All-In at Acara: How Roger Newman Spurred Acara’s Growth and Success in the Southeast

With aspirations of becoming a lawyer but eager to start working right out of college, Roger Newman landed a job with Acara as a Recruitment Specialist and hasn’t looked back since. Beginning his professional career in 2012, Roger has risen through the Acara recruitment ranks and is now a Director of Recruiting.

In the latest edition of our “All-In at Acara” series, learn how Roger’s motivation and result-driven attitude have helped play an important role in growing Acara’s Southeast and MSP presence.

Aspirations in law

I grew up in beautiful Melbourne, Florida which is located southeast of Orlando on the Space Coast. When I was younger, I lived in Wisconsin for a few years and in Boca Raton, Florida during college, before making Melbourne my home again. I studied at Florida Atlantic University where I earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management with a minor in Business Law. My original plan was to become a lawyer, but that got placed on the back burner because I was eager to start putting my degree to work.

Worth the drive

Shortly after graduating, I was fortunate to land a job at Superior Group—now Acara Solutions. For my first six months, there was no space in the Palm Bay office for me so I commuted one hour each way to our then Orlando office. The Palm Bay office has since moved to Melbourne and we are doubling in size and opening a second Melbourne office. Exciting times ahead!

A career at Acara

In July, it will be ten years since I began my career with Acara. It’s been quite the journey working my way up from Recruitment Specialist to Recruiting Manager to now Director of Recruiting. During my early years at Acara, I recruited specifically on one large MSP client nationwide. Due to the fierce talent acquisition industry competition, I learned the importance of sourcing and recruiting candidates quickly. Now as Director of Recruiting, I lead, train, and oversee a team of 15 recruiters responsible for filling Acara’s candidate pipeline with top talent. I’m also tasked with assisting with our MSP accounts.

Always up for a challenge

What excites me most about my job is that I never experience the same day twice and am always learning something new and being challenged. In working with my clients—across multiple industries—I’m able to learn about the products and services they provide to their customers. I’ve met clients that have launched the space shuttle and others that are helping to fight wars overseas. Over the past ten years, I have enjoyed transitioning from recruiting to working hands-on with my team. When a new recruiter joins Acara, I try to coach and mentor him/her to be prepared for the roller coaster of emotions that will be experienced each day. Acara provides its employees with tools and opportunities to grow and advance within the organization and if I had to describe the company in one word it would be limitless.

A look at the future

All companies are hiring, and the labor market is extremely competitive right now. Candidates are receiving three or four offers at once. When I first started working as a recruiter in the talent acquisition industry, candidates were sent a packet of paperwork to fill out and return as part of onboarding. Today, we operate in a digitized environment where technology has automated several of the steps in the hiring process. I suspect that AI will continue to create efficiencies in resume screening.

Love for the outdoors and football

At any given time when I’m not working, you can find me relaxing at the beach with my wife or playing golf with my friends. There’s nothing better than being outside in the Florida sunshine. I’m also a huge football fan. During the fall, I go down to Miami to watch Dolphin football games with my dad. Fins up and Go Pack Go!

To learn more about Roger Newman, connect with him on LinkedIn.

Interested in finding out more about the rest of our Acara team? Check out other editions of our “All-In at Acara” series here