Jake Hillstrom

Director of People Operations @Basemakers

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Jake Hillstrom is a seasoned professional in the field of people and human resources, currently serving as the Director of People Operations at Basemakers, a leading retail merchandising and in-store demo company. He has extensive experience in human resources, recruitment, employee engagement, and organizational development. Throughout his career, Jake has demonstrated a knack for developing and implementing strategies to improve employee performance and satisfaction, directly contributing to the overall growth of the companies he has worked with. His strong leadership skills and dedication to fostering positive work environments have made him a vital asset in the people operations field. His expertise also extends to areas like talent management, benefits administration, and HR analytics.

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Work Background

BasemakersDirector of People Operations

Aug. 2023

Pinnacle Quality InsightPeople Business Partner

Feb. 2022 - Mar. 2023Sandy, Utah, United States(Industry: SaaS healthtech, employee engagement and customer feedback solutions for senior care.) Re-aligned culture with the mission (after the culture shock of the COVID-19 pandemic) while modernizing the company's people practices: 1) Elevate our cultural attributes and let them define us. 2) Engage leadership in personally understanding and leading their teams to drive impact. 3) Begin operating as an accountable, cohesive leadership team to gain traction towards company objectives. 4) Generate feedback, data-driven solutions to enhance culture changes while keeping the best of who we are. ACHIEVEMENTS: • Led Senior Leadership in company growth and cultural development plan, increasing headcount by 40% in 1 year (from 45 to 63) across multiple states (UT, TN, ME, FL, TX, CA, CT, PA, MI). • Achieved 91% increase in new hire retention (1 year, from 32% to 61%) through feedback-driven onboarding experiences, optimized talent acquisition and onboarding practices. • Established company operating rhythm and meaningful acculturation, fostering connection to the company's purpose and values. • Spearheaded the "two improving behaviors" initiative, driving engagement a culture of continuous improvement, feedback loops, and accountability. • Established and strengthened "Trust" and "Clarity" engagement scores by 15% and 10%, respectively, by enhancing leadership connections, promoting organizational behavior principles, and encouraging transparency. • Strategically initiated and advised Senior Leadership in developing company philosophy around a total Talent Management strategy and initiatives aligned with the overall business strategy (Talent Acquisition, Performance Management, Engagement, Development, Retention, Compensation & Rewards). • Directed the People team to not only do great work but to create personal understanding, provide motivation, mentorship, and allow for growth through autonomy.

MTI, Inc.HR Manager (Department-of-One)

Dec. 2018 - Feb. 2022Salt Lake City, Utah, United States(Industry: Medical device, exam and procedure room equipment for specialist doctors. 85+ employees) Brought-on to establish the company's first HR department while scaling, the company was on the brink of a market breakthrough while adding a bold product revamp schedule. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic began, threatening to disrupt our aggressive expansion with hiring delays and difficulties with workforce availability. Our largest competitor could no longer deliver product on-time, opening an unprecedented opportunity to grab market share. The company evolved quickly from a small business to become an established mid-sized company. ACHIEVEMENTS: • Pioneered the company's first Human Resources department, establishing all aspects of the People function while scaling and ensuring compliance in multiple states (UT, FL, CA, CT, PA). • Collaborated with Senior Leadership to devise scalable talent philosophy, supporting revenue growth, acceptable gross margin, and increasing headcount by 83% in 3 years during the COVID-19 pandemic. (New key positions: CFO, VP of Operations, Supply Chain Director, Marketing Director, first W-2 Territory Sales Director.) • Introduced "power-law distribution" performance management philosophy and manager calibration sessions, fostering fairness and driving systematic improvement. • Implemented benchmarking practices and pay ranges to guide talent acquisition and facilitate career paths through skills-based pay, reducing turnover in key positions. • Initiated "discipline without punishment" approach, emphasizing values-driven behaviors and coaching conversations, resulting in reduced absenteeism and unemployment claims. • Improved benefits offerings with a "frugal & generous" approach, leveraging HDHP insurance plan to increase affordability, decrease costs, and value of total compensation.

America First Credit UnionHR Generalist / Business Partner

Oct. 2016 - Dec. 2018Ogden, UT(Industry: Financial services, community and service-oriented financial banking & loans institution.) Delivered HR support for 2 VP's, 26 managers, 2 departments, and 388+ employees, ensuring effective HR practices and employee satisfaction while collaborating for company-wide initiative projects. ACHIEVEMENTS • Implemented an unbiased but flexibly "human," interview process, resulting in cost savings of ~$75K over two years and improved reliability over existing methods. (Hypothesis testing using linear and logistic regression analyses showed clear significance in the statistical relationship: p ≤ 0.05.) • Streamlined hiring process - reducing time-to-fill by 33% (from 45+ to 30-34 days) and managing increased headcount of 25.4 additional people in 1 year. • Successfully lowered voluntary termination turnover by 15% (from 22.6% to 19.2%) through improved hiring practices and engagement initiatives. • Received SAR Award (Special Action Recognition) for developing an innovative HR initiative for company-sponsored job fairs, including the development, tracking, and quantifying of impact metrics and financial returns.

America First Credit UnionHRIS Analyst

Jul. 2014 - Oct. 2016Ogden, Utah, United StatesACHIEVEMENTS • Developed on-demand workload reporting, resulting in 30% increase in generalist team capacity ahead of short-notice increase in headcount. (Total employee count growth: 10%, ~220+ from M&A, ~80+ from organic growth.) • Improved process efficiency using advanced HR Systems, Microsoft Access, and Excel skills, resulting in time savings of 2-4 daily work hours.

America First Credit UnionPhysical Security Specialist

Nov. 2013 - Jul. 2014Ogden, Utah, United StatesDeveloped simplified processes around systems use, for surveillance, security, and internal controls processes. Leveraged vendor relationships to maintain function and trust in the physical security of the entire credit union. Focused on adding value and creating stability in every contact. Developed new procedures to increase efficiency and meet audit requirements.

America First Credit UnionSenior Member Service Representative (Spanish-Speaking)

Oct. 2012 - Nov. 2013Ogden, Utah, United StatesEnsured positive-impact experiences and drove value in every contact by meeting needs, solving problems, and personalizing service experiences for each individual. Effectively resolved conflicts positively, in both Spanish and English while maintaining efficiency and quality standards.

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