Laura Piel
David Piel
Lauren Crider
Nicole Sollars
Kelly Stewart
Nancy Joy Widmer
Fergus
Renaissance provides expertise in recruiting and placement for administrative and executive search.
She has a proven passion for helping others – whether in the medical space working with patients, in the office managing operations, or in the salon beautifying her clients.
After nearly 20 years of working in the “People” industry, the transition into recruiting seemed inevitable. First working as a Corporate Recruiter for a national real estate developer, she later transitioned to the staffing side and embraced the agency life. Nancy Joy’s incredible ability to connect with candidates and match them to a rewarding career in their field of choice is one of the many reasons we are thankful to have her on our team.
Overachiever: Nancy Joy completed a Psychology focused Associate’s degree in addition to obtaining a Cosmetology/Aesthetician license, as she is passionate about working with people in business professional and creative settings. Outside of her love for recruitment, she recently opened her own Hair Studio, “Studio Bloom”, and enjoys the opportunity to tap into her creative side in her spare time. Specializing in Wedding venues, Bridal up-dos, and color correction, she certainly knows how to keep busy in her free-time.
Biggest Thrill: Packing up the Uhaul, fur baby, and making the big move from Oregon to the Sunny State of Arizona!
Favorite Place: A mountain top, the ocean, or poolside.
Favorite Valley Restaurant: Cold Beers and Cheeseburgers in Chandler or any restaurant with a patio in the sunshine.
Email: [email protected]
Like many who visit Renaissance, Gary started first as a temp in April of 2018. Newly rescued from life on the streets by our Vice President, he quickly eased into a permanent part-time work arrangement. Known best for his keen sense of fashion and seasonal bow tie collection, Gary enjoys tummy rubs from candidates who wait to interview in our lobby, occasional treats from our UPS delivery person and all the love and attention he gets from our staff.
Kelly joined Renaissance Personnel Group as a Recruiting Manager after having taken a workforce sabbatical to raise children. Kelly loves her current job because it allows her to champion a whole new group of “kids”. Previously, she worked in Alzheimer’s research at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Kelly earned her undergraduate degree in Business Management from California State University, Long Beach (Go Beach!) and was working on her Master’s degree in Health Administration at the University of Southern California before relocating to Minnesota. She settled in Arizona in 2002 and has been thawing out ever since!
Overachiever: An avid traveler, Kelly has been to more than 40 states and close to 20 countries – so far!
Biggest Thrill: Seeing her children perform the National Anthem at an Arizona Diamondbacks game.
Favorite Place: Spending time with family.
Favorite Valley Restaurant: Rusconi’s American Kitchen or anywhere with braised short ribs!
Email: [email protected]
Nicole joined the Renaissance team in 2018 after graduating college with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. Nicole works as a Marketing and Operations Manager for Renaissance. Nicole is responsible for designing and implementing digital marketing campaigns as well as managing the office. She loves the combination of creativity and strategy involved in Marketing as well as the fast-paced, multi-tasking that comes with an operations role. Nicole’s favorite part about working at Renaissance (besides the adorable office dogs) is working closely with the whole team to truly make a change to better people’s lives.
Overachiever: Nicole graduated Summa Cum Laude after completing her degree in only three years. Nicole earned an academic scholarship to ASU, The New American University Scholar Provost’s Award, and held a spot on the Dean’s List each semester of college.
Biggest Thrill: Jet Skiing on the ocean!
Favorite Place: The Bodensee, Germany
Favorite Valley Restaurant: Rúla Búla Irish Pub in Tempe, AZ
Email: [email protected]
Yes, he loves coming to work and he participates in most interviews. Fergus never tires of meeting new people. Skype works for the rest of the team, but not for Fergus. He much prefers the petting that comes with in-office meetings.
Since founding the company with Laura Piel in 1994, David has handled both the day-to-day operations and the strategic operational growth of Renaissance Personnel Group. From overseeing internal human resource functions to accounting and payroll, David enables the recruiting team to focus on talent while he implements the tools that help them succeed.
Prior to RPG, David worked in the hospitality and catering industries, and brings that level of customer-focused service to RPG’s clients and vendors. David also oversees RPG’s compliance with all state and federal laws and regulations.
Overachiever: David is an honors graduate of the State University of New York – Plattsburgh with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English.
Biggest Thrill: After grandkids, the five-day trek to Machu Picchu.
Favorite Place: Any trail in the White Mountains.
Favorite Valley Restaurant: Citizen Public House.
Email: [email protected]
Talent matters to Laura Piel, who built a team of corporate recruiters at Renaissance Personnel Group to bring highly sought professional staff members to its client companies and to help thousands of professionals find their next career opportunity.
Communication and business operations served as the foundation of Laura’s career—working in marketing for the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York, and then in management for luxury resorts after moving west to Arizona—but she found her niche in corporate recruitment and founded Renaissance Personnel Group in 1994 on the principles of integrity, expertise and respect.
Laura’s talent for screening and selecting candidates goes beyond traditional recruitment experience: The on-paper skills are important, but finding the right professional to invest in long term requires an understanding of the individual’s core values that are not routinely found on a resume.
Laura applies the same methodology when recruiting for internal needs, and the Renaissance staff is a reflection of her commitment to discovering great talent.
Overachiever: Laura is a member of the prestigious honor society Phi Beta Kappa and an honors graduate of St. Lawrence University. She is a graduate of the Ken Blanchard College of Business’s Executive MBA program at Grand Canyon University, was awarded a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification and is a certified personnel consultant (CPC).
Biggest Thrill: Conquering the Salkantay on a trek to Machu Picchu.
Favorite Place: Niagara on the Lake, Ontario.
Favorite Valley Restaurant: Grassroots Kitchen & Tap whenever she can get out for lunch.
Email: [email protected]
Lauren has been with Renaissance Personnel Group since college graduation in 2005. Starting as an account manager, she was promoted in 2018 to Vice President. Most of Lauren’s role focuses on cultivating and managing relationships with clients and identifying new opportunities within those existing relationships. A key component of success for Lauren is using talent assessments to match candidates within hiring companies and leveraging the results for long-term employee and employer satisfaction. Lauren educates hiring managers on how to identify and engage employees using these assessments and additionally, helps companies facilitate executive team-building retreats to ensure communication and collaboration. Lauren is a Certified Professional Values Analyst, a Certified Professional Behavioral Analyst and a Certified Professional TriMetrix HD Analyst.
Overachiever: Lauren is an honors graduate of Chapman University and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in dance. Additionally, Lauren was recently selected as one of 15 finalists out of 35,000 participants in a fitness transformation challenge with a global health and wellness company.
Biggest Thrill: Getting engaged atop Iguazu Falls in Argentina.
Favorite Place: The gym. The pool. The beach.
Favorite Valley Restaurant: If I’m being “good,” True Food Kitchen. If I’m being “bad,” anywhere with amazing cheeseburgers and sweet potato fries.
Email: [email protected]