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Alyssa Skarbek was unsure what she wanted to study when she enrolled at Purdue University. She just knew she wanted to work with people.
By her junior year, she had found her focus—organizational leadership—and two years later started her career in retail HR.
“The more I got immersed in the business, the more I realized this was the path I always wanted to choose—running the people side of the business,” she said.
In 2018, she went to work for an HR consulting company whose clients included the Garrett Cos., a developer and builder of multifamily homes, with offices in Denver, Indianapolis and Greenwood. In 2019, when Garrett had 36 employees, she helped the company hire 69 new ones. In 2020, she was one of Garrett’s 145 new employees.
She started as human resources manager and a team of one. Three years later, she is director of human resources, has four direct reports and is a member of the executive team.
“By intentionally and thoughtfully hiring the right people, Alyssa has embraced the challenge of a fast-paced, growing company and continues to drive the vision of making it a top place to work,” said Anna Larson, Garrett’s corporate communication director, who nominated Skarbek for this award. “She has a deep understanding of the DNA of the company and who we need on our team as a whole to continue the relentless pursuit of excellence and stay true to our core values.”
The Garrett Cos. has won more than 50 “best place to work” awards, both locally and nationally, and “her guidance and passion have been essential to staying on track and focusing on who we are as a company,” Larson said.
Skarbek said that, in hiring people, it has helped to get to know every department—what they do, what they need, what they need versus what they want. “Every department leader is the expert in their arena. But there’s an element of right fit, right time, all the things to make the Garrett train go. It has been crazy, but figuring out what they do and finding the right person to fit that need or niche is a challenge. But it’s a challenge that keeps me going.”
And in an industry with a 20% voluntary turnover rate, Garrett’s has averaged 6% over the past five years.
That, Skarbek said, is a matter of “hiring the right people, but also identifying what they want” from the company and in their career. It helps, she said, that Garrett offers benefits that include four weeks of PTO and benefits that are available on the first day of work. In addition, after six years, employees are eligible for financial support for their dependents to go to college.
“As much as we expect from our team, we also give a lot back,” she said, adding that “the company really is the best thing that ever happened to me.”•
Check out more HR Impact award honorees.
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