OUR TEAM

John Sr. & Meri

John and Meri Burton founded Emerald Staffing in 1978 – They have mentored many great professionals throughout the years.  Their honest and dedicated approaches to business are the building blocks which shaped Emerald’s foundation and success!

Fun Fact:  They met in grade school and have been together for over 70 years – They speak on the phone every Emerald work day at 9am

John Jr.

John Jr. is the President and Senior Recruiter on the Recruiting Team of Emerald Staffing. Being a native Oregonian, John has been able to cultivate a network that brings talented people to accomplished employers. John is actively involved in the Oregon board for the American Staffing Association, a Panelist speaker for the Occupational Safety & Health Administration, a Panelist Speaker for the 2019 Pay Equity Act Seminar, and a leader in compliance. Being involved in continued education assists John’s expansive knowledge helping him navigate through different industries seamlessly.

With over 40 years of experience, John has helped build successful corporate teams across the nation. Since starting in 1985, John has helped build the Emerald Brand from 3 employees to over 100 today. Being pliable in today’s market helps John work with hundreds of firms, spanning multiple industries, assisting with Executive placement. John believes the best approach is to listen to the client’s needs to assess what didn’t work or why the position is open. To experience continued growth, John reverses engineers the process by building a candidate profile that will fulfill and exceed his client’s needs. Finding the proper candidate takes skill, understanding, vision, and dedicated work.

Why do you love PDX? Simple…The people! Portland is a big city with an awesome crowd – Our people are kind, caring and involved… We all care about one another.

Favorite TV Series? Netflix, House of Cards

Greatest hope? That Santa Claus is a real person and I can figure out how to transfer my perfect golf game from the driving range to the actual course.

Bonus Question:If reincarnation was possible, what would you “come back” as? Denzel Washington

Katy

Katy is a dependable HR Associate on the Client Relations & Payroll Team on Emerald Staffing. Having the mindset that if you work hard, are honest, reliable, and dedicated, has propelled Katy’s ability to relate to clients and employees. Staying up to date with state & federal rulings that can affect Oregon’s employment legislation, Katy can develop and evolve Emerald Staffing’s operating procedures to help consultative support to clients and employees.

Katy has successfully worked in the staffing industry since 2012, gaining an understanding of new advancements and strategies, keeping clients and employees engaged. Prior to Emerald Staffing, Katy advanced her career as a branch manager for a Minnesota home-town business. Since joining Emerald Staffing, Katy began at Reception, learning the industry and clients, grew into an Executive Assistant to the President, took on Payroll and HR, and now oversees Client Relations & Operations. Working with new clients is exciting, working with established clients is rewarding, but Katy thrives in relationship building regardless if already established or new.

Where did you grow up? I’m a midwesterner and grew up in Minnesota

Favorite Sport? Hockey

What do you do here at Emerald Staffing? My position involves anything and everything that falls within Client Relations and Operations – payroll, human resources, new hire onboarding and benefits, accounting & credit management, and a variety of marketing and policy coordination.

What do you enjoy about staffing? Every client is unique, and every job is different… The diversity is what makes Staffing a world of its own. My team is the best; we get the job done, jam out to our favorite tunes, and have little bit fun.

Alyssa

Juliet

Where did you grow up? I grew up in Pleasant Hill, CA. There is nothing I love more than hiking around the hills near my house!

What would you come back as, if reincarnation was a thing? I would come back as a river otter! There is nothing I would rather do than lay on my back all day and eat food!

What do you do here at Emerald Staffing? As a Recruiter, I get to work one-on-one with candidates and clients to match their employment needs. My job is never boring, and I am learning something new about the job market!

What do you enjoy about Staffing? What I enjoy most about staffing is getting to chat with candidates every day and hear about their experiences that have brought them to me. I enjoy working with clients and understanding how they run their operations.

Heather

Heather is a detailed Staffing Consultant on the Recruiting Team of Emerald Staffing. Having a passion for people, Heather has a proactive approach to assist in full-cycle recruiting, account management, and client/employee consulting. Proactively engaging with clients, Heather has been able to learn about new industries, skillsets, and the recipe for success. Heather utilizes her passion for people to leverage job seekers’ expertise to advocate for their next career step. Being able to understand both sides of the hiring process, Heather is an organized staffing consultant providing dependable results.

Heather has successfully utilized her impeccable customer service experience to gain marketplace presence in the staffing industry. Since graduating from the Florida State University, Heather started with Delta Airlines specializing in flight customer service and operations. After moving to Oregon, Heather joined the Emerald Staffing team with a new-found passion for job seekers and matching awesome people to the right jobs.

Where did you grow up? I grew up in Winter Park, Florida – which is still one of my favorite suburbs in the US!

What would you come back as, if reincarnation was a thing? I would come back as a house cat, so I could sleep on average of 15 hours a day. It would be a welcomed change of pace to my lifestyle (for a little while at least).

What do you do here at Emerald Staffing? As a recruiter, I get to understand the needs and wants of clients and candidates alike. I then use that knowledge to find perfect matches between the two.

What do you enjoy about Staffing? I enjoy meeting and talking with so many different people throughout my day. It never gets lonely!

Nick

Nick is a Senior Staffing Consultant on the Recruiting Team of Emerald Staffing. Having direct fundamentals to help incredible companies find outstanding employees, he focuses on building long term partnerships. Nick takes the time to create a goal-oriented rapport with his clients to succeed in a placement that compliments the company’s already established uniqueness and success. Using the same strategy, Nick provides job seekers with confidence, marketplace tools, and staffing insight to help them be successful in their job search. Seeing 700 individuals annually, Nick leverages his relationships with clients and employees to build a network that creates successful outcomes for all parties.

Nick has successfully utilized his customer service experience to gain trusted partnerships in the staffing industry. While at Portland State University, Nick worked at OHSU in the IRU Unit specializing in inpatient services. Since joining Emerald Staffing, Nick has placed hundreds of entry-level to executive-level candidates in a broad range of industries. Utilizing the skills he gained from his first career step, Nick can empathize and understand the full range of the job and candidate search. By doing so, Nick has created a network of driven professionals with roles in Medical, Legal, Real Estate, Insurance, Banking, Non-Profit, and Manufacturing.

Where did you grow up? It all began in a ranch style house off South Shore Road in Lake Oswego, Oregon. I have been local to these parts for 26 years.

What would you come back as, if reincarnation was a thing? If I were to be reincarnated, I would come back as a Red Panda. If you just asked yourself, “what is a Red Panda?”. Do yourself a favor, take 5 minutes out of your day and look them up.

What do you do here at Emerald Staffing? Great question. The short answer is listening to the needs of my clients and candidates and providing mindful advice on how to solve complex situations.

What do you enjoy about staffing? The benefits of being a recruiter are endless. I get the most satisfaction out of the relationships that are built with our clients, the gratification I get after helping place a hard-working candidate and the fact that no two days are ever alike.

Favorite industry to staff for? Every industry has its own lure, but my favorite industry to staff for is the medical industry. There is an overabundance of material to learn and never a dull moment.

Mary

Mary is a top-producing Staffing Consultant on the Recruiting Team of Emerald Staffing. Having a passion for understanding her clients’ needs, Mary has a decisive consultative approach to assist clients throughout the hiring process (job order, interview process, offer). Possessing the ability to uncover and understand unique skillsets, Mary utilizes her strengths to help job seekers find the right company that aligns with their career goals. Being pliable in both the client and candidate marketplace, Mary is a confident staffing consultant providing dependable results.

Mary has successfully worked in the staffing industry for 6+ years, gaining extensive knowledge placing entry-level candidates to executives. In the first 3 years of her career, Mary worked for Terra Staffing Group specializing in manufacturing. Mary was dedicated to placing entry-level to management roles with fast-paced timelines. Since joining Emerald Staffing 3 years ago, Mary has placed hundreds of entry-level to executive-level candidates in a diverse portfolio, with placements in Medical, Insurance, Banking, Legal, Real Estate, Non-Profit, and Manufacturing.

Where did you grow up? I grew up in Shelton, CT. Not many people have heard of it. It takes about 15 minutes to drive through. I loved growing up in a small town, it was quaint and charming (not Gilmore Girls quaint, but pretty close).

What would you come back as, if reincarnation was a thing? Good question! If reincarnated… I would probably come back as an octopus. It’s weird because I hate being in the ocean, but I’ve always been fascinated by them. They’re such smart and interesting creatures. I would also love to have more than 2 arms to get things done.

What do you do here at Emerald Staffing? I am a recruiter here at Emerald. I work with clients all over the Portland Metro Area, assisting them in finding good talent for their open positions. I meet many many job seekers throughout the week and love learning more about people’s experiences and meeting new faces.

What do you enjoy about staffing? Staffing keeps me on my toes! It is a very fast paced, ever changing job, where I’m constantly switching gears and having to come up with solutions to everyday staffing problems, whether it’s helping a client find that right candidate, or assisting a candidate in prepping for a big interview. Not one day is the same. It’s somewhat of an adrenaline rush, and I feed off that.

Favorite industry to staff for? That’s a tough one. I love the variety of industry that I staff for. I’m always learning about new jobs in different fields. I’d like to plead the fifth on this one.

Thoreau

Favorite Food: Tuna & String Cheese (cut up into tiny pieces)
Favorite Activity: Chasing birds and watching my dad garden.
Favorite YouTube: Birds in the Park (in High Definition)

Sookie Mae

Favorite Food: Butter
Favorite Activity: Running rampant throughout the house at 1:00AM
Favorite YouTube: Bird Sounds and Squirrels Extravaganza

Watson

Favorite Food: Frozen bananas with peanut butter
Favorite Activity: Gathering toys for play time
Fondest Puppy Moment: Chasing the sprinkler

Goose

Favorite Food: Everything…Especially grilled cheese sandwiches
Favorite Activity: Playing with my pal Auggie
Favorite YouTube: Funny Guilty Dog Video Compilation (Best of 2016)

Frank

Favorite Food: Mice
Favorite Activity: Attacking John
Favorite YouTube: Sad Cat Diaries

Auggie

Favorite Food: Whatever Goose doesn’t eat
Favorite Activity: Playing with my pal Goose
Favorite YouTube: Throwing My Dogs a Pool Party

Cooper & Ajax

Favorite Food: Popcorn, Kettle Corn, Socks… we aren’t picky!
Favorite Activity: Around 4pm; the Zoomies
Favorite Time of Year: Halloween – so many friends want to hang out but our humans won’t let them stay.

Charlie

Favorite Food: Anything on the floor
Favorite Activity: Stalking and pouncing the humans
Favorite YouTube: Catching Fish (Entertainment Videos for Cats to Watch)