CS Recruiting with Charlie Saffro feature 30 of Together Talks

KLS
Jun 1, 2023
6 min read

Updated: Apr 14

"Together Talks" feature 30: CS Recruiting presented by KLS, freight company

Some Background on CS Recruiting

For this edition of "Together Talks" campaign, KLS had the opportunity to interview Charlie Saffro, CEO (newly accepted!) of CS Recruiting. CS Recruiting is a Woman-Owned leading search firm that specializes in the Logistics, Transportation, and Supply Chain industry. They work on permanent roles of all levels and functions anywhere in North America and can support recruiting needs for almost any position that influences Supply Chain activity.

They partner with the following types of organizations: Non-Asset Providers (3PL) -Asset-Based Providers -Shippers (Manufacturers + Distributors) -Industry Partners

Hiring Road

CS has been in business for nearly 14 years, beginning in 2010. However we have to go back to 1999 to understand the full story of Charlie's career. Out of college, her husband was working as a freight broker. He created a load board concept around this same time. She was in advertising prior to having her first son. Her husband's company had grown to eight employees at the time, but almost instantly had an incredible growth spurt. They did however lack the infrastructure to hire and hire correctly.

Charlie saw the opportunity and entered into the mix. She began overseeing their hiring practices. She held the position for four years until the company ultimately sold to Internet Truckstop. When the company finally sold they had grown it to 108 employees! Pretty remarkable job for a "first-timer"!

Charlie told us when she was pregnant with her third son she deemed it her "quarter-life crisis". At the time she was on LinkedIn working independently as a transportation/logistics recruiter. She noticed she started taking on searches more and more frequently. Her eyes were opening that there was a need for this service and the demand was becoming clear. Her first hire was her husband.

2012 was a big step as she hired her first external hire. Remarkably that individual is still with the company, now holding the title of Vice President.

Challenges

Throughout our talk with Charlie we talked about various challenges she faced along with the company. Initially one of the most difficult was expanding. Not for the sake of hiring people but more the mentality. "I always thought I'd be independent, I was content with being a 1 person show. When my Husband sold his company we joked we'd never have a big company again." Fast forward to 2023, CS Recruiting has 42 members!

As the company grew and more hires were made they remarkably did it all by Word of Mouth until Q3 of 2022 when they made their first Business Development hire. Charlie told us that about 3 years ago she found more conviction in using her voice on LinkedIn and that content was driving inquiries for a long time. But with the growth and scalability of the company, she realized there was an opportunity to grow the company even further. After 13 years, the company recently started their FIRST paid marketing strategy!

In 2021, CS Recruiting went fully remote. Charlie told us this was done to improve the employees' quality of work and allowed the company to scale at a different rate. "We realized we were building something and our commitment to our employees and our process enables us to bring on the right people to continue to grow this company. Going fully remote gave us the ultimate amount of flexibility to put the right hires in the right openings."

Charlie also told us one of the biggest challenges for her is her role and the mental aspects. The duration of our chat made one thing very clear, she cares...about her company, her people, their work, the clients. With that amount of care and responsibility, she told us she has to find ways to balance all the different directions she is pulled in. "Going remote ended up being a big advantage for me personally. I'm still up making sandwiches for my kids, but my schedule has flexibility now." This was a big component for Charlie as she told us how it can be lonely at the top, every mindset of a CEO. Staying up at night thinking about the business, employees, growth, and as she told us "How can I make each employee happy, I know it isn't realistic, I can't control every outcome/aspect, but as the owner it is my responsibility to create the best environment for our employees to succeed. And when they do so does our company."

Interestingly enough a company that hires people for a living, will tell you that the glue to their company is their people. That is why CS Recruiting not only says, but lives its motto...

"We Give a Shit"

Charlie was kind enough to ask us "Do you mind swearing in this?" We said absolutely because it is authentic and genuine! Full video series here.

Their motto to them is what sets them apart from other recruiting firms. "We take a human approach, but also our industry knowledge is so unique. It allows us to be transparent because we can back up exactly what we are talking about. Then you factor in the relationships we have created and it allows us to deliver results at a very high level. And we are doing this with 85% of our team being female. That is a huge accomplishment that I am extremely proud of."

Again, CS Recruiting is able to apply its own practices when working with clients. As Charlie told us, "Keep employees happy and it will lead to productivity. The reason employees come to you is the reason they stay. Investing in people is the differentiator. With employee engagement, there is employee retention." The ability to employ this firsthand and then demonstrate it to their clients provides credibility and more importantly, earns trust.

Charlie was also very proud of the company's commitment to making a difference. She told us it is one of the values that they "Shout from the rooftops internally and externally". CS Recruiting has previously volunteered at a local food bank. Last year there were two choices, plant vegetables for those in need or visit a women's shelter. Charlie told us the company encourages the team to take PTO to volunteer. It creates a connection for the team, as she explained, "When they have their big volunteer days throughout the year it isn't about profit for today, it is the feeling of doing, giving, and receiving."

Bucket List

In our chat with Charlie one interesting topic came up, "Bucket List". She told us that about 5 years ago she had a goal for the company to be a top workplace. She believed they had the foundation built and the culture to support it. In 2022, her goal was achieved. Out of 1000's of applications, CS Recruiting was chosen as a Top Workplace from 200 finalists by Inc, article here. When we asked Charlie what that acknowledgment meant, "This company wasn't just about building a service and generating revenue but changing lives. For our employees, for the employees we place, and for the companies we help grow. But to have our company and culture recognized was so rewarding." A long way coming from that "1 woman show" mindset a decade prior!

We asked Charlie to go more in-depth about the culture, "Connection and Purpose. That is the glue that keeps our team together. Every quarter we get together to bond and connect. Once a year we take a trip to Mexico for 4 days to just unwind and enjoy each other. We prioritize our employee recognition program. Last year we launched a learning and development program. We have a huge focus on personal development. Human leadership is our goal. We have a rule that no 1-1 can be canceled. We believe all of this investment in each other as people first creates our culture."

And that culture has given Charlie and immense sense of pride. From winning the award on her bucket list, to getting to reflect on all of the accomplishments throughout our chat. She told us how she loves chasing opportunity and the growth the team has shown has showed her one big development, "anything is trainable if done with the right message and structure." That is why she beams with joy when telling us how she feels to be the lucky one because she not only gets to help build this but to lead such an incredible team.

In Closing

KLS wants to thank Charlie Saffro for allowing us to present this week's "Together Talks" highlighting CS Recruiting. You can visit their website here and the company has a quarterly newsletter that is sent out with insights if you're interested. Also if you're on LinkedIn check out the company and Charlie's as well, worth your time! Also Charlie has contributed or been featured in the following publications below, give them a view!