Anthony Dazzo

Having started in the staffing industry as a recruiter in 2007, Pontoon Solutions Global Category Manager Anthony Dazzo recalls what a challenging economic time that was: “Especially being in New York at the epicenter of the financial crisis, every individual that I put to work felt rewarding and like I was a part of getting our city and country back to work,” he says. Since then, Dazzo has built on his recruiting background through a variety of positions within the industry, from program manager to procurement global category manager — contingent labor.

Dazzo credits growing up playing sports for driving him on a professional level and for his belief that there’s always room for improvement. “Being on a team taught me how to work as a group toward a common goal, and celebrating wins strengthened commitment,” he says, noting that even losing always motivated him to work harder. Partnering with various movers and shakers in the industry is what he’s found especially rewarding about the roles he’s had, particularly with regard to bettering a program and finding possible enhancements that previously hadn’t been explored.

Among his notable achievements, Dazzo recently conducted an RFP, developing the vetting questions and creating the scoring methodology that resulted in increased supplier diversity spend to 75% from 40%. But he says his proudest accomplishments over the years are the trusted working relationships he has built with clients and suppliers, enabling him to drive significant change for the benefit of those partners.