Staffing Success Magazine (January–February 2008)

Staffing Star

Meet National Staffing Employee of the Year Agapito Soto

One ordinary morning in September, on a day like all other days, the receptionist at the Orange County Sheriff's Department in Santa Ana, CA, called Agapito (Gapo) Soto, a contract employee, to come out to the lobby.

When he arrived, he saw Amy Roos, his recruiter from staffing firm Sapphire Technologies, with a bunch of balloons. She reached up and whacked one.

That's when everyone heard the chorus from the 1980s pop song, "Celebrate good times, come on!"

From that moment on, Gapo Soto was more than just a contract employee. He was the National Staffing Employee of the Year, and he happily found out what it was like to walk on the red carpet. Chosen from 180 nominations from staffing firms across the country, Soto was selected as the employee who best exemplifies the industry's five key messages: jobs, flexibility, bridge, choice, and training.

Soto, an information technology consultant in the sheriff's department, supports the efforts of three units—risk management bureau, terrorism early warning group, and emergency communications bureau.

Celebrate Good Times

When he saw Roos in the lobby with the balloons, Soto says, "I didn't know what to say. To have been nominated was one thing, but to be selected was something I did not expect. Amy said it was the first time she had ever seen me speechless."

He managed to find plenty of words to describe his experience at Staffing World^® 2007 in San Antonio, however. Attendees at the ASA convention and expo gave him the star treatment. "It was awesome to walk down the concourse and have people smiling and asking me how it was going," Soto says. "My wife said people who were looking would have thought I was a celebrity."

Originally from Laredo, TX, Soto invited his sister and nephew to come to the convention luncheon where he says they got to hear him "give the shortest speech in history." He simply thanked everyone who had led him to that point, including Eric Gregg of ASA corporate partner iLoyalty, the sponsor of the National Staffing Employee of the Year; the people he works with at Sapphire Technologies; and, most of all, his wife, Ana Laura, who "stuck by me through all these years."

"I am so grateful to be recognized. As a former Marine supervisor, I understand how important recognition is." He and Ana Laura are considering the places where the travel award he received might take them. Possibilities include San Francisco and Las Vegas, he says.

Even after the convention, he still enjoys the occasional phone call or e-mail from staffing professionals congratulating him on the award.

As the National Staffing Employee of the Year, Soto represents the three million temporary and contract employees who work through U.S. staffing firms every business day, personifying the value of the staffing industry for its clients and its employees.

Soto will be featured as one of the "faces" of the ASA Hard Facts, Human Faces public relations campaign this year. (Meet the five "faces" from 2007 in the accompanying sidebar.)

Soto and Sapphire Technologies were introduced to the media through a news release ASA distributed in September to kick off National Staffing Employee Week. He will be featured in media coverage throughout the year, including an article in Workforce Management magazine.

More Than Face Value

Here's the reason why Soto is now National Staffing Employee of the Year: For most people at the Orange County Sheriff's Department, the work day starts at 8 and ends at 4. For Soto, however, the day starts at 7 and ends at 5 or whenever he is no longer needed there. It's that simple.

In fact, the reality is that there's nothing extraordinary in what Soto does that made Sapphire Technologies nominate him for the honor, but rather a long, long list of ordinary things that add up to an extraordinary contract employee.

Things like his willingness to put in extra time when needed, says Roos, who recalls his willingness to work as long as necessary and do whatever needed to be done as he supported the team from the sheriff's department that helped to fight the wildfires in Southern California in the fall.

During the week of Oct. 21, Soto took equipment to a site where emergency personnel had set up offices. He got laptops to people who needed them, set up televisions and videoconferencing equipment, and was available to people to resolve technology issues as needed. Taking turns with others, Soto manned the desk in 12-hour shifts to ensure that help was available 24 hours a day.

"The fire consumed most of the 'fuel' outside the perimeter of the facility while we maintained communications with the outside world via phone, fax, and Internet. We were amazed later when we got to see the video of the fire as it burned," says Soto.

Roos says Soto is someone you can depend on all of the time, not just in a crisis. "When you talk to the people in the sheriff's office, it's a given that they can depend on him as if he were their permanent employee," she says. "I know he'll arrive with a smile on his face and willing to go above and beyond what needs to be done."

For Eric Gregg, Soto and Sapphire Technologies are a great illustration of the value of the staffing industry. "At iLoyalty, we are always talking about the importance of loyal employees and employers. Gapo and the people at Sapphire exemplify how loyalty can work when a staffing firm understands how important it is to place someone in a position that works for the employee, the client, and the staffing firm."

Right Job at the Right Time

Soto and Roos agree. His story is a great vehicle for explaining the value of the staffing industry not only to the client but also to the employee. When a staffing company matches the right person to the right position with the right client, and manages that relationship, good things happen. For everybody. No one understands that better than Soto.

A 20-year veteran of the Marine Corps, Soto retired from his military career as an aircraft technician in 1995, keeping a promise he made to Ana Laura, to whom he has now been married 31 years. With their only child, Clarissa, happily attending high school in Irvine, CA, the couple decided to stay in the area. And Soto began to think about what he would do in his civilian life.

He worked part-time while attending school to become a computer technician. He couldn't find a job in the computer field and worked a number of part-time jobs as he continued to pursue computer work, including taking a course that would qualify him as a network technician. His career outlook brightened considerably after he posted his résumé on an online job site in 2003.

"Sapphire Technologies contacted me and asked me a few questions," Soto recounts. Sapphire is a national information technology placement company that places contract and permanent IT and engineering professionals in a wide variety of companies in the U.S. and Canada.

Soto knew he could anticipate something good when Roos asked him two questions. "Could you survive in a testosterone-laden environment?" was the first, to which the former Marine confidently answered yes. The second, "Do you understand rank structure and the personalities that go with that structure?" made Soto's smile broaden further.

When he arrived for his interview at the sheriff's department, two of his interviewers were retired Marine colonels. One of them asked him for three different ways to map a network drive, and Soto gave him five. He started work at the sheriff's office in August 2003.

In the intervening four and a half years, Soto has been happily ensconced at the department and, by all reports, says Roos, the department is as happy to have him as he is to be there. "Gapo is a great person to work with. He makes the client happy," she explains. "His overall perspective is very, very positive. He can turn any situation or request into a good thing. He gets along with everyone in the sheriff's office and here at the Sapphire office."

Soto appreciates the role Sapphire has played in his career. "Things worked out well for me, but it was good to know that I had the flexibility to go back to Sapphire for another position if things hadn't worked out."

A Common Goal

In his time at the sheriff's department, Soto has not only built the job into more than it was when he started, but he has also had the opportunity to build his résumé and experience.

Even with that opportunity, Roos says, he has set himself apart. "With contractors, employers expect A through L of the job, but they are willing to add on more if the contractor can do it. With Gapo, they also got M through Z, so now he has even more high-level responsibilities."

Soto is the computer desktop support contact for the three units he supports—the person employees call when they have a problem with Windows XP, Office, other applications, or their computers. He provides network support, keeping the computer network operating smoothly and making sure it's secure. He also works with the department's network printers, the voice over Internet protocol system, Internet application support, and surveillance system. He has served on several internal committees and currently chairs the e-team steering subcommittee.

In addition to day-to-day support, Soto is part of a team responsible for screening and recommending applications and equipment that comply with U.S. Department of Homeland Security guidelines. The main objective is to keep Orange County's residents safe in event of disaster by ensuring interoperable communications between agencies and disciplines.

He does not approach the job any differently, he says, than he would if it were a permanent position. "I try to the best of my ability to do what is essential for the three units that I support."

Whether it's his natural disposition or ingrained by the Marine Corps, Soto has a great sense of team spirit, and one of his favorite things about working at the sheriff's department is that everyone is working toward the same goal. "Even though I work for three distinct functions of the department, everyone still has one common goal: to look out for the safety of the county."

Five Faces You'll Want To Know While there can be only one national staffing employee of the year, there are millions of staffing employees who are a vitally important part of the U.S. work force. Here are five staffing stars whose success stories exemplify the industry's five key messages. Jobs Davina Grunstein went back to the drawing board—and ended up with a designer job. Davina Grunstein was already a successful graphic designer. But she knew that to stay at the top of her field she had to be at the top of her form. So she went back to school to polish her skills and learn the latest computer technology. Next, she had to find not just a job, but the perfect job. So she signed up with Aquent and spent a few months doing projects at different companies. As it turns out, one of those companies was ready to hire a permanent senior graphic designer. "The work environment is so important to what I do," Davina observes. "I was able to get a feel for different companies, so when I landed here, I knew I found a perfect fit. And my company got a chance to try me out, too, so they knew I was right for the job. "I couldn't have designed a better job at a better place." Flexibility Jerry Stanford had to decide—family or career? He chose both. His wife and three active children are the most important people in Jerry's life. But an hour-long commute, multimillion-dollar responsibilities, and frequent business trips left him with precious little family time. So he came up with a different plan. "I decided to contact Talent Tree Crystal Inc. to see what it could do for me. In less than a day, I got a managerial job at a small, growing company near my home, managing warehouse operations." Now his staffing assignment gives Jerry the flexibility to coach his son's team three to four nights a week and help run the football league. "That's quality time you just can't replace. My new job is so much better aligned with my priorities than any job I've had in the past. If I had known more about staffing firms previously, I would have looked into them a long time ago." Bridge Tiffney Battle heard opportunity calling—a great permanent job was the answer. They say great things come in threes. Tiffney Battle was living in a new city with her new baby—it was time for a new career. So she called ACT Personnel Service Inc., a staffing firm she had seen at a recent job fair. In three days, the firm found Tiffney a three-week assignment in the call center for a Fortune 500 company. That three-week assignment turned into three months of work. And then a permanent position. "When I first took the job, I didn't realize the temporary assignment would be a bridge to permanent employment," Tiffney explains. "I couldn't be happier." Tiffney was so pleased with her experience that she recommended six—that's two times three—friends and relatives to the staffing firm. "I'm on the road to independence," she says with confidence. "In fact, I just moved into my own home. I'm building a strong foundation for my son, and I can take pride in my job." Choice James Jones got a higher education—now he keeps getting hired, and hired, and hired. It's never too late to learn something new. After 25 years in the work force, James Jones went back to school and got his bachelor's degree in business, and then promptly contacted Kelly Services. In the 10 years since, he's been picking one plum assignment after another. "I never get bored," James says of his career model. "Rather than having to chase jobs, I'm fortunate to have jobs come to me. I have the opportunity to try many jobs without the stigma of being labeled a job-hopper." James's staffing assignments have included everything from supply-chain management to project planning to warehouse management. Today, he's a planner and a team leader at a major medical device manufacturer. "I've been able to maintain a healthy work–life balance. And clients tend to value my input because they know that I don't have an agenda." Training Reina Browning knew she could fare better—so she added training to her career menu. Reina Browning had years of experience in the hospitality industry, but without training, her career was waiting on the first course. So she talked to the TemPositions Group of Cos. It served up a three-week hospitality training program for her, and soon after, Reina found herself working as an in-house conference coordinator for one of Manhattan's leading law firms. "I'm meeting fascinating people, and I work in an exciting environment," Reina says. "I owe a lot of that to the great training that the staffing firm provided. It helped change the direction of my life." Today, Reina enjoys better pay in a position that keeps her plate full coordinating catering and conference space for meetings and large events. All thanks to the training her staffing firm provided. "I love what I'm doing now. And I have steady income that I can count on." Reem El-Khatib is public relations coordinator for the American Staffing Association.