Kelly Gillespie opened the 22nd Chicagoland Express Employment Professionals staffing agency in the middle of a pandemic. She's been with Express since 2012. When she started as a sales rep with Express, she was new to staffing, new to Express and new to the territory she was working in. Over the years, she has met many people and developed many friendships.

She has a passion for helping people and in the right environment, finds joy in that success. The work that she has done has allowed her teams to help connect thousands of people looking for work with jobs that help them provide for themselves and their families. She looks forward to getting out in the neighborhood and meeting new people, learning about them and their business and the time spent speaking with them.

When she's not working, Kelly enjoys spending time with her family. She has three children and three grandchildren.  She also enjoys photography, art, watching docudramas and sitting around a table with friends, family and food. 

Q: What are you surprisingly good at?

A: I am surprisingly good at making something out of nothing.

Q: What's the biggest proof that you're good at what you do?

A: Inside the walls, on the frame of the door to my private office, two things are written:

• The walls that Franky and mom built 7/2020
• A Prayer For a New Job:
  Dear Father,
  Thank You for the wonderful skills and gifts You've so freely given me. I surrender all I am to You.  Come guide my path as I look for new work. May I always serve You and others in the new adventures that await me. Amen

Q: How long have you been working in your field?

A: I started as a sales rep with Express in 2012. In 2019, I became a branch manager and opened a new office.  In June 2020, I became the Owner of Express Employment Professionals of DeKalb which serves companies and job seekers in DeKalb, Lee, Ogle and Boone Counties in Illinois.

Q: What's your biggest accomplishment?

A: Professionally, my biggest accomplishment has been my career path.  One of the things that I love the most about Express Pros is the career path to entrepreneurship.  If you have the desire and dream, you can be your own boss and have the backing of a $3B global company behind you.  Personally, my family and lifelong friendships are most treasured.  I have raised three wonderful people who I am proud of, enjoy three beautiful grandchildren (grandchildren = your heart exploding with love), and have been lucky enough to have the same best friends my entire life.  

Q: How does your education connect to your professional career? What about personal experiences?

A: I was a young mom and so I went college after I had kids.  Raising three kids and going to college full time is not easy.  It requires perseverance and really good problem solving skills! I am living proof that if you have a goal or a dream and you keep working at it, you will get there. 

Q: What problems do you consistently solve for your clients?

A; My job is to hire, train, coach and develop the best team of Employment Specialists in the area.  My team then sources, screens and recruits the right candidates for our clients in order to increase their productivity and reduce their fixed costs of labor. For job seekers, my team helps to get people in front of hiring managers quickly and efficiently and often times even into positions that they hadn't considered but are perfectly suited for.  It's like hitting the easy button.

Q: What are you complimented on most in your work?

A: I enjoy being a market expert. It's important to me to understand the company culture, the needs of the client and how the position effects the company as a whole.  Internally, my teams appreciate my leadership. Their success is everyone's success as they develop, serve and connect companies and individuals in our local economy.  On a larger scale, I enjoy putting together company specific business reviews for clients to help them validate their staffing strategies, understand what is going on in the local market and help them succeed at building world class teams. 

Q: Who is your ideal client and why should they connect with you?

A:  I appreciate all clients.  I enjoy being a trusted business partner to the companies that we serve as well as the gratitude when helping people find work that will enable them to be successful and put food on their tables.  

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