departments of Environmental Quality, Natural Resources and Agricultural and Rural Development — accepted into its ranks for the fi rst time “nonprofessional” candidates such as secretaries and analysts. Kelly Ploehn, an analyst in the Environment Quality Department, was among those who participated in the 10-month program.

Ploehn, 37, helped develop a presentation to address employee engagement concerns. The fi ndings, based on employee input, made some senior leaders uncomfortable, but Ploehn powered ahead, presenting her results along with recommendations to improve engagement.

Thanks to Ploehn’s perseverance, the Environmental Quality Department established an employee engagement team, naming Ploehn a team leader and representative for her division. —Amy Whyte


IVORY WOODHOUSECareer development specialist, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis

There’s something about an infectious laugh. But while colleagues say hers is engaging enough to travel through walls, the

changes made by Ivory Woodhouse, career development specialist at the Washington University School of Medicine, are anything but funny.

Woodhouse, 31, has had a signifi cant infl uence on human resources at Washington University since she joined in 2011. She has helped move hiring managers into a new applicant tracking system, which, as those in the HR space know, can be tricky business because some workers are averse to new technology implementations.

She has also created a brand for a new career development initiative called Smart Choices. For the fi rst time, the School of Medicine has a way for its staff to learn about their career options, and Woodhouse was the driving force behind the change. In just over a year, she moved career development from fl iers and brochures to a fully actualized career counseling service.

Her peers have consistently expressed their appreciation for her genuine, caring and supportive assistance for all of the schools’ employees.

And that laugh? Well, that’s just the icing on an already thickly frosted cake. —Kellye Whitney

STEPHANIE BLOOMActing director of the Workforce Transformation InitiativesMission Support Directorate, Offi ce of Field Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security,Washington, D.C.

There are few organizations more critical to the safety and security of the United States than the Department of Homeland Security. Stephanie Bloom has played a vital role in the department maintaining an engaged workforce — mission-critical to the success of the department’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency’s Offi ce of Field Operations.

Bloom, 33, authored the fi rst Offi ce of Field Operations Human Capital Strategic Plan to help organizational leaders foster employee engagement and empower the workforce of some 28,000 people. The plan was the fi rst step in a long-term plan to attract and retain a talented workforce.

Bloom told senior leadership that a results-driven, engaged and empowered workforce needs to be developed, nurtured and trained. She pointed out that systemic changes must take place if change were to occur in the organizational culture.

“Her strategic thinking, dynamic leadership and ability to execute diffi cult tasks with limited resources is something the American taxpayer expects of young leaders in U.S. Customs and Border Protection,” wrote Diane Williamson, senior project manager at Constellation Inc. —Rick Bell

ADAM FERNANDESDirector, Eagle Hill Consulting, Arlington, Virginia

Work-life balance has been at the front of many leaders’ minds in recent years. So whom do federal agencies call on? Adam Fernandes, director at Eagle Hill Consulting. Described as a one-of-a-kind work-life balance thought leader, Fernandes changes how clients approach the issue as well as challenges his colleagues to get this balance every day.

Since 2011, four federal agencies have partnered with Eagle Hill to improve their work-life program, including the Transportation Security Administration. Fernandes, 32, brought a fresh perspective to TSA by aligning the work-life program to the agency’s mission and goals, wrote Shontelle Rivers, TSA project manager . With Fernandes’ help implementing the program as well as a performance measurement plan, Rivers said TSA’s work-life program participation increased by 50 percent.

“The impact he has had on TSA is signifi cant,” Rivers wrote. “The contributions he has made to the greater [work-life balance] conversation may be even greater.” —Frannie Sprouls


QUENTIN TYLER Assistant dean for diversity, University of Kentucky, Lexington

Diversity is a fact of life. But its inevitability does not mean it’s easy to create or sustain.

In an academic environment steeped in tradition, it can be even tougher to affect change. But Quentin Tyler is

doing just that. His efforts to strengthen campus diversity have led the University of Kentucky’s Cooperative Extension Service arm to employ its highest number of women and minorities to date.

In his efforts to help the school recruit, retain and develop a diverse faculty, staff and student population, Tyler, 35, has taken a direct role in the hiring process for nearly 600 people since 2005. He is a key member of the hiring team for more than 200 extension service employees who work across Kentucky’s 120 counties.

He’s also focused on building a diverse pipeline. During his tenure the university’s summer intern program has offered leadership to an increasingly diverse young cohort. Tyler has created a diversity fellowship for graduate students, helped build cultural awareness workshops, and a youth development high school program and conference to introduce the next diverse generation of students to college life. —Kellye Whitney

ADAM HOPEWELL Director of talent management, Savola Iran, Tehran

Game changing in HR can occur in a number of situations, but when it happens in the most challenging situations is when it’s most impressive.

Forming a small team dedicated to talent management in less than a year, Adam Hopewell, 39, has been able to bring integrated, analytical and innovative processes and systems to Tehran-based Savola Iran, which makes edible oil and other food products, changing the way learning and development, performance and succession are implemented throughout the company.

Take the ambassador initiative he started. Knowing that building skills is the foundation of sustainable people development,

Hopewell led a management team and corporate culture with almost no understanding of human resources, and brought hundreds of managers into the process of identifying “ambassadors” from the management trainee pool who best exemplifi ed Savola’s values and competencies.

Hopewell developed ambassadors with action learning projects and simulations among other tactics. This has resulted in a workforce that is aware and engaged with competencies and has already contributed to Savola Iran’s success andgrowth. —Ladan Nikravan

LAUREN HERRING CEO, Impact Group, St. Louis

Lauren Herring sees the whole picture.

Whether she’s expanding her career transitions fi rm Impact Group into global markets or pushing her employees to develop a well-rounded set of skills, she always has her eyes set on growth.

After joining the fi rm in 2001 after her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, Herring rose through the ranks to become CEO in 2009. During her ascent, she introduced a global operations department to direct the company toward the international market. This vision helped Impact increase its revenue to $15 million from $5 million.

In 2010, Herring, 36, developed and launched Talent Alliance, a talent development program for high-potential employees. The initiative includes a career coach and has helped drive leadership development, team engagement and change management.

But her efforts don’t stop at the offi ce doors. Herring also serves on the board of fi ve nonprofi t organizations: the American Heart Association, Center of Creative Arts, Connections to Success, Junior Achievement and United Way. —Sarah Sipek


MIRANDA LEURQUINVice president of human resources and recruiting, The Mosaic Co., Renton, Washington

When Miranda Leurquin started at The Mosaic Co., the consulting company had fi ve employees and a smattering of clients. Nine years later, the company is 200 strong and nationally works with utilities companies and the oil and gas industry.

As if a 3,900 percent increase weren’t enough for a human resources team to handle, know this: Leurquin, 35, worked primarily on her own during the growth spurt because she was the only one in the company with workforce management skills.

“The sheer level of growth has been so exciting, and it’s one of those things I’ve thrived off of,” she wrote. “We’re the same Mosaic, but we’re bigger.” She now has three recruiters in California and a coordinator in her Washington-based offi ce.

One of Leurquin’s best tools in the hunt for candidates to help grow the company from $10 million in 2009 to $32 million today has been social media, which she pioneered for the fi rm. Before video became an everyday way to conduct interviews with candidates, Mosaic was saving money by connecting with candidates via Skype — a method that attracted employees interested in working for tech-savvy companies.

Even though she has gotten

her footing in the organization, Leurquin still faces challenges. As she sees it, building an organization is tough, but maintaining it while it grows is even harder.

She also has to align her daily duties to business results. “There is a perception about HR — sometimes fair, sometimes not — and I work hard every day for me and my team to be seen as a critical part of Mosaic’s success by always pushing us forward,” she wrote. “This is defi nitely a motivator for me personally; I like to prove people wrong.”

But Leurquin’s biggest motivators are Mosaic’s people and culture.

“From day one when I started here, it was all about servant leadership,” she wrote. “There’s such a positive vibe here at Mosaic that wanting to give back to that and show people what a great company we are is part of what inspires me. I love the company, I love the people, and I feel like I am part of the ownership of the company.” —Kate Everson

BEN JACKSONExecutive director, health and welfare benefi t operations, AT&T Inc., Dallas

You’d think that managing the daily operations of a Fortune 500 company’s retirement benefi t plans would be enough of a challenge for anyone. Ben Jackson met that challenge head-on, implemented a successful communications program boosting the fi nancial skills of AT&T employees and guided the telecom giant to being one of just three companies to present to the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability.

A big task, indeed; next challenge. Jackson, 35, now leads a team delivering health care benefi ts to nearly 1.1 million active and retired employees and their dependents. With an annual budget of $5 billion, Jackson brought in a private health insurance exchange to deliver benefi ts to 200,000 Medicare-eligible retirees. He came into the transition midstream, but quickly used his background in benefi ts and personal fi nances to organize the effort.

Jackson summarized it this way: “As an HR professional, you want to work on projects that impact peoples’ lives for the better while delivering results for the business. This initiative was a massive opportunity to do both by creating a great health care experience for 200,000 people. Through innovation, collaboration and teamwork, we did that.” —Rick Bell

workforce magazine - august 2015

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