NAPEO
For our May edition, I would normally say “Welcome to the Cap Summit issue!” but I’ll get to that in a minute. Instead, I’ll say “Welcome to the National PEO Week issue!” Thanks to the combined creativity of Kerry Marshall and the work of Thom Stohler to have it recognized, we are celebrating the first-ever National PEO Week during our PEO Capitol Summit, May 21- 27.
Voters in Indiana’s 9th Congressional district elected Congresswoman Erin Houchin to serve in the United States House of Representatives in November 2022. In doing so, Rep. Houchin became the first woman elected to Congress from her district. She also holds the distinction of being the only person elected to Congress who has worked for a PEO.Rep. Houchin spoke to PEO Insider about her decision to seek public office, her experience working for a PEO, and the policies she champions.
A core mission of our state government affairs efforts is passing the NAPEO Model Act in every state. In states with the model act on the books, PEOs enjoy the benefit of operating in a fair regulatory environment that does not disadvantage PEOs and our small business clients simply because of the unique nature of the PEO business model. Kentucky is the latest state where NAPEO successfully worked to pass a Model Act thanks to the efforts of many members.
In recent years, NAPEO has seen growing threats to a PEO’s ability to offer large group health plans in Democratic-led states. For example, in New Mexico, this started in 2019 with PEOs receiving “a cease and desist” letter from the New Mexico Office of Superintendent of Insurance (OSI) for operating an illegal multiple employer welfare arrangement (MEWA).
PEO veterans will often repeat a familiar industry origin story: in the late 1980s and early 1990s businesses turned to PEOs as a solution for lower workers’ compensation costs. There was no talk of talent acquisition, DEI training, mental health benefits, or any of the other many components to the services and benefits PEOs now provide. In the old days, businesses typically partnered with a PEO to save on costs. And that’s exactly why Thad Steele first encountered PEOs.
As chief information security officer at PrismHR, Dwayne Smith leads the company’s cybersecurity efforts. He works to strengthen cyber defenses, and guard vital information from internal and external threats. A vast and evolving field, cybersecurity requires constant vigilance, training, and adaptation. Smith may be a relative newcomer to the PEO industry, but his background boasts impressive cyber credentials from service in the United States Navy, consulting with government agencies, and leading cybersecurity efforts for Cummins, Inc., a large multinational company.
Celeste Johnson leads Reno, Nevada-based The Applied Companies (TAC). A regional PEO that also boasts a robust recruiting services division, TAC is dedicated to serving northern Nevada as its premier workforce solution. Johnson’s team is committed to high touch service and providing clients the custom tools they need to grow and thrive. Today, she’s the owner and CEO of the company, but her career path in the HR world began as a summer job while still in college.
After more than twenty years in the PEO industry, Joe Beers has seen and learned a lot. From joining a start-up PEO that would grow to 45,000 worksite employees (WSEs), to starting his own PEO, Beers has worked with many different clients and faced many different situations. What has always remained the same, though, is the core philosophy that guides his life and business: show up, tell the truth, and do the next right thing.
Six M&A experts from across the PEO industry weigh in on the market, where things are headed, and what buyers and sellers should keep in mind.
Roger Hays has never been afraid to walk through an open door. Figuratively, that is. To hear him tell it, his career has been one happy accident after another. No one goes to college to become a PEO owner he says. The president of Englewood, Colorado-based PassioHR, Roger has been a stalwart member of NAPEO since he had the chance to join. He crisscrosses the country to attend events, dials into committee calls and webinars, and even leads a panel from time to time. He’s also a NAPEO PAC donor and the Colorado Leadership Council Chair. He didn’t begin his career in the PEO industry, though.
At our Annual Member Meeting in September, nine new individuals joined our Board of Directors. These individuals are active in our industry and association, and they have generously volunteered their time to serve. Each of our new board members recently spoke with PEO Insider ® to share more about themselves and why they wanted to serve.
Sweltering summer sun in Las Vegas would make most people think twice about working a construction job to earn a living. That was the case for John Allen. Now the CEO of Houston-based G&A Partners, Allen began his career when he decided to stop working on roofs and head off to college.
In October of 2020, amid the ongoing chaos and upheaval of the lingering pandemic, Charlie Vance and Megan O’Brien were busy starting a new company. Despite the added challenges of COVID-19, the duo pressed ahead with their plans. It was not a decision they came to on a whim. They harbored no illusions about the difficulty that lie ahead, but they were committed, nonetheless.
Arizona-based Vensure Employer Services emerged as a major presence in the PEO industry in just the last few years. Industry insiders know the company for its aggressive pursuit of merger and acquisition (M&A) deals with other PEOs, but few know the story behind the company and the man who leads it: Alex Campos.Alex is a serial entrepreneur and trained computer programmer who has started and sold several businesses in the technology space. He’s an experienced and successful business leader who runs a company that processes nearly $20 billion in payroll annually. Yet, Alex’s journey to the C-suite may best be described simply as the pursuit of the American Dream.
Nearly 200 years ago, a fiercely determined band of Texas soldiers in San Antonio prepared for imminent attack from the Mexican army. As they fortified their defensive positions, urgent calls for reinforcements were dispatched. Unfortunately, their pleas were not heeded in time to stop General Santa Anna’s forces from laying siege to the Alamo and killing all her defenders. The Battle of the Alamo is central to the founding history of Texas, which declared its independence from Mexico on March 2, 1836, a mere four days before Santa Anna’s forces attacked.
Back in the late fall of 2008, when we started Premier Employer Services, Inc. here in Denver, Colorado, my partner at the time and I went back and forth trying to find the perfect name, with little luck. We finally settled on the name, but I must be honest with you—I never liked the name; it was too bland and way too long. We had nothing else, so we opened the doors and away we went. The name was never so bad that it rose to the top of the “important things to address” list. Every once in a while, someone would mention it and I would remark that I wanted to change it, but it was never an emergency. I continued to struggle with coming up with anything better.
Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Tandem HR is a long-time NAPEO member with a strong history of involvement in the association and industry. Tandem employees regularly lead panels and discussions at NAPEO conferences, contribute to PEO Insider,® and participate in committees. Tara Conger, chief operating officer of Tandem HR, was elected in September 2021 to serve on NAPEO’s Board of Directors.
Few now dispute that the American workforce underwent systemic changes due to the COVID pandemic. Remote work is more prominent than ever, employees feel more empowered in their roles, and businesses face new hurdles in supply chain disruptions and public health mandates. The pandemic has ushered in a new era in the workforce that employers who hope to remain successful must adjust to. As the president and CEO of one of the industry’s largest PEOs, TriNet’s Burton M. Goldfield has seen small and medium-size businesses (SMBs) across the country grapple with these changes, and he’s also confronting this new reality himself as he leads TriNet’s more than 3,000-person internal workforce.
Cristina Bouchard leads Sunrise, Florida-based AlphaStaff, with a deep passion for serving clients and a relentless commitment to exceeding expectations. A self-described hands-on executive, she wants to know everything happening in her company: strengths, weaknesses, pain points, and areas for growth. She responds to every single client testimonial herself and lets all clients know they have access to her leadership and her management teams at any time. Cristina is in her second stint leading the company, but now as a significant equity owner, she’s in a position to drive change, innovate, and build for the future. She has big plans about where to take her company, and she’s not afraid to defy the status quo to get there.
A passion for growing businesses, helping people, and serving the community are the bedrock principles of Redding, California-based Teamwork HR. Heidi Corrigan leads this 26-person team with an energy and enthusiasm that keeps her team motivated to excel and serve clients.
