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Happy Thanksgiving! 

The calendar with the slate of approaching holidays reminds us that another year has passed and it is time to take stock and give thanks.

Once again, it is easy to be thankful for the many good things and wonderful people in my life – my wife, daughter and extended family, my friends, colleagues, and clients, and the many that are all of those. I am thankful to live in this great nation and am especially grateful to the men and women in our military, police, fire and other first responders for working tirelessly to help keep our country sound and all of us safer.

This year, though, I would like to give a very special THANKS to everyone who works at ATR. I think we have an exceptional staff and I appreciate my employees more than ever. I am always grateful for the dedication and commitment they demonstrate working to help our clients and contractors. They take pride in their work and are truly invested in finding the best person for the client; the right job for the contractor. I have seen them go the extra step, or even mile, to make things happen. I have seen this over and over, year after year.

Leadership is a word that evokes certain feelings and ideas. For me, the most important part of leadership is the human aspect, the fact that as the owner of a company leadership involves people – it is a two-way street. Leadership for me means less that I am leading an individual and more that I am working collaboratively in a relationship. A relationship that starts with trust and respect, and these too are mutual. I trust and respect my employees and I do my best to earn their trust and respect in return. I try to instill this idea in everyone on our management team.

You cannot lead successfully without trust. No management team can be truly successful without earning the respect of those they “manage.” When someone comes to work at ATR, and stays for years as so many of our employees do, they are trusting me with their livelihood, their career. In the staffing business, we certainly understand how important a job is – what it means to a person to be able to do meaningful work to earn a living.

I appreciate that so many put their trust in me and my company, and I take that responsibility seriously. I want ATR to be successful not just for me and my family but for all our employees. As they trust me, I trust them – to do their work, to act with integrity, to be honest and truthful when dealing with our potential contractors and clients. I trust them to ask questions and ask for help our guidance when they need it. They trust me, other members of management, and their coworkers too, to answer those questions and to assist and help.

I respect my employees. I respect their knowledge and talent and experience. I respect their efforts, day in and day out. I may have 25+ years of experience, but that doesn’t mean that someone else can’t have a good idea or find a better way to do something. I encourage people to share and try to always be willing to listen and learn. Again, it is a two-way relationship. I try to earn their respect each day.

ATR is not a company of one. One person “at the top” telling everyone else what to do is not how it works. It is a group effort, a collaboration of individuals working together. I cannot stress this enough. I am not the successful company, I am not ATR – it is all of us. ATR would be nothing without all of us working as a team. All of us working in a climate of trust and respect, knowing that only together can we accomplish something good, something profitable, something successful.

And that is why I’m singling out the people of ATR. I am so grateful that I know you all and thankful that you continue to bring your talents, experience, enthusiasm and dedication to our company. The marketplace is competitive – we certainly know that in the staffing industry! – and I know that you could choose to work other places. I’m happy and proud, and thankful, that you choose ATR.

Thank you for all your hard work! Enjoy a safe and happy Thanksgiving!