I wasn’t looking for a new challenge when I first encountered the PEO industry back in 1995. I was perfectly content where I was, but, more as moral support than anything else, I attended a presentation a friend was making at the local Chamber of Commerce about this new service he was considering launching within his staffing firm. He called it “employee leasing” and he was curious if those local professionals present that day thought it would be a valuable service for businesses in our little town. Not having seen his presentation beforehand, I commented afterwards that I thought he had stumbled upon a powerful idea. Long story short, several conversations later I signed on to be the “sales guy,” attended a T. Joe Willy seminar to pick up some knowledge, and we launched that new service out of an upstairs office at his main staffing location in August of 1996. Six years later, I was part of another scratch launch that would eventually be acquired by Bill Lyons and his team at Lyons HR in 2010.

Today, I am president and CEO of Lyons HR and beginning a year of service as chair of NAPEO. The power of that great idea rerouted the course of my professional life and I am profoundly grateful for the good fortune of being a part of this industry.