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2015 Men of the Year Honoree: Tim Massey

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Tim Massey credits his leadership success to two things: fairness and motivation.

The CEO of Penmac Staffing Services Inc. always has migrated toward leadership roles, from college jobs to heading a multimillion-dollar organization.

“I quickly learned that being a good leader and being a good boss are not always the same things,” says Massey, who joined Penmac in 2013 after relocating from Memphis, Tenn., where he oversaw operations in six states for Northbrook, Ill.-based Paramount Staffing. “I am cognizant of how all decisions and strategies affect team members. To be successful in leading an organization, you must meet challenges and decisions with an unwavering level of fairness. This doesn’t mean that you can satisfy everyone, but you can include your team in company decisions.”

Motivating employees requires setting clear expectations and explaining how each person is critical to moving a company towards its goals, even when it makes people uncomfortable, Massey says. “Change is difficult,” he acknowledges, “but it is vital to an organization’s continued success and growth. I work with my team to ensure the reasons for change are understood and that the proper motivation is in place to gain buy-in.”

Massey wasn’t looking for a change when he was contacted in 2013 about the position at Penmac, founded by Patti Penny nearly three decades ago, but the allure of returning closer to family, as well as the challenge of developing and executing a strategic plan for continued growth, proved enough to lure him to Springfield. Sales have been Massey’s focus.

“In my first year as CEO, Penmac Staffing Services celebrated its biggest and most profitable year,” Massey says. “In 2014, the company grew from $96 million in annual sales to $110 million. This is a great milestone in the staffing industry and firmly places us in the top 100 firms in the United States based on annual revenue.”

For perspective, he says, Penmac is one of more than 9,000 staffing firms in the country.

“When I joined the Penmac team, the company had roughly 1,800 business clients and 18,000 employees, giving promising opportunities for growth,” Massey says. “As CEO, my goal was and still is to continue developing strategies for growth so Penmac can meet and surpass more milestones.”

Massey believes you rise based on the strength of the organization underneath you. “I feel that one of the biggest indicators of one’s success is the success of those around them,” he says. “You can only go as far as the structure of the team that you build. The keys to accomplishing this are always hiring employees better than yourself and giving employees a safe-to-fail environment that fosters innovation. I revel in the success of current and former team members.”

Massey always has involved himself with civic and community groups wherever he’s lived. Since arriving in Springfield, he has joined the board of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and serves on the executive committee of the chamber’s P-20 Council of the Ozarks that works to align the educational system with the needs of regional employers. He also shares his passion for barbecue each year at fundraiser Rock’n Ribs BBQ Festival.

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