Proactive Talent Expands with Launch of New Retention Services

Proactive Talent has long been a strategic partner in building amazing talent programs for attracting and hiring talent for startups up to midsize companies. Today, Proactive Talent continues its unprecedented growth with the launch of a third pillar of services aimed at helping companies improve employee retention. The new options for Retain Services are Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Learning and Development, and Coaching and Advisory services.

“In today’s talent market, having a strong strategy around attracting and hiring the best talent for your organization is essential, but it’s not enough. Employers need to focus on retaining the best talent by building diverse, inclusive teams, and building a culture that brings out the best in their people while giving them the learning opportunities to grow in their careers with training that meets them where they are. This isn’t new for us as we’ve always had this infused into our other services, but we now have developed more focused service offerings around DE&I, and hired in some of the best of the best practitioners in the field to help our clients navigate new challenges and opportunities. With Proactive Talent’s expanded retention services we are truly becoming the industry leading agile talent services partner for progressive companies, helping fill the gaps in their recruiting strategy and helping them execute throughout the talent lifecycle”, says Founder & CEO, Will Staney.

To assist in these new endeavors, Proactive Talent recently hired Greg Fontus who will lead both internal Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and their new Retention Services initiatives. Greg holds graduate degrees from the University of South Florida in Curriculum Instruction and from Vanderbilt University in Divinity. He also holds DEI certifications as a Cook Ross Unconscious Bias Trainer, a Green Dots Bystander Intervention Trainer, and a National Coalition Building Institute Trainer.​ As someone dedicated to the work of inclusion, equity, justice, and advocacy, Greg has accepted as his personal call to action the words of civil rights leader Rev. James Lawson who stated: “We are citizens of a country that does not yet exist. It is our duty to usher that country into existence.”

“At Proactive Talent, diversity, equity, and inclusion is not something that’s performative; rather, it is the heartbeat of our organization. It is what we consistently challenge ourselves to be better at as we are all committed to fostering an environment of inclusive excellence not only for ourselves, but for our clients as well,” says Greg Fontus, Lead Consultant of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Proactive Talent.

Proactive Talent also brings to the Proactive Talent team, Angela Schmitt. Angela has been in the DE&I space for over a decade. Her clients range from Fortune 500 and international institutions, to startups and government entities. She approaches her work with transparency, curiosity, responsibility, and presence. Angela holds a graduate degree in Organization Development, as well as degrees and certifications in Language, Culture, and Technology Entrepreneurship.

“In 2021, it is imperative that companies hold themselves accountable for ensuring they are providing equitable opportunities to their candidates and employees across the employee lifecycle. We help you find the gaps in your hiring, promotion, and engagement processes, then assist in implementing strategies to create a more just company and society,” says Angela Schmitt, Lead Consultant of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Proactive Talent.

As an example of their DE&I work, Proactive Talent recently posted a case study where they were able to accomplish the following for one of their clients - Postmates.

• 52% increase in female applicants between Q2 and Q3 of 2020
• 93% increase in female applicants in a single year between Sept '19 and Sept '20
• 30% increase in minority applicants between Sept '19 and Sept '20
• 33% increase in Hispanic or Latino applicants between Q2 and Q3 of 2020