I built this platform to be a companion to both my LinkedIn profile and resumé and share a little bit more about my career and educational experience.https://www.outlookindia.com/outlook-spotlight/matched-betting-uk-review-how-to-make-money-online-don-t-sign-up-until-you-read-this-news-301167
Out of college, I started my career in retail where I learned how to successfully manage people and operate a profitable business as an award winning General Manager for 14 years. After changing careers to Human Resources, I find these important business skills make me an extremely effective HR Professional and true business partner to the employees, managers, and executives I support.
3/2018 – Present | Currently, I supervise a team of six of the best HR Professionals in the industry while directing and managing all aspects of HR activity as the HR Director for Seattle based sister companies, Merrill Gardens and Pillar Properties.
Merrill Gardens, who’s 4,000+ Team Members located in 70 communities throughout 20 states has been named to the top ten of the 2018 and 2019 Fortune Magazine’s Best Workplaces for Aging Services List. We are one of only three companies to have been named to the top ten both years! The 2020 survey was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pillar Properties, who’s 80+ Team Members located in multiple locations in Washington state has been named to the 2018 , 2019, and 2020 Puget Sound Business Journal’s list of Washington’s Best Workplaces. These lists are behind the PSBJ paywall but I promise we are on the lists!
I’m very proud of my HR team’s important contributions towards earning these prestigious workplace culture awards.
In addition, I earned Pillar’s 2019 Quietly Awesome Award (Employee of the Year) for the Corporate Office.
Both Merrill and Pillar are highly respected, innovative, and privately owned senior living and multi-family housing providers, respectively. I joined the company in March of 2018 and I’m having the time of my life where my team and I have the honor of delivering strategic Human Resources leadership to our rapidly growing workforce.
11/2016 – 3/2018 | I was able to learn a great deal about the HR Consulting business during my time with Denver based Employers Council as a Professional HR Consultant.
Employers Council is the nation’s largest employer’s association for employment law, HR consulting, training, and surveys. I joined the organization in 2016 and assisted clients in many different industries with some very challenging HR projects and assignments in the areas of HR function development, HR management, HRIS development, compliance audits, recruiting, staffing, consulting, etc.
I supported a portfolio of terrific clients that included a major Denver based national airline, a global biotech company, a regional hospital, health care organizations, manufacturing & construction companies, engineering firms, and energy companies. I left the organization in 2018 for the opportunity with Merrill Gardens and Pillar Properties.
While I enjoyed my time as an HR Consultant, I discovered my strengths and abilities are more suited to the corporate environment.
2/2017 – 8/2017 | Now Alchemer. I did a brief stint in 2017 with this Boulder, CO based startup SaaS company as their Director of People and Culture.
SurveyGizmo is an enterprise–level data collection platform. I was hired to develop, implement, and manage a strategic state-of-the-art HR function to support their aggressive business life-cycle transition from the startup stage to the high growth stage.
I was thrilled to be part of a startup tech company but regrettably, I made the difficult professional decision to move on to more appropriate opportunities after only seven months because they weren’t fully prepared for the strategic level of HR I was hired to deliver.
2013 – 2018 | I launched a blog and podcast called Hard Hat HR which eventually evolved into my independent HR Consulting firm, H2HR Consulting Group. I provided high quality HR support for a number of start-up, small, and early stage organizations in the Denver metro area. H2HR Consulting Group is currently dormant but I continue to intermittently blog and podcast on HR topics at hardhathr.com.
11/2008 – 6/2016 | In 2008, I made the bold move of leaving retail and completely changed my career and industry by joining the Denver based uranium mining startup, Ur-Energy, as their HR Manager. I rapidly advanced to become the Sr. Director of HR, IR/PR, and Administration.
Ur-Energy is a publicly traded high-tech ISR uranium mining company. I built and developed the HR function which was a key contributor to the company becoming the lowest cost uranium producer in the World.
As often happens in the resource extraction industry, uranium mining and nuclear power experienced (and continues to do so) a serious economic downturn forcing the company reorganize and downsize and I was included in their third Reduction in Force in 2016.
7/1986 – 11/2008 | I started right out of college going to work for Fortune 100 Allied/Federated Department Store’s, The Bon Marché, as a Manager Trainee. My career progression ultimately lead to the role of General Manager where I successfully managed the operations of two branch stores. I lead both stores to the coveted “Store of the Year” award and was formally recognized as one of the top managers/leaders in the company. I achieved this by building and developing a team of motivated and high performing employees and managers, aligning them with the objectives of the company and exceeding stretch financial and business goals.
I left the company in 2008 shortly after the Macy’s nameplate conversion and changed careers from Retail Store Management to Human Resources for an exciting opportunity to help build a company from the ground floor with startup Ur-Energy as their HR Manager.
I’m a proud graduate of Montana State University – Bozeman (Go Bobcats!) with a B.Sc. Degree in Business Management. I was very active in the Business Management Club where I served as President in my Senior year after serving as Vice President in my Junior year.
I was also a student athlete as a Freshman and played Division I NCAA football but decided to retire at the beginning of my Sophomore year due to ongoing injuries.
I helped pay for my tuition by delivering and making pizzas at Stromboli’s Pizza during the school year. I also spent the summer between my Sophomore and Junior years working at the Rising Sun Campground in Glacier National Park.
And that, my friends, is a quick summary of what I consider a fun, rewarding, and interesting career path.
Page updated 06/01/2021