At LGC, we’re inspired by stories of career development and success – especially when it comes from our own employees. In our blog series, LGC Stories, we highlight how members of our team have advanced and what motivates them to work their hardest. While LGC is a tree with many branches, no matter the role, we’re all connected and support each other’s growth. We hope this series inspires you to either join our team or further develop your own LGC story.
LGC Stories | Meet Damien Flaherty, Head of EnviroStaff
For the past 2 years, Damien has spearheaded our recruitment division in the environmental industry. Launched in 2022, he has established EnviroStaff by LGC as a leading recruitment service for permanent placements among environmental professionals. Without further ado, let’s dive into the story of how Damien transitioned to work with LGC.
Damien grew up in Connecticut and graduated from UCONN with a BA in French and Spanish. He actually began his career doing industrial and international sales where he consulted with companies in the Caribbean and Central and South America. Due to his proficiency in Spanish, he was able to communicate and establish connections with clients in the Southern hemisphere. During this role, one of his clients in Santiago, Chile referred him to Gates Rubber Company in Denver.
He ended up moving West and continued traveling around Latin and South America selling various products. After he got married, he realized he was ready for a role that would keep him in one place for longer than 3 weeks at a time. This led him to the ice cream sales business for Gelato Bravo, which allowed him to sell products to restaurants and hotels in the Denver area.
As life progressed and he welcomed his first child, he decided to sell Gelato Bravo and begin his career as a sales manager for an industrial hygiene and environmental testing lab in Denver which was his introduction into the environmental industry.
After a couple years working for the lab in Denver, he was recruited by IT Corp in St. Louis to develop business for a newly acquired lab in the area. While in St. Louis, Damien got to know Bob LaBombard, who had just started an EnviroStaff division in Minneapolis. Bob introduced Damien to our very own George Lessmeister who at the time was opening the Chicago EnviroStaff office and was asked to open an EnviroStaff division in St.Louis. Over the next 3 years, the St. Louis EnviroStaff team grew rapidly but unfortunately were acquired by a larger firm out of California.
The acquisition drastically changed company culture and therefore Damien decided to part ways with EnviroStaff and with George. The two stayed in touch from time to time and fast forward 25 years later, they decided to meet in Las Vegas to discuss George’s vision to launch EnviroStaff by LGC.
Working together they successfully launched our very own environmental vertical in 2022. Over the past 2 years, EnviroStaff has placed over 40 qualified scientists, engineers, and business development professionals in new career opportunities with 11 different companies throughout the US. The work that EnviroStaff has been able to do in the last 2 years has been so instrumental to the environmental industry and continues to grow.
Over his many years in the environmental industry and now connecting directly with clients and employees he truly loves what he does. He states, “I enjoy helping our client companies grow their business by matching their hiring needs with outstanding candidates and seeing the candidates flourish in their new roles.”
As EnviroStaff uses direct and temp-to-hire placements, Damien really gets to know his employees and maintains strong relationships with clients even after successful hires. The trust between Damien and clients is especially important when challenges in the recruiting process arise.
“Over the past few years the ability to find qualified candidates to fill the positions we have available has been challenging, which makes the recruiting side of the placement process longer than we or our clients would like.”
Nevertheless, Damien is not one to dwell on industry challenges, rather he works harder and leans on the things he learned along the way to guide him to his next success. Over the many years of his career, he has experienced location changes, language differences, and he’s navigated the ups and downs of working in sales. Now, in his position at LGC, he offers the most important things he’s come to understand:
“(1) Work in an industry that you know and enjoy – and always keep learning. (2) Be an expert advisor to your client and establish value for our services. (3) Have a true and sincere interest in your candidates and find out their motivation to change.”
While he enjoys the vibrant nature of his day to day responsibilities, outside of work he’s just as engaged. He loves to spend time with his family, which includes his 3 children and 2 grandchildren. Additionally, he’s currently working on completing a marathon in all 50 states. As of now, he has checked off 47/50 states but will complete state #50 at the End of the Tunnel marathon in Washington next summer.
At LGC, we’re continually inspired by the leaders who shape our company and nurture our teams. Damien has played an integral role in helping LGC grow into the strong and vibrant business we are today. Let Damien’s experience and passion inspire you to grow within your role—or, if you’re ready, join our team and start your journey with LGC!
Inspired by Damien’s story? Check out more of our LGC Stories below!
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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.