Meet Mindy Holden, senior vice president of procurement and real estate for The Adecco Group, the global staffing solutions company that moved its North American headquarters to Jacksonville in 2014. She joined Adecco in March and moved to the area in April. She and her husband live in Ponte Vedra Beach.
We have about 600-plus branch locations, including our headquarters, across North America. As they come up for renewal, we are looking to place the branch in either new space or renew in their current space. We’re responsible for the furniture. I’m a huge believer that the office environment, if done properly, can absolutely drive employee morale up.
On the procurement side, if you think about the things that you need to run a business, if you think about technology, the many, many things that a company needs to get better, we want to try to get the right suppliers that are our true partners and work together to drive value for the company.
It’s all about the people. Listen to the people and help deliver the right product and the right culture. The furniture and the setup of the offices can really help with that. Today, offices are really about being open, warm, inviting and with collaboration spaces.
I grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. I was a bit of a rambunctious child and did not want to go to college. I took the hard path. I went to work because I had a daughter and worked for a wonderful man who encouraged me to take a class at night. The company paid for it and for 14 years, at night, while working full time, I went to school at the University of Maryland and ultimately graduated. Not the traditional route, but nonetheless an incredible ride.
We’re so happy to be in Jacksonville. The climate is fantastic. I see so much potential here for business growth. If I could go back in time, I would have moved here a long, long time ago and we would have raised our children here.
We have three wonderful children – two in Charlotte and one in Baltimore. Being here in Jacksonville, they love to visit us now.
We have two new goldendoodle puppies, two females, Molly and Colby. They are just incredible.
I love gardening. I’m learning the Florida landscape and what works and what doesn’t work. I’ve tried to grow broccoli five times. One of these days I’m going to get it right.