Episode 24 | Using a Non-traditional Approach to Differentiate Staffing Agency Services with Kathleen Hurtubise

Kathleen Hurtubise  00:00

What is the issue for everyone is finding reliable client, reliable talent, right, reliable talent that will stick around. And one thing that we have found very successful is working with workforce development programs and allowing people to come into the workforce through us. I really see us as a bridge between a lot of people who are coming out of workforce development programs for a variety of reasons and then wanting to find meaningful work.

Karan Rhodes  00:03

Blended workforces are one of the hottest talent strategies today, where employers are using a mix of traditional employees with external resources like independent contractors, coaches, consultants, vendors, and technology solutions, all in order to enhance competitiveness, ensure cost flexibility, and expedite business goals. But how are the successful companies infusing blended workforces into their business strategy? And what are the critical success factors and pitfalls to avoid during implementation? And on the flip side, what does it really take for suppliers to improve their chances of finding and landing contract opportunities? The devil is in the details, my friends! I’m your host, Karan Ferrell Rhodes, and it’s time to get smarter about Blended Workforces at Work! Hello, my superstars. This is Karan, and welcome to another episode of the Blended Workforces at Work podcast. Boy, do we have a fantastic guests on our show today. We’re thrilled to welcome to today’s show Kathleen Hurtubise hopefully I got that right. Her last name Kathleen Hurtubise, who’s the CEO and founder of AlohaHP. Now AlohaHP is Hawaii’s premier staffing company, but believe it or not, she is in the midst of expanding here to the mainland, so she’s soon to be one of the nation’s premier staffing agencies, and she offers temporary personnel parts in different work classifications, full time, part time, gig work, contract work and direct hire personnel, two phenomenal companies right now, primarily on the islands, but like I said, she’s coming to the mainland very, very soon, and she’s going to tell us more about the expansion plans in just a moment. But I couldn’t wait to have Kathleen on the show, because I wanted to chat with her a little bit more about what Aloha HP does in this area of focus, wanted to understand her expansion plans, and also they have a fantastic initiative that supports a relatively untapped segment of the talent pool. And you all know in the war for talent, you know being very creative and resourceful is what’s going to keep companies alive, and I can’t wait to feature all the fantastic work that she and her teams are doing. So welcome to the show. Kathleen

Kathleen Hurtubise  02:28

Well, it is a wonderful pleasure to be here, Karen, and you are beaming, and you’re so kind. So I’m just thrilled to be here in your warm, accepting hospitality space. Thank you.

Karan Rhodes  02:42

Oh, that is so kind of you to say. Well, we have a ton of questions, obviously, to ask you. But you know, before we dive deep in those, we always love to learn just a tad bit more about our guests. So for just as much as you feel comfortable, would you mind giving us just a brief sneak peek into your life outside of work.

Kathleen Hurtubise  03:02

Yes, I would love to outside of work. And really, I feel like life is everything. So everything just kind of blends together, which is beautiful. And what is really important to me is that I’m a yogi. I get up every morning, at four in the morning, and for two and a half hours, I do sadhana, and sadhana is just a beautiful grounding space in the most quiet time of the morning, and it allows me to just center into myself. And I find the more I can do that, the more I can be of service to others, and I can inspire other people to look within, because I feel like in this day and age, there’s so much exterior that we are attracted to shiny gold objects, and I find that when we slow down and sit down and calm down, especially in the early morning, it allows us this beautiful foundation from which to be a leader.

Karan Rhodes  04:03

Love that, love that. I won’t say. Now, I do meditate, but I will not say I do for two hour s. I can’t even say that,

Kathleen Hurtubise  04:11

Every moment counts.

Karan Rhodes  04:16

but I will say one of my dear, dear close friends is Japanese Zumi, and she does do about an hour 15 minutes every day. She gets up very early as well. So I do appreciate the practice, and it does empower one to be in their their best selves throughout the rest of the day, but I got to work up to your two hours, so don’t hold it against me.

Kathleen Hurtubise  04:41

Not at all. And yes, the leader of self is the most beautiful place to be, whether it’s for two minutes or 20 hours. It doesn’t matter. Leader of self is where we find in moments, our greatest power. I

Karan Rhodes  04:55

totally agree with DL virtual. High five you on that one. Yeah. Yeah. Well, let’s dive on in, if you don’t mind, Kathleen, and I’d love for you to maybe give us a couple highlights of the founder story, of what prompted you to want to found and start AlohaHP?

Kathleen Hurtubise  05:16

Sure. Well, my story starts before my company started, and that was when I started my first company, which was 2003 I started an event logistics company, and I grew that company quite successfully. And in 2014 there was an opportunity to bid for the contract for the Hawaii Convention Center to do all of the front of house staffing, and I thought this would be a beautiful way for us to really share the Aloha with people from all over the world. So as an event logistics company, I bid for that million plus contract, million dollar contract, and I won, and at that moment, out of excitement, I also discovered that it’s staffing agencies that win contracts like that. And so I diligently went and took the staffing agency test in the state of Hawaii and got all of the credentials set up and logistically. And so that was the birth of my staffing company. It birthed. It was birthed and grown out of a event logistics company, and that is why, as a staffing company, although we work in verticals such as light industrial admin and hospitality, as it relates to food and beverage, it’s really steeped in this whole sense of Hospitality, meaning friendliness and welcoming. You know, that’s really the core of that word. So we are all about putting our very best selves forward as a staffing agency, so whether someone is going to work in a in a warehouse and drive a forklift, we expect our temp team members to have kindness and to bring out their very best when they are going to whatever company we’re deploying them to.

Karan Rhodes  07:07

Oh, that’s amazing. And you know, culture is such an important culture and values are such an important part of setting the stage, especially in a staffing firm, for the type of experience that you want your clients to have, and you’re counting on your temporary staff to do that. So I’m curious what kind of how do you set the stage, if Karen Rhodes wants to come in and and be considered to be part of the Aloha HP team, to be placed somewhere you know? What are the types of things that you do to help communicate those type of expectations and values to like, How do you onboard your your people, so that they embrace the same spirit that you’re embracing?

Kathleen Hurtubise  07:54

Right. Well, first, we love a wide, diverse group of people working with us, right? Come one, come all, is my philosophy. And when you come in and you want to work with our unique staffing agency that is a for profit, impact focused staffing agency, we expect you to bring your very best self. So part of the onboarding process, of course, is getting you onboarded as a w2 worker in my staffing agency, so all the tax forms and documentation and such, of course, first and foremost. And then after that is done, we then put you through a two hour Aloha Academy. And it is a proprietary academy that we have put together that has three parts. First is to reiterate the HR component and the importance of compliance and making sure that you understand all of those HR components as it relates to you working in my company. Then the second part is really about whole person. And there’s two components in that piece, which I think is really beautiful, and I feel sets our people up for leadership of self versus our 10 golden rules of aloha. These are very practical things that we expect people to bring forth in themselves, and if this doesn’t resonate with them, then that’s the time to say, thank you so much for applying and this is not the right fit for you. So some of those 10 golden rules of aloha is that practice good time management. We expect our people to arrive 10 to 15 minutes before their shift time, because that is on time. Our clients want our people to be ready grounded for work when it’s eight o’clock. That doesn’t mean arrive at eight o’clock and then get settled in, so practice good time management. Another one is to work with integrity. It’s really important to deliver on our promises, and for people to learn that and to know that that’s what we expect from them. When you expect something from someone you know, you raise that bar because. People will come up to the level of the bar that you put forward for them. So maybe someone has had issues with time management in the past, or perhaps with integrity. And so what we’re saying is past is the past, and if you want to work with my staffing agency, you need to spiral up and to come up to the bar that we’re expecting you to so show us your results, and you can work with us. The other piece of this whole person aspect of Aloha Academy is that we’re really into mind, body, spirit as it relates to not only work, but just life in general. So there is an 11 minute meditation that we teach people to do. It’s called Long, deep breath. And we work with this amazing, world renowned yogi. His name is Tommy Rosen, and he brings all of our people that we’re onboarding through an 11 minute meditation, long, deep breathing, so that they can just perhaps, for the first time, take the most full breath and intentional breath of their life. And if that’s the only time they do that, that’s beautiful. That’s a second part of the Aloha Academy. And then the third part is giving people an opportunity. When they do come into our company as a part time or full time temp worker, they will also have opportunities to be a gig worker with us. And so that last part tells them about additional opportunities for them to earn more income. So the Aloha Academy, I feel like, really sets us apart as a unique staffing agency that’s for profit, and that is also about giving people a hand up and helping them spiral up. They have to lead themselves

Karan Rhodes  11:34

Absolutely. You know what I love? Let me just give you kudos on that, because I love how you set the tone early, and not in a just a push way, where you’re just pushing a directive, it’s in a win, win way, letting them come to the conclusion of whether this is going to be a great experience for the both of you. All you know as you both evaluate that contracting relationship or employment relationship, because they’re, wt, is for you, but contracting relationship. And if you don’t mind me saying there’s quite a few, I mean, they’re, you know, hundreds of 1000 staffing companies out there. There are only a few that I have seen that have given that kind of self care to their individuals, because they almost consider them, you know, assets to be placed only. I mean, they’re kind and friendly, don’t get me wrong, but they don’t have that full holistic view. And the the fact that you even have a proprietary Academy is just amazing, and it really, in my opinion, sets the relationship off to at least a good start. And that’s, that’s the first thing you want to do, right when a new a new colleague comes to be part of a low HP. So I would just want to give you kudos on that.

Kathleen Hurtubise  12:46

Yeah, thank you so much. And it is just a birth start. It’s not perfect. It is an intention to bring out the very best in someone, and it’s them to prove themselves to do that. And we’re giving them an opportunity to do that. We’re opening up the door.

Karan Rhodes  13:01

Oh, wonderful. Now, what have you seen as some of the challenges back when you I know you’re you’re thinking about expanding, and I mean, you’re going to be expanding, and we’ll get into that in just a second. But what were some of the challenges with primarily servicing those in Hawaii? Companies in Hawaii is were there restrictions? Was is it hard to find talent? Is it hard to find client? What were some of your like, one or two of your challenges that you had keeping the company thriving?

Kathleen Hurtubise  13:31

Yes, well, I’ll say, you know, finding clients is not so challenging, especially in this work environment where the question is, Where did all the people go post pandemic? Right?

Karan Rhodes  13:43

Right.

Kathleen Hurtubise  13:43

There’s a big question mark. I cannot find reliable people. I hear that all the time. What you’re a staffing agency, you’re placing people. Well, that’s beautiful. So finding clients is not an issue in this moment. What is the issue for everyone is finding reliable client, reliable talent, right, reliable talent that will stick around. And one thing that we have found very successful is working with workforce development programs and allowing people to come into the workforce through us. I really see us as a bridge between a lot of people who are coming out of workforce development programs for a variety of reasons and then wanting to find meaningful work. Well, we know all those companies that have amazing jobs, even entry level jobs, where they can then find themselves in the future at a much higher level in those companies. So we love painting that picture of what if the possibilities of growing with this company, and, more importantly, we’re able to take the talent and match them with these companies, and this bridge that we are kind of this blow horn of like, what is the possibilities out there for the talent and for the companies to be matched with these individual. Goals, we’re finding very, very good results.

Karan Rhodes  15:03

Oh, excellent, excellent. I think this might be a good time to highlight because I think one of the programs that you the segments that you work with, is that Hands Up program. And so could you share a little bit more? I know it’s your program, but can you it’s the talent pool that is largely untapped in many places. So can you share more about the program and what you are trying to do there?

Kathleen Hurtubise  15:26

Yeah, absolutely. So we stood up the Hand Up program in early 2003 so it’s almost two years old, and we work with 17 different non profit organizations across the state that are working to allow people to get special certifications, or people who are coming out of difficult situations, whether it is incarceration or drugs or homelessness, you know, people get into bad spaces. That doesn’t mean that they’re bad people, it just means that they had a hiccup in their life, and this is giving them an opportunity to get grounded again through these workforce development programs. And then what we’re doing, as part of the equation of our staffing agency, is being a bridge between those workforce development programs, picking the people that really resonate with our 10 golden rules of aloha and leadership of self, and then matching those people, those diamonds in the rough with companies that are looking for people who will show up on time, have integrity and work hard. And we’re finding a lot of wonderful success in that because we’re setting up the stage in a way that is going to be a win for the talent and a win for the company. Though, it’s not just Helter Skelter. We’re being very deliberate and very clear with the talent that’s coming out of workforce development to say, this is not just a job. This is you showing up and really allowing yourself to bring out all of your gifts and talents and working through our company for another company. And I will say that my experience has been people who have had a rough spot in their lives, quite rough. There’s a sense of gratitude and a sense of knowing what they are getting the second time around, yes and experience Yeah. So there’s that appreciation. There is that sense of really valuing being able to work and have dignity and being able to bring a paycheck home and have independence again in their lives.

Karan Rhodes  17:41

Did companies ever push back on that? Are they ever concerned if, say, they were formerly incarcerated?

Kathleen Hurtubise  17:47

Absolutely, if companies so, we’re very open with, of course, how we work in I have found that companies, first and foremost, want to have reliable Integris, people working with them, hard workers. And the in terms of incarceration, we’re not looking at heinous crimes. We’re looking at Marmont bad yeah, that’s right, and just bad choice. Yeah, that’s really important. And then, of course, we’re always doing drug background checks for our clients that require that, and what we have found is that when we deliver someone in the light industrial space, in the hospitality space, that’s showing up on time, that’s appreciative, that’s a hard worker, and delivering results that speaks volumes, that speaks to the reality of who that person is in this moment,

Karan Rhodes  18:42

I love that. That’s wonderful. That sounds a fantastic area of focus. Now, talk a little bit more about your expansion plans. You sounds like you have done a fantastic job in greening your company within Hawaii. But why come to the mainland? There’s a yes, I know there’s a ton of opportunity, but it’s one thing to niche down in a specific location and area. It’s another thing to scale and expand. So we’re just curious, you know, how did this come about? Your expansion plans?

Kathleen Hurtubise  19:15

Yes, well, I think yes, the opportunity aspect is there, and then there is kind of a sense of a calling, and I feel like what we’re doing here is unique, is exciting, and is needed and is wanted, you know, in different markets. And I have been so privileged to work with salt of the earth, hard working staff here. They are a self managing team here in Hawaii, and being able to use this prototype here in Hawaii and really exude the aloha spirit that people from around the world, even if they’ve never been to the beautiful islands of Hawaii can understand what that word Aloha means. I mean it just has such a soothing aspect to it. And so our intention in expansion is to really bring a sense of aloha to other markets, a sense of kindness, a sense of grace and a sense of really allowing people to be their best selves, come into a staffing agency and be deployed into a company that absolutely needs their support. So being able to go into markets and compete with other staffing agencies from an impact focused perspective is exciting, and it’s giving people, I think, hope and opportunity to really show up and do their best, and for companies to experience a different type of staffing agency. Like you said, there’s most staffing agencies, no knock about this, but assets to be filled, right? That that’s how the business of staffing works. Yeah. So if we integrate into this business a sense of maybe dignity, a sense of the realization that our beautiful assets are human beings, and what is the potential of a human being. I feel like that gets really exciting in this business that I found myself in called staffing.

Karan Rhodes  21:20

I love that. And do Have you made up your mind which states you’re going to start in, or where? Where are you going to start?

Kathleen Hurtubise  21:27

Yeah, we’re looking at a couple of states. We’re looking at Arizona, Utah and Texas as our entry points. So more to come in the first quarter of 2025,

Karan Rhodes  21:40

Awesome. Well, I’m asking you then so that people can keep you on their radar. If you want a different type of experience typical spirits than you get from other staffing agencies, maybe they’ll pick people’s ears to look you up and follow your expansion so when you’re available in those markets, hopefully you’ll be on speed dial to them. Absolutely? Yeah, I know, you know, we always love success stories. So back to you know, how you give opportunities to, you know, others that are getting back into the workforce? Can you share maybe one that, or an example of somebody, and we can keep out their name to protect their privacy, but we’d love to hear a situation where they didn’t have an opportunity, but maybe they got an opportunity through Aloha HP and have kind of maybe risen through the ranks and been successful. Can you share one top of mind for us?

Kathleen Hurtubise  22:37

Yeah, sure, you know one story that comes to mind. And for anonymity, I’ll call this person Lisa, right? So Lisa grew up in Colorado with a single mom, and her father was deported to Mexico when she was really young. So she is a US citizen, and she had to pull herself up by the bootstraps. She attended junior college in California before she was accepted to the UCLA. And then, during the pandemic, she moved to Hawaii. And when she landed, she was, you know, lost. You know, at her you know, sense of what she was going to do in Hawaii to make ends meet. What she did is she joined AlohaHP as a temp team member in our hospitality division. In the two years that she was here, she really what was able to go across the state and work with us so much so that she was able to save quite a bit of money, and now she’s entering law school next year.

Karan Rhodes  23:42

Really! Wow!

Kathleen Hurtubise  23:42

Yes. So being able to have the money, the resources, and the experience that she gained from working with us across Hawaii has allowed her to really put herself into a wonderful trajectory for her future.

Karan Rhodes  23:57

That is fantastic. Oh, my goodness, that is so wonderful. So you just never know the impact that you’re going to make on people’s lives. How would you known that when you started Aloha? HP, you know, what a story.

Kathleen Hurtubise  24:11

Yeah, you don’t Yeah, you don’t know that. And I, and I will say this, you know, I am so about a hand up. Never handout, because there is this sense of respect and dignity and faith that people can be better. People can really pull out of themselves, their best selves, and lead themselves moment by moment, because that’s really how we form our lives. Is by those, those micro moment decisions and pausing for a second and making a better decision. And so we’re really about that with not only Lisa, but the hundreds of people who work with us really holding them to a higher standard than perhaps other staffing agencies.

Karan Rhodes  24:58

Interesting. Well, I know there are some positions that will always need a human for, but I’m curious if you hear any unrest in your staff around the impact of technology or AI or something that would take their opportunities down the road, or it being fewer opportunities. Is there any unrest, or everybody’s still pretty comfortable right now.

Kathleen Hurtubise  25:23

Well, people are comfortable. And then there’s many opportunities out there, through the media, to hear about the unrest in the and the oh my goodness, this guy’s falling in the future, as it relates, especially to hospitality, right and white industrial and when that time comes, we will be in those moments, and we will be ready for that. And I will say that the more we automate, the more we allow AI to take over. You know, those basic roles of ours as human beings. It allows us more freedom to be creative, and it also allows us more ability to have a space where hospitality really matters, where that warmth of a human being, the creativity of a human being showing up and really delivering then actually becomes a premium. And so I’m really interested in that, because the more things become, you know, computer driven, I feel like the more we can open up as human beings, as a creative entity. And this is not like unicorns and rainbows. I’m just talking about like, really, moment by moment, perhaps hard decisions in order to be like an a connected human being, the more we can practice that, I feel like the more value a human being has, because they’re not robots, they’re human beings, and the more they can express themselves as an individual. I feel like that will be more valued as we move forward with technology.

Karan Rhodes  26:58

I agree. I’m kind of leaning towards that as well. I think there will be some advancements. I think there will be some tasks that might end up being more commonly executed by technology. But I do feel, and probably for my lifetime anyway, that there’s always going to be a human component that is needed, and we will hunger for that. I mean, think about the pandemic, when we were all isolated. It was really, really tough. I do think that human component, in some way, shape or form, is going to be needed, and there’ll be definitely opportunities to better engage and to your point, it might free us up to be even more creative than we are today, which will cause additional advancements in every area of our lives, business, spiritual, you name it, I think it’ll open up opportunities versus closing them down. But that’s Karen’s view. Well, Miss Kathleen, unfortunately, we’re running a little bit short on time, but we cannot let you get out of here without sharing your answer to our signature question. As you know, my firm did some research on how to best optimize workforces to do their best work. There were seven buckets of areas that are very impactful for any leadership or Work initiative, and we always love to ask our guests which one of those really popped for you, and so you were so kind to share that leading with courageous agility really resonated with you. And for my new listeners out there, leading with courageous agility is all about having the courage and the fortitude to stand up for your belief in and still take those baby steps forward, even if you’re uncertain of the future or what will happen, and it may possibly lead you to need to pivot along the way, but it’s basically about having the courage to take your baby steps forward, no matter what so curious minds would want to know. Miss Kathleen, why did courageous agility really resonate with you?

Kathleen Hurtubise  28:58

Yeah, because I think being courageous, regardless of what comes up, is the most powerful superpower that I have, that you can be so fearful and then still move forward anyway, is so powerful because you don’t allow those emotions to take over you. And I’ll share a quick story with you. Growing up, I was severely dyslexic. I still am, yet at that moment, dyslexia had a huge grip on my self confidence, my identity and so through creative, courageous agility, I decided to buy one way ticket and fly to Thailand and to find a job teaching English, the most scariest thing in my life, because I couldn’t read, well, I couldn’t spell, etc, and so that courageous agility of mine to just say this is what I want to do to overcome this insecurity, regardless of how I’m feeling, I’m going to step forward anyway, and I will share that when i. Had to audition for that teaching position. It was the most profound moment of my life, because I felt like such an imposter, and I feel like when we feel that way, it’s kind of like a magical moment, because that’s really where courageous agility is is really in full force, because you’re being courageous, even though everything in your system is telling you that you’re wrong, you’re fake, etc, and you just keep moving forward, like you said, those baby steps, magic happens on the other side of that.

Karan Rhodes  30:30

It does. I love that. Yes, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cut you off. I’m just agreeing the magic is on the other side,

Kathleen Hurtubise  30:39

Absolutely. Oh my goodness, it’s always on the other side.

Karan Rhodes  30:43

It’s always on the other side. I always love tell people I love to dance on the edge of the box, because that’s what you know, some people stay in their box. I love to dance on the edge of the box because it really gives me courage to take that first foot out into the unknown. And then you realize sometimes the box is bigger than you what you thought it was going to be. So yes, I definitely agree. Well, Kathleen, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and opinions and sharing the story of aloha. HP, we’re eagerly awaiting it to come to the mainland, but we really appreciate your gift of time, and we want to definitely stay in tough touch and feature you when you expand more broadly.

Kathleen Hurtubise  31:26

Yes, well, I will say, Karan from Hawaii, mahalo nui loa, which means, thank you very much.

Karan Rhodes  31:32

Oh, you’re welcome. Thank you, and thank you to listeners for the gift of your time, as well as you know, you have literally hundreds of 1000s of other podcasts to listen to, and we don’t take your patronage lightly. All that we ask is that you please like and subscribe to the show and share with just one friend, because by doing so, we can all get smarter about blended workforces at work. Thanks a ton. And have a great rest of your day. See you next week. Well, that’s our show for today. Thank you again for listening to the Blended Workforces at Work podcast. You can check out the show notes, additional episodes, bonus resources, and also submit guest recommendations on our website at blendedworkforces@work.com. You can also follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram or YouTube by searching for the name Karan Rhodes with Karan being spelled K a r a n. And if you like the show, the greatest gift you can give would be to subscribe and leave a rating on your favorite podcast platform of choice. This podcast has been a production of Shockingly Different Leadership, a global consultancy which helps organizations execute their people, talent development, and organizational effectiveness initiatives on an on-demand, contract, fractional, or project basis. Huge thanks to the SDL production and editing team for a job well done. Bye for now.