Ben Schlaefer

Vice President

Ben joined Kimmel & Associates in 2006. He is responsible for locating exceptional senior professionals within the Florida heavy civil marketplace.

He holds a BS in History from Davidson College and an MBA in International Business from the University of South Carolina.

He is fluent in Spanish and spent the early part of his career working in Argentina and Mexico before becoming a consultant with Kimmel & Associates.

In his free time, Ben enjoys cooking, spending time outdoors with his wife and their two dogs, and watching Clemson Tiger football.

We sat down with Ben and asked him the following:

• What do you like most about working at Kimmel & Associates?
  I like being around and learning from my coworkers.
• What is one thing you learned early in your career that has made you successful?
  Don’t focus on making a placement; focus instead on building positive relationships with the individuals you are working with, both clients and candidates. If you trust each other, everyone will benefit.
• Share a successful placement story or describe the most rewarding experience of your career.
  A few months after starting at Kimmel in early 2006, I placed a recent college graduate with an industrial electric firm in California. I remember it was for an entry-level position that paid something like $24K a year. I’m pretty sure he was the first person from his family to graduate from college. When I met him, he was working at Radio Shack as a cashier. The excitement in that kid’s voice when he called to tell me he got the job was fantastic. I knew then that recruiting was the job for me.
• Do you have a favorite book?
  To Kill a Mockingbird. It’s about doing what’s right even when it’s difficult.
• Personal interests?
  Anything outdoors and traveling.