At LGC, we’re motivated by tales of career development and success – especially when it involves our employees. In this series, we highlight how members of our team have moved up the ladder and what inspired them to work their hardest. In our blog series, LGC Stories, we highlight success stories right within our own walls.
The LGC tree has many branches from top to bottom, but no matter which role you hold, we’re all connected and help each other grow. Hopefully in this series you’ll read something that inspires you to either join our team or further develop your LGC Story.
LGC Stories | Meet Erin Karim — Executive VP (Eastern Region)
In the 12 years that Erin has been with LGC, she has moved her way up from an Assistant Staffing Manager to a member of our Executive leadership team. Her hard work and dedication to the role has defined her road with LGC and beyond.
Erin grew up in a tiny lake town just West of Detroit, MI and still resides in the Detroit area today. Before she was connected with LGC she was honing her experience in the hospitality industry as a front desk receptionist at a private hotel on the University of Michigan campus. Funnily enough, LGC was just around the corner as we staffed the housekeepers at that hotel.
Her first position was as an Assistant Staffing Manager where she worked extremely hard to learn everything and advance as quickly as possible. Her work paid off when her manager resigned and she was moved into the Branch Manager position. She admits she was terrified to move into a new role doing something new, but they don’t say fear is a motivator for nothing!
As the Branch Manager of our Detroit office, she eagerly increased their hours to over 5,000 a week. With her continued success, she was quickly promoted to an Area Manager with 3 other branches under her guidance and acquired more as she kept improving. In 2019, she was promoted to the Executive VP position that oversees our Eastern Regional offices including: Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, and Tampa.
As an Executive VP, she comments:
“Although I am directly responsible for only 1 region, that means I have an obligation to make sure that our company is always operating at its full capacity. My role is to develop the next generation of managers, oversee processes, strategies, and outcomes, identify issues and fix them, and generate revenue for the company.”
In any professional climb, perfection is impossible. Any leader will tell you that mistakes are a necessary part of the process – making them helps you learn. Erin agrees saying,
“When I was first starting out, I was told that as long as I can justify the reason behind why I made a certain decision, anything can be fixed.”
When mistakes happen, it’s important to have people you can rely on. For Erin, this person is George Lessmeister, Founder and CEO of LGC.
“He’s someone who I know I can call at any time and ask anything even when I feel like it’s the most ridiculous thing ever. He trusts me to do my job, lets me make mistakes, and helps me correct them when I need.”
With her twelfth year in progress, Erin has built a reliable team and knows the value of enjoying your job! To fellow LGC employees, she holds a piece of valuable advice:
“This job is fun! It doesn’t have to be so serious all the time. Have fun with it, make genuine connections with your coworkers, candidates, and clients, and enjoy this crazy ride! We work for a company that is sought after by many people. Cherish your position here and do your very best every day. It’s extremely rewarding at the end of the day.”
Outside of LGC, Erin is very close with her mom and has a strong group of friends who help her be the best version of herself. She is also a Justin Timberlake superfan and when he tours she will attend at least 4 or 5 of his shows!
Across LGC, we are inspired by our amazing leaders and the knowledge they can impart on the rest of us. Erin has helped LGC become who we are today and nurtured so many people to grow professionally in their roles here. Let Erin’s passion and determination inspire you to grow in your position at LGC or join our team and begin your journey!
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About LGC
Since 2003 LGC has been building connections between businesses with staffing needs and job seekers looking for new opportunities. Our range of solutions includes temporary and permanent placements (and everything in between) for a variety of industries. With offices located nationwide, we can tap into a dynamic pool of talented professionals. We have a passion for creating partnerships that last and work hard every day to ensure both clients and candidates reach their employment goals.