Title: President, Chief Executive Officer

Company: Professional Employment Group

Location: Saint Louis, Mo.

With a stern believe in a lifetime of learning, Karen Spann continues to expand her business acumen through her experiences at the staffing group, Professional Employment Group. Having been with the company for seven years, she currently serves as president and chief executive officer, forging long-term relationships by identifying the ideal candidate to fit each job, while listening actively and thinking creatively to seek knowledge and obtain new resources. Initially, Ms. Spann became involved in her profession because she was in product management when she was young.

Initially, Ms. Spann bought this company along with her ex-husband in 2007, so she fell into it. She loves people and loves working with them to determine the perfect person for the job. Since then, she has become an expert in recruiting information technology engineers at all levels, nationwide, and focusing on building relationships and finding the ideal employee for each job for both temporary and permanent positions. In 1998, Ms. Spann received Executive MBA Training, and has since kept abreast of changes in her profession through her memberships with the American Staffing Association and Staffing Industry Analysts.

In the next five years, Ms. Spann plans on making Professional Employment Group a better company and a better place for people to work. She wants to get better every day to serve her customers better, and is passionate about what she does. The highlight of her career has been working with people, finding what inspires them, and the best place for them in our company, while watching them succeed. Personally, she believes her success stems from tirelessly hard work, her love for people, trying to see the glass half full, and apologizing and learning from her mistakes. Ms. Spann’s advice to others looking for success in their field is to remember that whenever you pick up the phone, you’ve an opportunity to impact someone’s life, so go for it!