Pam Medlin Winner of
Women in Business Award

In May 1997, Pam Medlin was Key Resources' president and sole employee. Today the Greensboro-based temporary staffing company has 12 permanent, three part-time and more than 1,000 temporary employees. This year Medlin received the Small Business Person of the Year Award from the Greensboro Area Chamber of Commerce.

Key Resources Inc provides clerical and manufacturing staffing services to clients in the financial services, packaging, furniture, printing, national distribution, textile, automotive parts and auto-auction industries, among others.

Medlin prides herself on hiring the right individual the first time and says that she is able to accomplish this by conducting proper interviews, testing and reviewing performance, and supervising her employees.

Providing temporary services with a low turnover rate is not an easy job, but Medlin seems to thrive on the challenge. She says she likes meeting people, and she actually enjoys the stress of her work.

"My dream was to have my own company, not merely to try to increase my own personal gain, but also to structure a company to meet clients' needs. I wanted my company to be a partner with the

client company," Medlin says.

Key Resource's revenue has grown 200 percent over the two year period ending December 1999. The company recently moved into new headquarters in Greensboro and has expanded into offices in Kernersville and Winston-Salem.

Medlin attributes the company's success primarily to the good practice of giving both large and small clients the same priority service. One of Medlin's clients, Richard A Garrison, director of human resources at EMI Music Distribution, says that she is the epitome of excellence in providing support for his company.

"Even though she is responsible for providing a high level of support to many other company accounts such as ours, Pam has the amazing gift to make me feel that my company is the most important account for her," Garrison says.

Her employees feel the same sense of worth, because she considers them as crucial to the company's success as its clients. Medlin shows her appreciation by rewarding temporary employees with on-site parties, letters of commendation, and employee-of-the-month recognition.

Micki Sapp, who has worked for Medlin for the past year, describes her as intelligent, driven, successful and compassionate.

"Not only is she a successful businesswoman, but she is also someone who cares deeply for her family, her community, and those who work for her," Sapp says.

The mother of three children, Medlin, 44, is as busy at home as at work and is active in many civic organizations. She and her staff are involved in the Girl Scouts, Race for Cure of Breast Cancer, Greensboro Area Chamber of Commerce and the Greensboro Merchants Association. They are also sponsors of the Pool Pals Program for underprivileged children.

John A. Harris, human resources manager for Vitafoam Olympic, has worked with Medlin for two years and says that she has been an asset to his company with her knowledge and commitment.

"It would be hard to surpass Pam's integrity and concern for the well-being of all people, whether it is in or out of the business world," Harris says.

- Leigh Somerville

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