Our People

JIM ANNIS – Managing Member of the LLC

Jim graduated with High Honors from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1974. He moved to Northern Nevada in 1981. He has owned several businesses and managed several other businesses as President and Chief Operating Officer prior to opening Applied Staffing Solutions LLC. Jim is committed to Northern Nevada as he is a Charter member of the Rotary Club of Reno Centennial Sunset and is that club's Charter President, belongs to EDAWN (Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada), is Past President of the Northern Nevada Human Resource Association, is a former Deacon at St. John's Presbyterian Church, is Past Secretary of Troop 107 of the Boy Scouts of America, is past-Chair of the Reno Marketing Professionals, is on the Board of Directors of Nevadaworks, belongs to WIN, is a member of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and is an active member in the South Meadows BNI. Jim also belongs to the Sparks Chamber of Commerce and the Reno-Sparks Chamber of Commerce.

CECILIA ALMANZA – Director of First Impressions

Cecilia is Applied Staffing Solutions’ Director of First Impressions. With over five years of experience in the staffing industry, Cecilia’s professional and affable nature lends itself well to her primary role of customer service. Whether multitasking on the phone with clients on the switchboard or helping walk-in job seekers, Cecilia’s strong organizational skills are evident. Her mantra, “A place for everything and everything in its place,” assures clients and co-workers alike that her processes and systems afford continuity and efficiency. Cecilia’s bi-lingual skills allow Applied Staffing to thoroughly interview Spanish speaking job applicants. She also provides translation services for clients to help educate employees about company policies, procedures, and benefits, including those provided through Applied Business Solutions’ Professional Employer Organization (PEO). Cecilia believes that bridging these communication gaps not only helps ensure a successful placement, but bolsters client trust and encourages employee loyalty. Cecilia has received a certificate in Interview Training though UNR’s Continuing Education, received I9 compliance training through a corporate staffing program, and is a member of Nevada Hispanic Services.

SUSAN C. FIX – Community Liaison Partner

Susan’s twenty five years of sales and customer service experience have sharpened her communication skills, affording her clients a dedicated listener who is tuned into their needs and responds in a manner that exceeds expectations. Her sales skills have been officially recognized as Susan was named in the Top Five Finalists for “Professional Saleswoman of Nevada” in both 1995 and 2006. Over the last seventeen years, Susan has been employed in the staffing services industry, including outside sales, recruiting, direct hire and temporary placement coordination, providing employment consulting to businesses and individuals, career counseling, customer service, and supervising office administrators and placement coordinators.

Her current role is to present Applied Staffing as a resource for the community at large. She values being the connection, that bridge between the dreams, goals, and desires of the right person and the right service provider. Susan’s goal is to have each client or applicant feel that they made the right choice to go with Applied Staffing, and reinforcing their decision at every turn is her greatest reward. Susan’s reputation for getting the job done has spread throughout the community. She is involved in over a dozen organizations and programs on a volunteer basis. However, her passion is Washoe County Ready for Life, a statewide cross-agency effort to improve Nevada’s success at reengaging and graduating “ready for life” students, especially those who prematurely left high school. Youth, parents, business, community organizations, public agencies, and policy makers are working together to increase Nevada’s graduation rate 10% by 2013 to help prepare our workforce for the future. Susan represents community employers on the Executive and Steering Committees, and she is Chair of the Employment Workgroup, whose task is to assist educators and trainers connect with businesses in order to increase communication, internships, coaching/mentoring and job shadowing.

JUDY GRIGGS – Senior Staffing Partner

Judy has been with our company since its inception in 2002. With over thirteen years in the staffing industry, her current role focuses on placements, building lasting client relationships, and providing excellent customer service. Prior to coming on board at Applied Staffing Solutions, Judy was the staffing manager for a national mining personnel service, where she managed its most profitable location in Tucson, AZ for over six years. She attributes her experience as a parent as the reason she can provide career advice to job seekers with a dash of creativity and patience. Judy realizes the importance of knowing the clients’ culture and what assets would make a good employee fit. She also takes the time to listen carefully to each candidate so she can help them find their “dream” job. She believes she has an ethical responsibility to the client and the candidate to make a “perfect match,” the result of which is her biggest reward.

Since becoming Miss Reno and First Runner Up for Miss Nevada in 1964, Judy has had a passion for working with young women who desire to compete in pageants, especially those affiliated with the Miss America scholarship program. She has been a director for the Miss Washoe County pageant and currently serves as an advisor to the Miss Reno/Sparks & Miss UNR pageants. With her experience as a statewide judge paired with her staffing industry knowledge, Judy coaches local students on how to seek job opportunities, dress for success, prepare for the interview, and create a professional resume.

BRENDA HARRIS – Staffing Division Manager

As part of executive management, Brenda has unique insight into operations having performed every aspect of staffing in the Reno area including reception, interviewing, staffing, sales, and payroll. Brenda’s seventeen years in the people industry has afforded her an opportunity to “see it all” and her clients rely on that industry expertise to help overcome daily obstacles. Brenda truly knows her clients inside and out - from company culture to policy and procedure – which makes the relationship much more than a business transaction. By assisting clients with Human Resource issues, wage surveys, and job descriptions, Brenda goes well beyond a basic “staffing solution,” and even offers a strong shoulder for clients to lean on when they’re having a bad day.

Brenda invests time in the community to ensure that the Reno/Sparks area’s workforce is professional and meets employers’ needs. She volunteers for UNR’s Career Connections, TMCC’s Administrative Assistant Degree & Certificate Programs where she advises on program curriculum, and Youth Career Expos where she counsels future job seekers on appropriate interview techniques. Brenda has completed her Employment Law Accreditation Course through the American Staffing Association (ASA) and her Supervisory Management Certification through the College of Extended Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno. She is currently working toward her Human Resource Management Certificate through the College of Extended Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno, and is a member of the Northern Nevada Human Resources Association.

ROBIN LEACH - Staffing Partner

Robin says she’s “living the dream” in her work at Applied Staffing Solutions, where she provides staffing services to light industrial and call center clients. With over seven years of experience in all aspects of the call center industry, including Operations, Quality Assurance, Workforce Management, and Human Resources, Robin has the ability to think on her feet and offer a variety of viable solutions when faced with a task or problem. Her call center insight and knowledge, from tracking dash board metrics to providing floor staff motivation, assures her clients that she understands their day to day concerns and challenges. Through five years of HR experience, Robin has learned to “listen with more than her ears” so that she can find common ground and then communicate with people from all walks of life. She approaches all interactions with clients and candidates with integrity, embodying the culture at The Applied Companies of “doing the right thing” for everyone involved. With her eight years of sales management and business development experience, she is proud to represent Applied Staffing Solutions and its reputation for integrity. Robin received her certificate in Interview Training though UNR’s Continuing Education and volunteers her time and resources to the following organizations: Nevada Humane Society, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern Nevada, Muscular Dystrophy Association, and Reno Silver Blades.

GARY MACDONALD, Executive Recruiting

Gary MacDonald has embraced a new role with Applied Staffing Solutions to head their executive recruiting services. Formerly with Applied Business Solutions’ Professional Employer Organization (PEO), Gary’s new focus is “matching qualified professionals to their dream jobs with great companies.” Gary’s training and experience as an Emergenetics Associate helps him diagnose people’s thinking and behavioral style type, then understand how each person’s styles and career opportunities best match up. With over 20 years’ management experience on both sides of the desk, Gary’s knowledge gives the Applied Staffing Solutions corporate customer confidence that a recruited employee will be the right fit. Noted by his colleagues for his win-win results, Gary values building and preserving customer relationships and considers a true business success as walking away with a meaningful friendship.

Prior to coming on board with The Applied Companies, Gary was a Commercial Marketing Executive for First American Title. In addition to his career experience in the automotive and finance industries, Gary holds a B.S. in Education from the State University of New York College at Oswego. He studied Automotive Management and Development from the prestigious General Motors Institute (now Kettering University), and is a Master Graduate of Rapport Leadership International. His active community involvement includes membership in and past-president of Reno Central Rotary Club, several board-level positions with the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP), Reno Air Race Association Board of Directors, past- president of Western Industrial Nevada (WIN), and current membership in EDAWN.