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Walnut Creek, CA,
Wednesday, December 6, 2006 - Westaff,
Inc. (NASDAQ:WSTF), a leading provider of
staffing services, is practicing what it
preaches when it comes to talent management.
A long-time advocate for the recruitment of
quality talent to drive organizational success,
the Company announced today that it has attracted
a number of seasoned industry professionals
to its team.
"Westaff has significantly added to
its bench strength," said Westaff President
and Chief Executive Officer Trish Newman. "As
we advise our clients, the connection between
talent management and business strategy is
key to achieving competitive advantage. For
that reason, I'm very excited to welcome
to our team five, high-profile industry veterans.
"Together, they bring more than 75 years
of staffing experience from well-known competitors.
Individually, they provide a wealth of talent,
knowledge and passion for the business. I'm
delighted that they chose to make the switch
and join the Westaff team," said Newman.
New Corporate Roles
Joining Westaff in leadership positions with
corporate responsibilities are: Jeffrey Elias,
Ph.D., Westaff's new senior vice president
of Human Resources; and Carla Zafereo, the
Company's new vice president of Market
Development.
In his new role, Elias will help Westaff align
people strategies and business strategies,
maximizing the effectiveness of the organization. "Companies
can no longer view Human Resources as a function," commented
Newman. "Rather, HR must become a strategic
partner, involved in all aspects of the business.
With his background and track record, Jeff
was the perfect candidate to invite to the
table."
For Elias, the move to Westaff was a natural.
As a 25-year HR veteran, Elias spent 10 of
those years within the staffing industry, in
part developing a corporate infrastructure
that nearly tripled field growth in five years
and increased revenue 31 percent per year. "I'm
confident we can achieve the same or better
success at Westaff," he said. "The
Company has great potential, solid assets and
fabulous people."
To help Westaff achieve its growth goals,
VP of Market Development Zafereo will focus
on penetrating new markets and growing the
organization's branch network in the
United States. With 17 years of staffing industry
experience, Zafereo's accomplishments
include developing new staffing divisions and
programs for national and major market staffing
organizations. Zafereo also successfully expanded
branch networks and developed strategies to
ensure the start-ups reached profitability
within the first five months of operation.
New Regional Vice Presidents
Three staffing veterans with successful track
records -- Michael Sheridan, Anthony Trombetta
and Karin Somogyi -- have accepted leadership
positions within Westaff's field operations
team.
Michael Sheridan, vice president of the Atlantic
Region, is poised to make a significant impact
on Westaff's performance along the Eastern
seaboard. Sheridan has 16 years experience
in the staffing industry, the last three as
regional director for Manpower based in New
Jersey.
Karin Somogyi, vice president of Westaff's
Southwest Region, has developed and implemented
strategies for staffing organizations including
Adecco and Remedy, where she opened more than
100 markets and expanded existing territories
to increase market share, while ensuring consistently
high levels of customer service. Somogyi has
26 years of industry experience.
Anthony Trombetta, vice president of Westaff's
Southeast Region, brings 10 years of staffing
experience, most recently as regional manager
of Volt Services Group, where he increased
regional retail business by 38 percent and
direct hire/conversion dollars 97 percent over
prior year.
A Work Environment Conducive to Success
One important tactic to achieving long-term
goals and positively impacting shareholder
value, said Newman, is to create a work environment
that's conducive to success.
"Westaff is moving in an exciting direction,
and people want to be part of it," said
Newman. "We're opening our doors
and going down new paths, and we're also
adapting our corporate structure to more closely
match the needs of today's workforce.
The organization is becoming flat and fast,
giving individuals more responsibility, more
involvement and more opportunities."
About Westaff
Westaff provides staffing services and employment
opportunities for businesses in global markets,
servicing more than 15,000 client accounts
from more than 230 offices located throughout
the U.S., the United Kingdom, Australia and
New Zealand. Westaff provides client companies
with 125,000 temporary and permanent placement
employees annually in the areas of administration,
call centers and light industry. For more information,
please visit our Web site at www.westaff.com.
This press release contains forward-looking
statements as defined in the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, and is subject to the safe harbors
created by law. Forward-looking statements
contained herein include, but are not limited
to, statements regarding the Company's future
growth, profitability, expansion in key markets,
and the significance of any change in managerial
personnel to the Company's ability to achieve
any of these goals.
Forward-looking statements are based on the
beliefs and assumptions of the Company's
management and on currently available information.
The Company undertakes no responsibility to
publicly update or revise any forward-looking
statement except as required by applicable
laws and regulations. Additional information
concerning the risks and uncertainties listed
above, and other factors you may wish to consider,
is contained in the Company's filings with
the Securities and Exchange Commission, including
the Company's most recent Form 10-K, Form 10-Q,
Form 8-K and other filings.
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