Chris Dale

When he stumbled onto the staffing business by chance 17 years ago, Chris Dale may not have known much about the industry, but he quickly found the impact of what he did rewarding. “At the end of the day, we get to place people in jobs, and there’s nothing better than that,” he says.

In 2018, Dale became president at Piper Companies & Zachary Piper Solutions. When he first joined, the company had approximately $30 million in total revenue; it is on track to exceed $105 million this year and has set its sights for $250 million in five years.

The success boils down to a great company foundation and leading with empathy and positive reinforcement. He also credits the group’s diversity and culture, adding that his employees do not work for him, rather he works for them.

Last year, amid the pandemic, employees worked from home while Dale focused on easing stress. He instituted flexible schedules and assured them their jobs were safe.

Dale plans to continue to give more responsibility to upcoming leaders and help them thrive.

“If I have one skill, and I say this with humility, it is hiring great people. If I surround myself with people who are smarter than me, they are going to raise the company up.”