When you meet someone new in your professional life, you never know where that relationship can take you. As I’ve learned, you need to be open to possibilities and ideas that wouldn’t normally headline your business plan.
This summer, HIRE Strategies marked an important milestone. It’s been one year since we acquired Five Star Staffing & Accounting Recruiters, a well-known search firm in the Triangle area that had been serving the business community since 1994. The genesis for this move actually began as a mentorship. A few years ago after I launched HIRE Strategies, I was looking for someone I could connect with to help guide me as a new entrepreneur. Brian Hicks, my COO at Hire Strategies, was consulting for a client of ours and suggested I meet Cindy Heath and Donna Peery, owners of Five Star Staffing. Initially, Cindy and I would meet monthly for lunch to discuss the challenges we both were experiencing in our firms. Along the way, I actually hired Five Star Staffing to recruit internal employees. Their support helped me build my team with people who were a great fit for the organization.
Eventually, the day came when Cindy shared with me that she and Donna were ready to get out of the business. She went on to say that she valued our friendship and wanted to discuss the option of me acquiring Five Star Staffing. I was honored she felt comfortable enough to allow us the opportunity to continue her legacy. It also offered us the chance to diversify our candidate pool and wealth of clients that we support.
In July 2018, our partnership became official as HIRE Strategies took on the Five Star brand and assets. As expected, the last year has been both challenging and rewarding at the same time. We have brought on some awesome new clients and have really grown the administrative side of our business. We’ve been successful with direct hire placements as well as temporary to permanent placements. The positive feedback we’re getting from candidates and clients validates our company’s mission and values which we strive to live by each and every day. When we ask them why people choose us, we consistently hear it’s because of our reviews and what others say about us. We pride ourselves in making impactful relationships and creating an environment where everyone feels welcome. We want to be the best advocate for our candidates looking to expand their career options and the premier vendor of choice for our clients who are struggling to find the right talent for their organizations in this competitive job market.
As we embark on year two as a larger organization, our goals include fostering new partnerships, creating new opportunities for HIRE Strategies and continuing to diversify our business and the industries that we support. We also want to be very thoughtful in how we incorporate the Five Star brand effectively to ensure we’re delivering on the high expectations that are the foundation of the company. At the center of it all, I will continue to hold the mentorship with Cindy and Donna as a cornerstone of our story. Together, we are charting a new narrative as we build futures together, beyond my own firm. I take this intention very seriously and hope that I can one day serve as a mentor for the next entrepreneur looking to make her mark.
Sonya Hopson
President & CEO
HIRE Strategies
