NAPEO
April 2026
THIS MONTH'S FOCUS: Leadership & Professional Development
LONE STAR PEO: HOW TODD & BECKY NEWTON CARRY ON THE PEO FAMILY LEGACY
The motivation wasn’t simply to launch a business. It was to recreate the culture they had valued most, one centered on service, accessibility and strong relationships with clients and staff.
BY CHRIS CHANEY
April 2026CONTENTS
FEATURED
CROSS-FUNCTIONAL LEADERSHIP AS A STRATEGIC LEVER IN THE PEO MODEL
When leaders understand how their work connects, they build tighter processes. They ask better questions early. And they reduce the chance that small oversights become costly compliance issues.
BY KRISTEN FRADIANI
April 2026
DISRUPTING WITH DISCIPLINE: WHAT I WISH I KNEW BEFORE I BECAME A CEO
You can’t scale a company on hustle and instinct alone. Be honest with yourself about what you don’t know, then hire for it.
BY CHRIS MYERS
April 2026
CRISIS-PROOF LEADERSHIP: HOW PEO EXECUTIVES CAN PREPARE FOR THE UNEXPECTED
In a business as complex and exposed as a PEO, our response to news—any news—determines whether an issue becomes manageable or becomes a crisis. Crisis-proof leadership starts with emotional discipline.
BY CHASE HEYWOOD
April 2026
WHEN THE BANK FAILS: HARD-EARNED RISK LESSONS FOR PEOS AFTER CHACHET AND SIGNATURE
Innovation is not redundancy. Scale is not redundancy. Reputation is not redundancy. If payroll flows through one rail, that rail is your business.
BY JOHN MASON-SMITH
April 2026
CROSS FUNCTIONAL LEADERSHIP IN PEOS: DEVELOPING CHANGE MANAGEMENT SKILLS THAT WORK
Developing cross-functional change leaders starts with building five practical skills. These are not theoretical concepts. They are daily practices that separate high-performing PEO leaders from the rest.
BY KATELIN DOYLE
April 2026
THE SCALABILITY PARADOX: WHY ADDING CLIENTS SHOULDN’T MEAN ADDING HEADCOUNT
Sustainable scalability requires a different mindset. PEO executives must move away from overseeing data entry and toward building automated, reliable data pipelines.
BY MICHAEL ANTCZAK
April 2026
THE LEADERSHIP GAP NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT: WHY PEOS ARE UNIQUELY POSITIONED TO CLOSE IT
PEOs have the infrastructure to deliver leadership development at scale across dozens or hundreds of client companies simultaneously.
BY MAK CHOWDHURY
April 2026ADVERTISEMENT
TRACKS
“This inflationary adjustment will adequately fund the association for the next several years and allow us to continue to deliver significant, measurable value that supports the growth and success of our industry and your business.”
BY BILL MANESS
April 2026YOU CAN’T SPELL PEO WITHOUT PEOPLE
The future of the PEO industry is not a binary choice between human expertise and automation; it is a powerful partnership.
BY RAMON CRUISE
April 2026THE NO-FRICTION WORKFLOW: DEFINING THE NEW STANDARD OF CLIENT-CENTRIC AGILITY IN PEOS
Reducing friction requires more than incremental process improvement. It requires rethinking how underwriting and pricing workflows support the overall client experience.
BY SWETHAA KUMAR
April 2026
In late February, our leadership convened in California for our annual first quarter board retreat. You’ve heard me say many times that your deep commitment to collaboration and engagement represents a core strength of our industry. True to form, the conversations were thoughtful, robust and productive. You invest a lot in NAPEO – corporate dues, …
BY CASEY M. CLARK
April 2026SOC 1 OR SOC 2 READINESS: A PRACTICAL PATH FOR PEOS TO BUILD STRONGER CONTROLS WITHOUT FULL CERTIFICATION
Readiness is not a watered-down version of compliance. It is the disciplined foundation that makes compliance possible and valuable.
BY JASON F. CLAUSEN
April 2026THE BEST-LAID GROWTH PLANS: PART ONE OF A THREE PART LOOK AT HOW AI IS RESHAPING THE PEO BUYER JOURNEY
In an AI-shaped buying environment, employers conduct fast, self-directed research to understand the PEO landscape before engaging a provider.
BY AMANDA ORTEGA
April 2026THE MODERN PEO PLAYBOOK: MANAGING COMPLIANCE, NAVIGATING UNCERTAINTY, ADOPTING AI
The advisors who will set themselves apart will be those who proactively turn market shifts into actionable, practical guidance, providing the clarity and confidence customers are depending on.
BY JURA SLATTERY
April 2026AT THE CROSSROADS: ALIGNING TACTICAL AND STRATEGIC OPERATIONS IN PEOS
Strategy without this operational backbone is aspiration; tactics without this strategic north star are motion without progress.
BY SCOTT A . JOHNSON
April 2026MEET THE 2026 NEXTGEN LEADERSHIP CLASS
The 2026 NextGen Leadership Class recognizes emerging PEO industry leaders who are helping shape the future of the PEO industry through innovation, operational excellence, advocacy and service to small and mid-sized businesses. NAPEO’s NextGen Leadership program highlights rising professionals across the PEO ecosystem who demonstrate leadership within their organizations and a strong commitment to advancing the industry’s mission of supporting America’s …
BY NAPEO
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