LAKEPORT >> Management Connections is a full service staffing agency, providing temporary, temp-to-hire and direct hire placements and matching local employers with qualified job seekers.
While the Lakeport office of Management Connections may only be two years old, the company’s Cloverdale location has been open since 1991.
Founded by Mary Jo Winter with the original goal of providing staffing services in Northern Sonoma County, the company soon expanded to serving both Mendocino and Lake Counties, as well.
Providing these services in these rural communities has allowed Management Connections an approach not afforded many larger staffing agencies.
Long time Lakeport resident Pamela Harpster joined Management Connections in 2015 after almost two decades of workforce development experience. She first met Winter in 1998 when Harpster sponsored a job fair for the Lake County Career Center, through the Lake County Office of Education (LCOE), where she worked for 10 years as an Employment Counselor/Job Developer.
Harpster was later the Program Director for the Mendocino Private Industry Council (MPIC) where she ran the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) programs in Lake and Mendocino Counties.
After 20 years of providing employment services in the public sector, Harpster was recruited to open a branch of Management Connections in Lake County.
According to Winter, it was a combination of Harpster’s passion for workforce and economic development and her familiarity with the businesses and local labor market that made her the natural choice.
“I cannot see myself in any other industry,” Harpster said. “Matching employers with local talent, allowing both the business and the employee to thrive, is very meaningful to me. I really believe in Lake County and enjoy seeing the potential that we all have, both businesses and workers alike.”
Between them, Winter and Harpster have almost 50 years combined experience in connecting employers with great employees.
Last Fall, Winter celebrated the 25th anniversary of Management Connections. This staying power that has allowed the company to secure work for the first and then second generation of employees.
“There are people I’ve placed who have still been working for the same company 18 years later,” Winter said. “Then they send their kids to me and I send them out to work. I think the best thing is seeing people bloom.”
Management Connections works with employers looking to hire, matching as closely as possible their specific requirements and needs with the skills of qualified job seekers.
“We spend extra time with our business clients to understand what these unique characteristics might be,” said Harpster.
Most jobs require employees to wear more than just one hat, so each referred job seeker is personally screened, interviewed, and assessed for an appropriate match
“Our job is to not only find people jobs, but to find employers good employees. It has to be a win-win or it’s not a win at all,” Winter explained. “And we try not to set people up for failure by sending them somewhere they have no chance to shine.“
Although employers are their direct customers, job seekers also find Management Connections to be a valuable resource. Job placement, resume recommendations and/or preparation and interview practices are among the services offered.
Management Connections, located at 290 N. Main Street in Lakeport, can be reached at either Pam@NorCalJobs.com or 263-4JOB (4562) The Cloverdale, office can be reached at either MaryJo@NorCalJobs.com or 894-4400.
