Erik Benjamins: How did you choose the path of entrepreneurship? Ryan Sheffer: Up until I was applying for college, I thought that “becoming a business person” was the thing you did as a career. I didn’t know that becoming a filmmaker—or doing your own thing—could be a job. In my head, it seemed like something that others did. When I started to get into the technology industry about ten years later to start my own company, I didn’t know what venture capital was. I didn’t use

Search and selection is a high stakes game and there’s pressure to get it right. As we all know, great talent is hard to find! Our clients see the value of strategic approaches in the search for talent. More important than finding great talent is finding “the one” person who is not only adept at the technical skills of their role, but can also seamlessly integrate into the culture of your organization. At S. Benjamins & Co., our creative intention is about helping you find th

Culture Talk with Ron Schrader & Jennifer Pietrzak This month we sat down with the dynamic culture-savvy duo of Ron Schrader and Jennifer Pietrzak Carlson. Ron and Jennifer have their own respected firms and clients, but have also collaborated often over the past nine years.  We have had the pleasure of working with them also and were so pleased to catch up and hear what they're up to. Working together, Ron and Jennifer have built a reputation for helping organizations realiz

This month we sat down with Kristie Griffin, Director of Talent Acquisition for our wonderful client, Dignity Health. With a compelling trajectory of moving from big tech to healthcare, Kristie exemplifies a kind of agency that leadership expert and author, Bob Rosen, defines as grounded. Kristie’s drive to balance her personal and professional goals have fostered a flourishing career path that welcomed change. It reminds us of the importance as leaders to look inward as much

This is a time of year when we are grateful for the people and work that surrounds us. Our good friend Rob Reindl transitioned from corporate life, as CHRO with Edwards Lifesciences, to a blended lifestyle that incorporates fascinating consulting work, giving to the community and sharing his leadership skills with others in unique ways. Several years ago, Rob began looking at non-profits and the OneOC family offered impressive focus and purpose driven work helping other organ

This month we decided to highlight the creativity, impact and courage of two women entrepreneurs who are successfully using their strengths and passion to share their love of food and film.  Natasha Feldman and Julianna Strickland started their own company, Cinema & Spice, over five years ago and have been Best Friends, Producers, Directors, Writers, Hosts, and Goofballs ever since. Cinema & Spice Productions makes web-based cooking shows. Natasha and Julianna have worked wit

We recently talked with long-time friend and respected talent leader, Jared Flynn, Senior Director, Head of Talent Acquisition for T-Mobile. Having joined T-Mobile in 2009 when they were not the most popular mobile phone carrier, Jared has taken part in their amazing transformation, a business transformation that has resulted in nine consecutive quarters delivering more than 1 million total net customer additions. We sat down with him to discover how and why T-Mobile reinvent

On April 28th we hosted our annual Great Starts Breakfast Series. There was a full room of CEO’s, CFO’s, CHRO’s, VP’s, Director’s and others engaging in a fascinating discussion centered around culture, which is a “hot button” in many of the organizations we work with. Who better to help us facilitate a discussion on culture than Gustavo Grodnitzky, Ph.D., author of the book, Culture Trumps Everything. Dr. Gustavo effectively built the case for social capitalism cultures, whi

Recently we met Krysta Masciale, CEO of Big Deal Branding and were instantly captivated by her sassy, honest and innovative approach to leadership, her business partnerships, and developing successful brands for her clients. We sat down with Krysta and one of her clients to learn more about her approach and how this influences the organizations and leadership she partners with. Sherry Benjamins: Tell us about how you started your partnership with Gary Christenson, your co-fou

Globalization and growing talent continues to be a hot topic, so we decided to get the first-hand perspective from an ex-pat on assignment in China with a highly successful U.S. based organization. This month we talked with Thomas Hopson, Business Unit Director Greater China and Korea, at Edwards Lifeciences about the unpredictable nature of working global. Sherry Benjamins: How did you end up as the Business Unit Director in Shanghai, China for Edwards? I approached Edwards

For the New Year, we sat down with one of the most inventive people in Global Learning and Development in California, who also serves as Sherry Benjamins: How did you navigate into learning technologies and specifically Mobile Learning? Geoff Stead: I was a Computer Science graduate and after 2-3 years of classic coding work I wanted to move into something with more “soul”, and found learning technology. I’ve spent the last 20 years in Learning and Development - initially on

For our final newsletter of 2014, we decided to highlight what we believe is the next phase of the data revolution. Imagine if you had insights when you needed them? Do you have a 2015 game plan for what the best future might be 12 months from now? Gene Tange is a long-time friend and colleague of S. Benjamins & Company. He is CEO of PearlHPS Inc., which is a cloud-enabled predictive analytics company. As their website states, “In 2009, we discovered the missing analytics lin

We had the rare opportunity to hear from one of the most whimsical and well-known organizations in the world; The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Sherry Benjamins: What has surprised you most about your first three years with The Academy? Kim Congdon: What really surprised me is the responsibility that comes along with working for one of the most recognized and celebrated global brands. Having worked for Time Warner Cable and Sony Pictures, I was used to the fasc

October Newsletter: The Career Conversation - Re-framed We recently sat down with a dear friend of the firm and trusted thought partner to chat about one of the hottest topics in HR: Career Development. Dr. Beverly Kaye is a leading authority in the world of modern workplace performance. She has dedicated her life’s work to helping individuals and organizations grow in a workplace that fosters greater commitment, fulfillment, and humanity. As an international best-selling aut

Our colleague and friend Jim Finkelstein, Founder of FutureSense, has been stirring up provocative conversations around HR for decades. He published his first “disruptive” article in 1984 and hasn’t taken his foot off the gas pedal yet! We featured Jim in our November 2011 newsletter, “Making Sense of the New Cogenerational Workplace™” and wanted to revisit with him to get his views on where HR is now and where it’s heading. In 2011 Jim opened our eyes to the gaps in talent d

Corey Protzman joined our firm last year and has been learning our sourcing and selection business at an accelerated rate! She brings experience in the tech business as well as a Graduate Degree in Organizational Leadership. Corey is guiding our clients with fresh insight and taking them to the next level in social media recruiting. I was relieved to hear our amazing millennial team member say that we didn’t have to master every aspect of social media overnight. She said, “fi

Patricia has an extensive background in new product commercialization involving technology, healthcare, and start-ups. Her passion to “enhance the value and accessibility of innovations in the field of life sciences for our communities” is evident when you speak with her.  Shortly after our introduction to Patricia, she became the Executive Director of the Innovation Lab at The Innovation Institute. We were lucky enough to sit down with her and discuss what the first five mon

We recently hosted an interactive Great Starts Breakfast Series event with our good friends from the Stand and Deliver Group. The room was filled with leaders from LA and OC companies, facing a variety of difficulties, successes, and changes.  While it may seem odd  to have clothing, entertainment, beverage, healthcare, biotech, and investment companies (and many more) at  the same event, these organizations share a common bond: they all  need to  communicate “Your ability to

There isn’t a better time to introduce you to our client and friend Esther Newman and the delightfully unique firm she works for. Esther leads the HR and People Development function for SusieCakes, a growing, premier, All-American homestyle bakery with locations in Northern and Southern California.   Their company lives a "connecting through celebration" philosophy. We met SusieCakes two years ago, when Susan Sarich, founder and CEO saw the right time to invest even further i