From Underdog to Staffing Industry Analysts’ 40 under 40 List With Kyle Decker, Co-Founder at Riley Decker Companies

Kyle Decker joined the Job Center in 2009 and has successfully led the company from sales of $2.3 million then to sales of $97 million in 2020. In 2018 he co-founded MOR Talent Solutions because he saw the need for professional-level recruiting in the manufacturing, engineering, and skilled labor space. In 2019, Decker founded the “Underdog” podcast because he believes that everyone has an underdog story. Also in 2019, Riley Decker Cos. was established to provide a centralized solution for clients and all their staffing needs. During his 12-year staffing career, he has been on the SIA “40 Under 40” list.

Favorite Quote: “Business, like life, is all about how you make people feel. It’s that simple & it’s that hard.” -Danny Meyer

Favorite Books: Two of the books that have changed my mindset are The Energy Bus by John Gordon and Welcome to Management by Ryan Hawk.

Topics:

• Kyle’s journey into the staffing industry

• What ideas/trends excite you the most in the staffing & talent acquisition space? What practices are here to stay? How can we best prepare to leverage those trends?

• Where do you see the biggest growth opportunity in the staffing industry in the next 5 years?

• The last 18 months have seen explosive growth in staffing firm interest and adoption of platform-based models to enable “recruiter-less” staffing and direct connection between temporary workers and clients. What is your take on that? Is the recruiter going away anytime soon?

• What advice would you give a new start-up agency looking to establish itself in the market?

• In a world where the talent delivery model is rapidly changing, there has never been an easier way to find a job than there is now.. how can recruiters stand apart from all the noise?

• What are some of the unquestionable qualities attributed to a successful recruiter?