All-In at Acara: How Damian Scandiffio Went from Cars to Acara
As one of Acara’s top salesmen, Director of Business Development Damian Scandiffio has a knack for connecting with customers to discover their workforce and talent needs. And even though he has become quite the staffing and recruiting expert, Damian didn’t begin his career in our industry. In the latest edition of our “All-In at Acara” series, learn how Damian used his prior professional experience working in the automotive sector to shape his career and land with Acara.
CAReer beginnings
I lived in Portland my entire life and graduated from Oregon State University. My first full-time job was with the National Hot Rod Association in Louisville. In my role, I traveled around the East Coast and helped to host national car shows and other events. Despite accepting this position, I didn’t know anything about cars. I guess you could say that I’m a little more well-versed now!
Packing up for Portland
After moving on from the National Hot Rod Association, I began a position at Enterprise Rent-A-Car. I managed Enterprise’s offices in the area for a few years, and while it was a rewarding experience, I felt the urge to move back out West. I eventually packed up my bags and returned to Portland, where I took a new job with a healthcare staffing agency. Even though the industry was entirely new to me, I felt comfortable right away. I knew that the staffing and recruiting space was where I was meant to be. And having been in the industry for nine years now, I was right!
Catching on with Acara
My desire to get involved with a more technical staffing company led me to Acara. Right from my first conversations with the Acara team, I noticed how so many of the employees had long-term tenures with the company. It struck me that, rather than targeting candidates who were fresh out of college, Acara looked for staffing professionals with years of experience. From my initial interviews, I learned a lot about Acara’s commitment to pursuing long-term partnerships with its clients that operated in all different industries. From aerospace/defense and advanced manufacturing to semiconductor and life sciences, Acara did it all. The company’s tremendous expertise and exposure really piqued my professional interest.
Finding his footing
I kicked off my tenure at Acara by beginning as a Director of Client Services, where I sat onsite at one of our largest national customers. This role helped me to become more aware of what our clients were truly looking for in a staffing partner. I learned the in’s and out’s of program management and built positive relationships with our client’s leaders and my contractors. This experience has proven to be a pivotal driver of my sales success in my current role as Director of Business Development. When pursuing sales opportunities, I’m able to more effectively connect with leaders because I have a better understanding of what their organizational needs are and how we’ll be able to accomplish them.
A priority on partnerships
At Acara, we oversee thousands of contingent workers on an annual basis. While this may seem like a tall task, our team is committed to our customers and able to flexibly support their wide-ranging needs. Acara’s senior executives are fully immersed in our clients’ labor programs to ensure that we’re guaranteeing workforce success. If I had to describe Acara in one word, I’d use “partnerships” as my word of choice. I’m proud to play a small part in a company that is consistently committing itself to its clients and forging impactful partnerships with its customers. Bringing people together with a purpose is our “bread and butter.” Our organization understands the common workforce challenges that our customers face, but more importantly, we know how to overcome these obstacles. That’s how our Acara team puts a personal touch on our talent solutions.
Scandiffio’s: Salespeople at heart
Both my wife and I work as salespeople. This has been a tremendous help for me throughout my career. Being able to bounce ideas off of one another has been critical in refining our sales approaches and assisting one another through challenges that may arise. With two young daughters, my wife and I work well as a team to take care of our personal and professional responsibilities. Raising a family with a full-time work schedule can be tough, but I’m grateful to work for an organization like Acara that promotes a healthy work-life balance for its employees.
Fishing for more than just sales leads
If I’m not in the office or spending time with my family, I’ll probably be fishing. Every year, my friends and I plan some awesome fishing outings. We’ll go fly fishing at the Deschutes River in the summer months, and when the weather gets cold, we’ll head up to Boise, Idaho to spend a few days ice fishing. I’ve found that getting to disconnect from society for a few days and enjoy some time in nature is the perfect remedy to refreshing your mind and body. In today’s day and age, getting to decompress is more important than ever before.
To learn more about Damian, connect with him on LinkedIn.
Interested in finding out more about Damian and the rest of our Acara team? Check out other editions of our “All-In at Acara” series here.