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Firemans Paving Contractors: Full-service Asphalt and Concrete Paving You Can Trust
Kathleen Hunt • May 7, 2020
Spotlighting Firemans Paving Contractors, Personalized Payroll client since 2016.
Renee Gilmore knew she wanted to own a business that reflected the Three R’s: Required, Repeat and Recession resistant. With 12 years of experience in the construction industry, Renee started Firemans Paving Contractors
with her fireman husband and the company has expanded to a full-service asphalt and concrete paving contractor offering new paving construction, repairs, replacement and maintenance of existing surfaces.
With Renee at the helm, they started pursuing certification as a woman-owned business through WBENC. “I went to a trade show to check it out and never looked back. I earned certification in 2016 and we have increased revenues 30% annually over the last few years and are on target to do it again this year,” says Renee. Renee’s stellar business performance has not gone unnoticed. Firemans Paving Contractors was honored as the Women’s Business Enterprise of the Year for the second time in February 2020 by the regional partner organization Women’s Business Council Southwest.
Renee touts her involvement in WBCS and relationships with other women business owners as critical to her success. She retains employees in an industry that has a high turnover rate and boasts a remarkable 80% customer retention rate.
The onset of COVID-19 hasn’t diminished her outlook on the business. “Right now, we’re all experiencing a new norm—with homeschooling and running a business remotely. We are making sure our essential workers have PPE, and we adhere to the county ordinances and regulations so we’re compliant,” she says. They are using the downtime to do some system enhancements and training crews on post-COVID-19 standards.
The company has six full-time employees and scales to 13-20 independent contractors in peak season. Renee previously partnered with ADP for their payroll and switched to Personalized Payroll Services, Inc. shortly after becoming certified in 2016 and meeting President Kathleen Hunt.
Renee values the customer service she receives from Personalized Payroll. She explains, “As a business owner, one of my biggest stresses is making payroll. Part of it is where we’re at with our business. Now I’m not losing sleep about trying to process payroll. That’s a good feeling. The system is seamless, and I’m all over it with the mobile app. We travel quite a bit and that has been helpful. The staff is awesome and that is huge for me.”
She also enjoys her professional and personal relationship with Kathleen. “I adore her. She is so personable. Kathleen has more energy than anyone I know. I don’t know how she does it. She is a ray of sunshine and always so cheery even in the midst of COVID-19. She’s a breath of fresh air! She runs circles around me.”
Find out how Personalized Payroll Services, Inc. can take the stress out of your payroll. Contact us.
As part of Personalized Payroll Services’ focus of supporting and working with women-owned businesses, we are spot-lighting our valued customer, Prystup Packaging Products. With 138 employees and 7 temp workers, Prystup manufactures packaging and paperboard products used mostly in the snack foods industry. www.prystup.com Interview with: Lauren Pezent, Human Resources and Employee Development Director & Jennifer Buroker, Payroll Manager What are the current challenges faced by your company? Labor shortage, paperboard shortage and skills gap are the biggest challenges we are currently facing. Prystup is an independent manufacturer, and our competitors are integrated, so we are obligated to purchase paperboard from our competition. In addition, being in a rural area means that labor is sparse, and skilled workers are difficult, if not impossible, to find. How do you deal with these challenges? We provide employment locally and provide extensive training to our employees, something they can carry with them throughout their careers. Due to labor shortages, some employees are working longer shifts to help fill gaps, and we also utilize temporary workers when we can find them. Employees are cross-trained, and everyone wears a lot of hats. This provides significant value. In addition, our employees are extremely loyal. We have a 42-year history of building lifelong relationships. Last year, 8 employees retired after 40 years of employment with our company! Why did you decide to try outsourcing your payroll? Our HR Director left the company and in a rural area it is hard to find HR people with this type of experience. Outsourcing the payroll was a smart option for us. Why did you select Personalized Payroll Services to handle your payroll? We made the decision to engage with PPS based on our connection through the supplier diversity space. We always look for suppliers there first. We already had a relationship with Kathleen Hunt through the WBEC South council, so it made perfect sense for us to explore that option first… and it was a great fit. We have been doing business together for almost 7 years! How has doing business with Personalized Payroll Services helped you? The automation provided in the PPS system has been a real time saver. Automation took us from a punch card system to an automated biometric clock, and a week of payroll related tasks down to a single day. We are learning more about the reporting function and utilizing the ACA reporting of 1094, 1095 & 1099 preparations. We have found the HR portal to be a valuable tool. We frequently access the chat feature of the HR Support system. We ask many questions via chat, and we're thankful to have this tool and thankful Personalized Payroll provides this service. The customer service team has also been very responsible and helpful. We find Zach Volpi and John Paige are always willing to help and go the extra mile. It is a benefit to us to have this U.S. based support team. What’s one piece of advice you’d give to other MWBEs? Stick to your core values, which for us is family values - it is what keeps us going. Family members are working here together, such as spouses, children and siblings. In 2020, during the worst of Covid, our business was considered “essential” so we continued to operate. A lot of our employees were very concerned about Covid, but fortunately God looked over us and we didn’t have any serious cases or shutdowns. Everyone pitched in and did what we had to do, even when it meant working a little extra in the most difficult of times. Our grandfather, who started the company, would always quote The Gospel of Luke, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” We believe in that principle and within it we have created a caring and loyal family.
Angela Seaman is passionate about giving back and making the world around her better. That passion shows up not only in her personal endeavors, but in the foundation of her company, Seaman Group Plastics . Seaman Group provides procurement services for manufacturers and distributors of plastic resins. As founder of Seaman Group, Angela works with manufacturers and distributors to help them reduce costs while focusing on more environmentally friendly methods of plastic procurement. With seven partner facilities across the country, Angela sources virgin resin materials as well as reprocessed plastic scrap for her clients, allowing them to produce a quality product at a reduced cost and lower environmental impact. A problem-solver and entrepreneur at heart, Angela says she started her company in 2008 because “I wanted to go after my dreams, create jobs and give more to others.” A Baylor University alum, she applied her education in entrepreneurship, experience in supply chain and international logistics and passion to better her community to create Seaman Group Plastics in 2008. Based out of Rockwall, Texas, the company continues to evolve with the ever-changing marketplace. Client markets include agriculture, automotive, construction, consumer packaged goods, electronics, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, and oil and gas industries. Companies that are being challenged to meet zero-waste initiatives can find a versatile and capable partner in Angela and Seaman Group. “Studies have shown that companies who are inclusive in strategic sourcing with diverse suppliers obtain more innovation, competitive pricing, and develop deeper customer loyalty,” Seaman said. “Many companies are setting procurement goals for their contracts to be awarded to women-owned businesses. Seaman Group Plastics gives our business partners a competitive advantage in their sourcing, salvage and recycling process and provides success in sustainability.” Angela counts her involvement with other WBENC-certified businesses as integral to her company’s growth and success. One of her favorite parts of being a certified WBE is supporting other women owned business and encouraging them to get certified and chase their business dreams. While she does serve on the national board for WBE and WPO, Angela doesn’t necessarily crave recognition. She loves working in the background to help others. She continues to serve on multiple charitable boards and fundraise for causes that benefit others. Seaman Group partnered with Personalized Payroll Services in 2018. “Kathleen is down to earth, genuine and fun. We bonded at WBENC events and have a mutual respect for one another,” says Angela. “I trust Kathleen and she cares about me and my business. She is so personable and truly cares about her customers… I am looking forward to a forever business relationship and friendship with her.”
Personalized Payroll Services goes the extra mile to assist women-owned businesses with their payroll processing needs. By prioritizing the client experience, we have built a long list of satisfied clients, like Eagle Consulting.
The dedicated approach to payroll service delivery by PDP and Personalized Payroll has led to a partnership that benefits many women business owners certified throughout WBENC.
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by Joanelle Bradley • February 3, 2015 Personalized Payroll Services, Inc. allows a company to streamline the payroll process, avoid costly penalties for untimely tax remittance, and focus time increasing the profitability of the company. Kathleen Hunt, President Kathleen Hunt, President of Personalized Payroll Services, Inc., has over 30 years of experience in her industry and doesn’t plan on slowing down anytime soon. She has such a passion for her company and she often reflects on her humble beginnings. “When I started in the technical staffing industry in 1984 it was hard for me to even conceive a woman in a management role. It is important for me to set an example for other women including my daughter, granddaughters and nieces to show them what can be done in business, if this is an avenue they wish to pursue.” Formula for Success Running a successful company isn’t always easy, but Kathleen always pushes forward. “There are never enough hours in the day to do all the things we want to achieve. Therefore, learning to prioritize has been the best way to overcome this obstacle and use time to our benefit.” WBENC certification has helped this business grow and flourish. “The relationships I have made as a WBE have been amazing and very helpful to the growth of our business. Additionally, the corporate representatives have helped by offering introductions to other women business owners. We find the more events and networking events we attend, the more people get to know us; this has led to securing agreements with other WBEs. I believe you should pay it forward and help other women business owners network to help their business grow. I always try to familiarize myself with the products and services of other WBEs so when I meet a contact with either a corporate member or another WBE who can use this service, I make an introduction. I really believe in helping others and this has served me well in growing our business.” Inspiration & Insights “Network & Follow Up! Build relationships with your sister WBE’s and corporate members. The relationships you build when you are networking & attending WBE events will serve you and your business well.” This post originally appeared on the WBEC South website .
“Personalized Payroll offers the services of larger companies without the hassle. Big company value, boutique feel.” -- Andrea Tsakanikas, President, CrewFacilities.com CrewFacilities.com is America’s lodging provider. Based in Austin, Texas, the travel management and logistics firm provides crew member lodging and logistical services for a wide range of clients, including the U.S. Government, Energy companies, Construction, Road Crews, and Utility Contractors. Founded by Andrea Tsakanikas in 2014, CrewFacilities.com has been awarded over 63 Federal Government contracts to date, including services contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense, Air National Guard, and the Veterans Administration. Most recently, CrewFacilities.com has been awarded a $250M Disaster Relief Services Contract with the City of New York to administer the Emergency Management Department’s temporary lodging assistance program in response to the City’s fight against COVID-19. A Florida native, Andrea has enjoyed a successful tenure of over 30 years in property and facility management. During that time, she has represented investors across the U.S., managing hundreds of thousands of room nights of workforce lodging, rental, and travel products. Her expertise and reputation eventually led her to Texas, to work with energy companies in remote areas, where she co-founded CrewFacilities.com, and currently serves as its President and CEO. CrewFacilities.com has leveraged the power of certification to build its impressive client roster. The firm is a WBENC -certified women’s business enterprise, a certified DBE by USDOT in many states, an EDWOSB under the Small Business Act, and a Historically Underutilized Business in the state of Texas. The company can also be found on the GSA Schedule . Andrea loves to share her experiences with other WBEs and mentors them on how to pursue certifications that best fit their businesses. It is through WBENC’s Women’s Business Council-Southwest regional partner organization that Andrea met and later befriended Kathleen Hunt, President of Personalized Payroll. “As members of WBC Southwest, we are encouraged to do business with one another. Kathleen does so much for WBEs. She goes beyond to introduce me and other WBEs to potential new clients. I appreciate that. She’s a great referral source,” says Andrea. Before working with Personalized Payroll, CrewFacilities.com used two larger well-known payroll services. “There were mistakes and little to no personal attention. Personalized Payroll has the same capabilities as larger companies. But, working with a boutique company enables CrewFacilities.com to get a great payroll solution and our questions answered by a real person.” From Andrea’s perspective, Personalized Payroll saves her company money, gives them personalized attention, and are transparent in their pricing and services. To learn more about Personalized Payroll and how we can improve your payroll experience, contact us .
