2023 Men of the Year: Josh Clair

For Josh Clair, branch manager at QPS Employment Group Inc., his job is about finding the right job for others – and that’s a powerful thing, he says.

“QPS Employment Group was founded on one simple truth: The right job has the power to change lives,” Clair says. “As a branch manager for QPS, finding the right job for an applicant is more than applying and being hired.”

Clair not only helps QPS’ individual clients find a job or business clients find employees, but he also makes sure applicants have tools to connect with employers. He helps teach clients how to write resumes, interview and start a new job.

“I believe the things that set me apart from other professionals is my passion for helping people find a job, their place in the community,” he says.

As a manager, Clair says his role is not about being in charge, but more about supporting his team and his community.

“I have always been a leader that walks out in front of my team, to show that I am willing to do the same job or task that I ask them to do,” he says. “I work side by side with them in the trenches.”

Clair says that in his leadership role, he also recognizes his team when they reach their goals, and when things go wrong, he takes the blame.

“We work together to figure out where things went wrong and use it as an opportunity to improve moving forward,” Clair says.

At QPS, the team has partnered with several nonprofits in the community, Clair says. Over the last year they have aided about 100 people from these groups to secure jobs.

This includes helping people utilize government assistance programs if they have fallen on hard times, struggle with homelessness or have backgrounds that make it harder to secure a job.

“My branch works with these programs and organizations to secure meaningful work with good wages,” he says. “Our goal is to help our employees break the cycle of poverty, better their lives and be a contribution to the greater Springfield area.”

Through his civic engagement, he has worked with several restoration and recovery programs in the area, including Victory Mission & Ministry, One More 24, Alpha House, Road to Damascus, the MERS Goodwill Excel Center, Missouri Job Center, New Beginning Sanctuary and Springfield Recovery Community Center.

“Through these organizations, I have taught resume writing and interviewing classes and helped perform mock interviews,” Clair says. “I also helped facilitate various workshops, donated time and merchandise, organized on-site job fairs and hiring events, done marketing campaigns, bought lunches, delivered goodies and treats, attended numerous events and assisted various companies with their hiring needs, retention plans and staffing control.”

As a husband and father, he served for three years as a member of the Watchdog program at his children’s school.

“Setting an example to my children is important to me,” he says. “This gave men the chance to provide a positive father-figure role model within the school. It also gave me a chance to spend time with kids, helping them to read and work on activities, and provide support to the teachers.”