guHRoo payroll & hr

I worked for a large corporation when I moved to South Carolina in 2010. I called up to “corporate” one day to ask for a few hundred dollars to sponsor an event for a local non-profit.

“Matt, we just don’t get involved at the local level.”

I remember this conversation as clear as day. My family and I were putting down roots in South Carolina and wanted to be a part of the community. For us, this meant supporting the causes we care about and being a part of a company that cared about our community. 

When I couldn’t find a company in my industry that aligned with these goals, we created our own. 

We give away 5 percent of our company to local charities. That includes three percent of all revenue, one percent of our product, and one percent of our time volunteering (come serve with us!).

Interested in how we solve human resources problems for small businesses? Grab a time on my calendar here: https://meetings.hubspot.com/matt702/15-minute-intro-call

Outsourced Scale

We provide small businesses with virtual, offshore teammates, powered by AI.

Partner

Underdog Digital

We grew frustrated with how digital marketing agencies treated us and their ability to produce results. We built our own process, 10xed our leads, and started replicating the process for others. Small business marketing simplified.

GrowCo Columbia

Founder, President of the Board of Directors

Some tech company 

Sr. Sales Executive

The big red machine 

District Manager

I was so proud when my company finally grew enough to offer health insurance to my team. I thought I was being a great employer.

Then one of my employees told me bluntly: "It would be more expensive and worse coverage for me to use our plans."

That stung. But what really opened my eyes was talking to one of our clients who was trying to recruit against companies like Facebook. They were showing potential hires age-banded plans and getting beat every single time.

I realized this wasn't just my problem - small businesses across South Carolina were losing the talent war because of benefits.

I knew you couldn't have a PEO in South Carolina without Blue Cross. In our state, they're the only carrier that matters. So I didn't just find a solution, I built one.

It wasn't easy. Blue Cross has strict size requirements and won't work with just any agent. But I was determined to give small businesses the same buying power as Fortune 500 companies.

Today, we've helped hundreds of South Carolina businesses compete for top talent, saving an average of $50K annually. 

Our biggest win? 

A 21-employee nonprofit that we saved $120K per year - money they used to hire a new teammate to grow their mission instead of padding insurance company profits.

If you're tired of losing talent because your benefits can't compete with big corporations, or you're spending too much on insurance that your employees don't even value, let's talk.

Every dollar you save on benefits is a dollar you can invest back into growing your business and taking care of your team the way they deserve.

Book a time with me here: https://go.guhroo.co/ty-page-2921-8170

☞ Matt Vaadi

Build Carolina

I serve as executive director for the South Carolina-based 501(c)3 nonprofit Build Carolina. Our mission is to advance South Carolina's tech community through demand-driven training, connection, and support. We currently run three programs - SC Codes, Carolina Code School and Develop Carolina.

I also serve as a speaker and presenter on topics ranging from coding education to diversity in the tech industry to life after code bootcamp. I have served as a speaker or panelist for the following:

UGA Grady College and Career Center (July 2020) - "Keys to Your Job Search in Uncertain Times" panel

Coffee + Conversation at Upstate Alliance, Greenville SC (Feb. 2020) - "The state of code education in the Upstate" 

Hir(Ed) Conference, Austin, TX (Nov. 2019) - "How the next generation of code bootcamps can serve all markets"

Summit on IT, Columbia, SC (Nov. 2019) - "From the Mountains to the Sea – issues, challenges, and opportunities related to the technology sector"

Executive Director

Backstage Communications LLC

I provide freelance project-based communication strategies and tactics for clients, ranging from traditional and digital media strategies to speaking engagement preparation, copywriting and targeted audience research.

I also contribute interviews, feature articles and copy for both national and local publications and websites.

Principal and Consultant

The Iron Yard

In this role, I was responsible for managing the entire communications arm of our marketing department. 

My team and I handled the following areas of marketing communications: research, content strategy, content creation, customer reviews, SEO, digital marketing optimization, social media, public/media relations, blogging and all things communication.

Director Of Communications

Charlotte Center City Partners

In this role, I was responsible for advancing communications objectives by working with both traditional and alternative media, writing internal and external communications pieces, and creating communications plans for specific projects, programs and events.

I created strategic plans, policies, guidelines, messaging framework and talking points, speeches, website copy, advertising copy, social media content, video scripts, event scripts, brand messaging and positioning, community relations plans, presentations and, of course, press releases.

Director of Communications

Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont

What I take away from this role more than anything is how I handled the organization's largest crisis in generations - a fire that completely devastated one of the retail stores, followed by an arson investigation. Generally in this role, I developed and implemented public relations and social media strategies to generate awareness of Goodwill and enhance the agency’s image both internally and externally.

Public Relations and Social Media Manager

The Fund for Theological Education

Communications strategy/planning
Media relations
Copy editing
Writer

Communications Consultant

Comunicano, Inc

Worked with remote team on communications for a range of technology clients. 
Analyst Relations
Media Relations
Communications Strategy
Story Development
Positioning
Messaging
Conference Speaker Booking
Trade Show Management
Awards Nominations
Event Communications

Communications Strategist

Wunderkind Public Relations

I developed thought leadership bylines and white papers on social media on behalf of the agency.

MSL (Global)

Corporate communications professional serving a variety of global and local accounts including Heidelberg, UPS Supply Chain Solutions, Coca-Cola Company, Randstad, The Home Depot, EarthLink and the Governor’s Office of Workforce Development.

Assistant Account Executive

Account Coordinator for B2B/Public Affairs team. Clients are Randstad, Heidelberg, UPS, etc.

Account Coordinator

Welcome! I’m Lelia. I serve as Executive Director for Build Carolina, a South Carolina-based 501(c)(3) with a mission to advance our tech community through demand-driven training, connection, and support. We currently run programs for everyone from beginners to career changers. 

Since 2017, it has been my absolute honor to build an organization with core values that align with my own: values including opportunity, community, collaboration, agility, diversity, and impact. 

I love to share my story and insights I have gleaned from building a nonprofit organization from the ground up. I have a unique perspective on workforce and talent development, the changing world of education and training, and career change.

I've always been drawn to writing, and I believe in the power of stories. There is nothing people connect with more than shared human experience. Stories beat marketing jargon every time.

I enjoy helping people realize their passions, understand their personal brand, gain confidence and go after new careers.

taplio

The Battle

☞ Matt Vaadi

Lelia King

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