HR ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS.

• Author: Foreman, Kelsie

Every year, Utah Business Magazine honors the HR professionals who are working hard to foster culture, growth, and happiness in the workplace in our HR Achievement Awards. These professionals have gone beyond the call of duty to make their companies a great place to work and their dedication to their jobs is something inspirational for all.

SMALL COMPANIES

Hal Golden Halladay

Chief Financial Officer | JUMP Software

For the last thirty years, Hal Halladay has dedicated his life to helping business leaders discover their greatest potential. Known for being a serial entrepreneur, Mr. Halladay has served as an executive at many high-growth companies, before ending up at JUMP Software where he oversees people, culture, and finance.

Though he has been at the company for under a year, Mr. Halladay has set a standard for years to come with his unique approach to leadership and talent development. Under Mr. Halladay's direction, the company has implemented weekly one-on-one meetings where employees share their weekly objectives with company leaders, creating a sense of trust and removing any obstacles between company leaders and employees. This kind of innovation has helped create high levels of employee engagement and satisfaction company-wide, something that every HR professional should be striving for.

Staci Heard

Senior Director of HR | Xyngular

Staci Heard didn't dream of a career in human resources. Instead, she "fell" into it when she applied for a job at a payroll company and the hiring manager told her that she would be a better fit on the human resources team. Within a week, that hiring manager offered Ms. Heard the job as an HR Generalist, and her career took off.

To foster employee success and growth at Xyngular, Ms. Heard has helped create the League of Leaders, a group helping individuals throughout Xyngular learn how to be successful leaders. The program is made up of groups of 8-10 employees who read from Xyngular's library of leadership development books, and then meet regularly to discuss what they've read. Thanks to this program developed by Ms. Heard, the company has seen a variety of employees, even members of the executive team, become better mentors and managers.

Tracie Kalmar

HR Manager | ApplicantPro

Tracie Kalmar loves working in human resources because she feels like what she does actually matters. She prides herself in making a positive impact at ApplicantPro and in the daily lives of her fellow employees. With a workforce comprised of 70 percent women--most of whom are working moms--Ms. Kalmar and her team have worked hard to create a flexible culture that allows for rapid growth and high performance. Known to her coworkers as the "Culture Captain," Ms. Kalmar works hard to drive a culture that lines up with company values, and she sticks to it.

"If you are looking at a career in HR, don't let all the employment law and compliance regulations overwhelm you," she advises. "Find something you're passionate about and combine it with a love of learning and get started."

Steven G. Maughan

Director of HR | Orbit Irrigation

For Steven Maughan, the most rewarding part of his job as the director of HR at Orbit Irrigation is helping his coworkers and his company succeed. Though it can sometimes be difficult to find the best companywide solutions when it comes to...