Laurie Grayem Chief Executive Canon Recruiting Group, Santa Clarita Founded 1980 Laurie Grayem is a lifelong resident of Santa Clarita. In 1978 she married her husband Tim, who founded Canon Recruiting Group in Los Angeles two years later. Grayem began working as a recruiter part-time and later switched to full-time during the mid-1990s. She became chief executive in 2011. Grayem belongs to the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council. Why start a business? Canon Group was founded in 1980 by my husband, Tim Grayem. He had extensive experience in the contingent staffing industry. Canon was born out of the best ideas and practices gleaned from those years in executive recruiting. How did you build it? We began to see our clients’ need for temporary and temp-to-perm staffing. We are able bring the quality of contingent recruiting to our temporary staffing, making Canon the go-to staffing firm for our clients. Would you do it again? Yes – if we had it to do over again – we would probably start working in temporary staffing even sooner. How being a woman helped you: We work with people at their most vulnerable – their livelihood. Issues arise that need to be worked through with our temps. I would like to think that I bring a level of compassion and willingness to go the extra mile to make sure our employees are taken care of and our clients satisfied. Challenges of being a woman in business: Being a professional woman has only been a benefit in our business. I have consistently been respected and treated in a professional manner by our clients, employees and vendors. Hardest day: Working with a woman who was being harassed by a family member in the work place of our client; making sure she would be safe going home; confirming with our client that the harasser would have no access to her. Best day: An applicant for a professional position became homeless. She and her disabled daughter were living in a shelter. Canon put her on temp assignment and advanced funds to allow her to move into a hotel. Finally, we were able to give her the good news that the client took her permanent with benefits. Best business advice you ever received: Put yourself in the other person’s shoes – look at the problem or negotiation from their perspective. Do not be clouded by your own opinions or desires for the outcome. Look for a solution that works for the betterment of all parties concerned. Advice for aspiring female business owners: Strive to do your best every day and treat people like you would like to be treated. A kind word and positive feedback goes a long way and enhances everyone’s day. Don’t take “no” for an answer – keep trying until the “no” becomes a “yes.”
