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Penmac Staffing Services, Inc.

 

2010 Stevie Award Winner

Company: Penmac Staffing Services, Inc., Springfield, MO U.S.A.
Company Description: Penmac Staffing Services, Inc. is a premier provider of temporary and long-term staffing and human resource services. Founded in 1988 by CEO Patti Penny, Penmac connects tens of thousands of job seekers with employers in 11 states each year.
Nomination Category: Individual Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Lifetime Achievement Award

Nomination Title: Patti Penny, Founder and CEO

Describe for the judges the nominated individual's lifetime of accomplishments (up to 500 words):

The daughter of a self-employed single mother and granddaughter of hardworking
dairy and cattle farmers, Patti Penny always knew she wanted to be her own boss
and run her own business – even if she had no idea how that would happen or what
she would do. But with a background in recruiting and an idea from her husband to
begin a staffing company, Patti quit her job to pursue her dream of
entrepreneurship.

The month before her company opened, Patti lost her first and only client. Unfazed
by the setback, Patti launched Penmac Staffing Services, Inc. in January 1988.
More than two decades later, Penmac operates in 11 states; has 26 offices, 10
vendor-on-premise locations and 111 in-house employees; and has served more
than 900 clients in the last year alone. Penmac provides employment, education
and training to more than 20,000 associates annually through a variety of
employment options.

Patti understood early on that responding to the market is critical to success,
especially in the human resources business, where employers need immediate
solutions. When Patti realized employees needed transportation, she bought a van
and personally ferried people to and from work, at all hours, seven days a week.
Today, Penmac has a dozen vans offering that service. When employees
overslept or showed up at work dressed inappropriately, Patti provided alarm
clocks and suitable attire. Today, Penmac operates Suit Your Self Boutique, which
stocks gently used professional clothing for women. When employers needed
people with high school diplomas, Patti partnered with educational institutions to
offer GED classes. Today, in one community, Penmac graduates more people
than the local high school.

In recognition of its emphasis on equal-opportunity employment, Penmac was
named one of the top businesses in Missouri by DiversityBusiness.com. Certified
as a woman-owned business by both Women’s Business Enterprise National
Council (WBENC) and the state of Missouri, Penmac was named one of the Top
25 Women’s Business Enterprises by WBENC and has been featured twice in the
last five years on Springfield (Mo.) Business Journal’s Dynamic Dozen list of the
area’s fastest-growing companies.

Because of Patti’s commitment to serving her community through professional and
personal means, she was one of 12 to receive the 2006 Missourian Award and in
2009 was honored with the Gift of Time Award from the city of Springfield and the
Lifetime Achievement in Business from Springfield Business Journal. Philanthropic
endeavors include Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks and fundraising to
provide a library for her hometown. A longtime advocate for education, Patti counts
the 2009 honorary doctorate in public affairs from Missouri State University as the
proudest honor for a self-made businesswoman who never finished college.

Patti says the generosity of other businesspeople helped launch her business
when prospects looked dim, and she has spent her life working to provide
meaningful employment. Patti’s vision built from nothing sparked Penmac’s growth
from a barely-got-off-the-ground venture into a $90 million company that fuels
economic opportunities for the people and communities it serves.

List the URLs (web addresses) of any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that you would like the judges to see that support your entry. IMPORTANT: List each URL on a separate line, begin each URL with http://, and enclose each URL in square brackets. For example, [http://www.yourcompany.com/pressrelease.html]:

http://www.penmac.com
http://penmac.com/about.php?id=4
http://penmac.com/about.php?id=6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qtf8reXX7Mo/
http://penmac.com/news-details.php?id=32
http://www.kspr.com/news/local/48549617.html
http://penmac.com/news-details.php?id=31
http://penmac.com/news-details.php?id=26
http://penmac.com/news-details.php?id=16
http://penmac.com/news-details.php?id=10

Provide a brief biography of the nominated individual (up to 100 words):

Patti Penny is the founder and CEO of Penmac Staffing Services, Inc., which
operates in 11 states. In 2009, Patti received an honorary doctorate in public
affairs from Missouri State University, Gift of Time Award from the city of
Springfield, Mo., and Lifetime Achievement in Business from Springfield (Mo.)
Business Journal. She was named a 2008 Enterprising Women of the Year by
Enterprising Women magazine; is a 2006 Missourian Award winner; was the 2000
Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for the Kansas/Missouri Region; and has
been featured in US News & World Report.