We had the good fortune of connecting with Kerrie Mays and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kerrie, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I spent my 20+ year career in Corporate America. I was a senior level executive at IBM and other tech companies with responsibility for running multi-million dollar business units. My schedule required being on the road 4-5 days per week with national and international travel and I knew I needed to make a change.  love working with people and it felt like the right direction for me.

Please tell us more about your business. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today business-wise. Was it easy?
I was a senior level executive at a Fortune 500 Company when I decided to make a career change. I had hired hundreds if not thousands of people throughout my career and I had worked closely with several recruiting firms. I had a pretty good understanding of the industry and thought the transition would be easy….WOW, was I wrong!

When I started, had no systems, no processes, and no clients. I was competing against huge firms that had millions of dollars and thousands of employees. The industry was male dominated and I didnt realize how many companies did not like recruiters. My income took a drastic drop to ZERO for several months and I often struggled to keep my head in a positive place.

The first year was absolutely brutal but I kept going. I never took no for an answer and finally started bringing in clients one by one. My first client was McAfee…then IBM…then Disney…then Cisco…and the list goes on.

Fast forward, I have a thriving business with clients that I have developed wonderful relationships with. This is a very tough industry to stand out in. Providing a level of service excellence that can’t be matched is the only way to do that.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We would absolutely drive up to Page and do some exploring at Horseshoe Bend & Antelope Canyon. Heading south, we would stop in Sedona and spend at least one night at L’Auberge. During the day, we would hit as many of the hiking trails as possible…the red rock and surrounding scenery is breath taking. To top the evening off, Mariposa would be my choice for dinner. Back on the road again, I would stop at Page Springs Cellars and enjoy a picnic lunch and wine tasting.
Arriving back in Desert Ridge, we would enjoy the shopping in Old Town, Kierland and Scottsdale Quarter. Favorite restaurants there would be The Mission, White Chocolate Grill, Eddie Vs and Obon.
I love the serenity of large bodies of water so I would definitely do some kayaking or boating at Saguaro Lake or Tempe Town Lake.
Being a sports nut, I would not let my guest leave without going to a Suns, Coyotes, Cardinals or Diamondbacks game.
So much to do and see here!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

Mom gets my shout out. She always told me that I could do whatever I wanted to do in life and encouraged me to take my own path.

My Mom went back to school (mid-career) to obtain her Ph.D in Education and became one of only a handful of female Superintendents in the country. It was a male dominated field and there were a lot of uphill battles that she faced, but she never backed down or compromised her beliefs.

She is an amazing role model that gave me the support and encouragement to be the best that I could be.

Website: reekruter.com

Instagram: instagram.com/Reekruter

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/reekruter

Facebook: facebook.com/Reekruter

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutArizona is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.