The Workforce Agility Podcast

A leading authority on workforce solutions worldwide, Barry Asin is renowned for his expertise in staffing and contingent labor. President of Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) since 2010, Asin holds overall responsibility for the company’s strategy, operations, and growth on a global basis. He has been with the company since 2003, where he previously held the position of Chief Analyst, leading the team responsible for SIA’s award-winning research and content.

Asin is the co-author of Breaking Through: Leadership Disciplines from Top Performing Staffing Firms and is a frequent speaker at industry events, sharing essential insights on leadership and the challenges, opportunities, and rapid transformations around work today. He is quoted in major business and industry publications, including the New York Times, BusinessWeek, Inc. Magazine, The Atlantic, Bloomberg Business, CNBC, Marketplace, USA Today and MarketWatch among others.

Prior to joining SIA, Asin spent nearly 12 years as a senior executive at global staffing leader Adecco SA. Before Adecco, he held operations management positions with PepsiCo, and he began his professional career with Andersen Consulting, the predecessor of Accenture. He holds an M.B.A. from Harvard University and a B.S. in engineering from Princeton University.

Topics:

Barry’s journey into the staffing industry and SIA.

Barry’s advice on leveraging the contingent workforce trend as an opportunity for growth.

Practical insights for staffing firm owners from Barry’s book Breaking Through: Leadership Disciplines from Top Performing Staffing Firms.

The impact of technology and digital disruption in the staffing industry.

Common mistakes when implementing a contingent workforce program.

Elizabeth is the Director of Strategic Partnerships at Empire Office, the largest commercial furniture dealer in the world delivering workspace solutions to activate brands.

In her role, Elizabeth works closely with regional leadership to strengthen relationships with key partners in the South Florida area. Having previously worked on both the dealer and manufacturing sides of the industry, Elizabeth has extensive experience in strategic sales, product positioning, contract negotiations, change management, and network development. She has also served on the IIDA South Florida board for over five years and is actively involved in many design and construction organizations throughout the tri-county area.

Elizabeth is also the co-host for the Infinite Attraction podcast, where she helps you uncover and navigate everything happening with MiamiTech.

Topics:

Elizabeth’s journey into an interior design career and the MiamiTech ecosystem.

Designing physical spaces for the future of work.

Learning to adapt and reinvent yourself as a future-proof skill.

Elizabeth’s recommendations if you are planning the move to Miami.

Miami’s “How Can I Help?” new way of doing business.

Mark Roberts is CEO of TechServe Alliance, the national trade association serving IT and engineering staffing and solutions firms. Roberts is a noted authority and spokesperson on industry trends. Under his leadership since 2003, the organization has expanded significantly moving beyond traditional association offerings creating multiple innovative programs designed to drive member firm growth and profitability. From its unique member-owned insurance program, account executive and recruiter certification, Excellence Awards, to contract and compliance assistance hotline and sales and recruiter management programs, Roberts has led the organization through its transformation.

Before joining TechServe Alliance, Mr. Roberts was a partner in the Labor and Employment Group of a major law firm and served four years on Capitol Hill. He earned his undergraduate degree from Haverford College and his law degree with distinction from Emory University. Mr. Roberts currently serves as a member of the Labor Relations Committee of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He has been repeatedly named to the Staffing Industry 100 List and is a member of the Hall of Fame.

Topics:

Mark’s journey into the IT staffing industry and Techserve’s leadership.

What staffing firms can do to address the talent gap and mitigate risks associated with it.

The importance of partnerships to grow and scale your staffing firm.

The impact of remote work on talent diversity.

Considerations when looking to implement an offshoring and nearshoring strategy.

Keith Wolf is the Managing Director of Murray Resources, a national recruiting and staffing firm headquartered in Houston. As Managing Director, Wolf leads the company’s strategy, marketing, and sales efforts. Wolf joined the company in 2011 and helped drive the firm’s growth and ascension to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. The company has been named the fastest growing staffing firm in Texas by Staffing Industry Analysts and has landed on the Inc. 5000 six times. Murray Resources was also awarded the #1 best medium-sized staffing firm to work in the U.S and has consistently been named one of the best places to work in Houston by the Houston Business Journal.

Wolf is regularly called upon to provide insights on matters relating to staffing, recruiting, and employment trends by publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Houston Chronicle, Houston Business Journal, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Reuters, CNBC, and Houston Public Radio. Prior to Murray Resources, Wolf held various executive and marketing roles with companies such as Procter & Gamble, Invisalign, OrthoClear, and BlueStar. Wolf graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and has an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Topics:

Modern day talent strategies required for today’s competitive talent market

Tactical tips for hiring top sales and recruiting professionals

Candidate preparation for the interview and a client guide on retainment for top talent

Dan spent 5 years with TekSystems, cofounded IT Resources in 2000. Become the sole owner and President of the firm in 2006, IT Resources has become a leading provider of Technology staffing solutions. Companies and top IT talent seek the expertise the IT Resources team brings in extensive industry/market knowledge delivering value with honesty and integrity

Born in Iowa and raised in New Mexico, Ohio and graduating high school back in Iowa, Dan is a proud Northwestern University and University of South Florida graduate. Playing collegiate and professional baseball set the cornerstones of passion for hard work, leadership and teamwork.

When he’s not at work you can find him with his wife, daughter or son, probably playing or enjoying sports. Dan’s greatest joy is helping people create inflection points in their careers and reaching their full potential.

Joshua Smith serves as Senior Vice President of Advantage xPO, the workforce solutions division of Staffmark Group, providing Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO), Managed Service Provider (MSP), and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO). Since joining Staffmark Group in 2004, Joshua has held a number of positions with increasing responsibility in both operations and sales throughout his tenure. He is responsible for leading client development, account strategy and service delivery across the Advantage xPO client portfolio.

As an experienced practitioner in strategic workforce solutions, Joshua has distinguished himself as a results-driven leader with a strong business acumen for developing and deploying best in class programs within this discipline throughout the United States and Canada.

In 2019, Joshua was named to Staffing Industry Analyst’s 40 Under 40 list.

He holds a BS in Marketing from St. Cloud State University – Herberger Business School.

Topics:

Fundamentals around MSP’s and RPO’s

Analyzing the typical MSP Profile

Direct Sourcing Initiatives

Mike Sarraille is a retired U.S. Navy SEAL officer and a former enlisted Recon Marine and Scout-Sniper. A graduate of the University of Texas McCombs Business School, he is the founder and CEO of Talent War Group, a specialized executive search firm and talent advisory that finds high-performing business leaders for senior, executive, or other critical leadership positions. He is co-author of 'The Talent War: How Special Operations and Great Organizations Win on Talent' and a columnist for Men's Journal and Men's Fitness under 'The Everyday Warrior' column.

He founded and served as a board of director for the VETTED Foundation, a cutting edge executive level transition program, and was a former principal at Echelon Front, a management consulting firm alongside the coauthors of Extreme Ownership, Jocko Willink and Leif Babin.

Mike enlisted in the Marine Corps after high school. He became a Recon Marine and also served as a scout-sniper. He was selected for a Marine officer program, but after finishing his bachelor's degree at Texas A&M University, he sought a commission in the Navy to try out for the SEAL Teams.

After completing the Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) Training. Mike served in SEAL Team THREE, Task Unit Bruiser, the most decorated Special Operations Task Unit of the Iraq war, where he led major combat operations during the Battle of Ramadi in 2006. In 2008, Mike returned to Iraq and led historic combat operations in during the Battle of Sad City. In 2008-2009, Mike served as the SEAL Junior Officer Training Course (OTC) Director where he coached, mentored, and prepared junior SEAL officers to lead combat operations,Mike was then assessed and selected for assignment to Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU), part of the elite Joint Special Operations Command, in support of global counter-terrorism operations. Mike completed a total of ten (10) combat deployments in support of the Global War on Terrorism. Mike is a recipient of the Silver Star, six (6) x Bronze Stars for Valor, two Defense Meritorious Service Medals, and a Purple Heart.

He is a recognized keynote speaker and subject matter expert in leadership development, talent acquisition and talent management.

Mousa Hamad currently resides on the Gulf Coast of Florida. There, he is a partner and a father to a vivacious three year old. Which, he will tell you, is a great tune up for his day job as the Director of Operations and Procurement at J2 Global, Inc. Mousa has been in the Information Technology industry for the last 15 years getting his start on the front lines as a Tier 1 tech. He is a customer centric executive who loves being a part of great teams that deliver results.

Chris Burkhard is a 4th generation entrepreneur, and has been running his business for over 20 years. Placers is a workforce company that not only helps people find jobs but consults with businesses on how to best use a contingent workforce. In running Placers, Chris is known as being a cultural servant leader. The Placers community is unique and gives back to the local community. He emphasises the importance of having an environment where people can be themselves. Culture led business that has steered Placers towards being listed on Inc 5000 list a combined 10 times in its history. His way of leading also earned Chris the SBA Small Business Person of the Year for the State of Delaware in 2020.

Chris has a love of the outdoors and would prefer to be forest bathing. Chris currently lives in Lewes, Delaware but daydreams of living in the mountains of Wyoming. He is an active business person and Scaling Up Coach who loves to mentor entrepreneurs towards building their own successful businesses. Chris lives his life the same way, whether it is business or personal. He is a dedicated husband to Kim and father to Josh and Hallie. His true love are his 2 aussie shepherds Gracie and Ziggy.

Ginnette launched Harper & Gray in 2021 to follow her passion to drive equity into the talent management process. She is driving change in the industry by providing talent solutions that put Diversity and Inclusion first.

Before this Ginnette spent 15 years as an SVP at Specialist Staffing Group, Inc., the US subsidiary of the international STEM recruiting firm SThree Plc. Ginnette led Real Staffing, the company’s largest brand in North America. Ginnette achieved relentless year-on-year double-digit growth for the brand, and Real was and still is the company’s best performing contract business globally.

As the co-founder of SThree’s North American business, Ginnette played a vital role in marking the US as SThree’s highest producing territory taking it from 0 to $280m. Within the portfolio she grew the Real staffing business organically, and it is now one of the largest life science staffing firms in North America with over $100m in annual revenue.

In addition to this, Ginnette prides herself on more broadly championing diversity and inclusion and advocating for gender equality in leadership. Ginnette is a member of the American Staffing Associations Council of Women in Leadership. Her accomplishments also include being named a Woman of Influence by Chicago Business Journal, receiving the Woman of the Year Stevie Award, presented by the American Business Awards, and was named on SIAs 2020 list for the Top 100 most influential leaders in staffing.