The Owners Chris and Beth 

Chris and Beth Cary grew up in the Pittsburgh area, got married in 1988, and lived there until 1995 when Chris' HR job with PricewaterhouseCoopers took him to NYC. After spending 4 years in NYC, Chris was subsequently moved to Stamford for a year, then to Boston, MA, followed by San Francisco for 3 years, and San Jose for 4 years. His last move with the company took him to Washington, DC, where he lived from 2007 to 2014. 

Chris and Beth decided it was time to do something more meaningful with their business and personal life. Chris was constantly traveling and rarely at home, so they spent 18 months exploring different business opportunities, including various franchise models. Unfortunately, none of them seemed to align with their goal of making a meaningful impact in the community and helping others, which were both essential criteria for them. However, when an opportunity to acquire an existing Express office in Newport News, VA arose, it seemed like the perfect fit. In October of 2015, they officially became owners of an office that was serving 40 clients and about 150 actively working associates. They describe the experience as getting on a moving train. Since then, the office has doubled in size with the mission of helping as many people as possible find good companies to work for. 

Express offers hope and meaning to those who come through the doors. They and their team celebrate every associate who starts as a temporary employee and ultimately gets a full-time offer with the client company. To hear an associate say, “I am finally able to put a down payment on a car or have the ability to put groceries on the table” is literal music to their ears. In 2022, they opened a second location in Chesapeake, VA, and are working to make that office as big, if not bigger, than Newport News. 

Their internal team of 7 people in Newport News and 4 people in Chesapeake all have the same goal of helping as many people as possible.  They buy into the mission every day and are true advocates for the people they put out to work. Chris and Beth have mentioned that without our team, they would only be able to accomplish 10% of what happens every day. When they are not working at one of their two locations, they enjoy boating, jet skiing, or simply having a glass of wine near the water. Although they had never lived in the Hampton Roads area before working at Express, it now feels like home to them. Both of their sons, now 31 and 29, live close by, which allows for significant family time – a true blessing.