Thoughts from a First-Time Grandfather There is a specific kind of “noise” we all carry. It’s the hum of unfinished emails, the pressure of quarterly targets, and the mental weight of a to-do list that never ends. We spend so much time sprinting toward the next finish line that we often forget to look […]
Grant Otto on what 1,000 feet underwater can teach us about career purpose and the power of “waiting.” “The biggest ‘career moves’ don’t start with a resume; they start with curiosity.” I recently sat down with Grant Otto, a marine scientist and researcher specializing in marine robotics. If that sounds like […]
In his latest interview with WDEL’s Peter MacArthur, Placers President Chris Burkhard offers a grounded perspective on the current employment landscape. While February’s loss of 92,000 jobs nationally (following a gain of 130,000 in January) may seem alarming, Chris suggests the market is simply “normalizing.” Key Insights for Delaware Business Leaders: The 5.2% […]
Leaders spend a lot of time thinking about strategy, hiring, and growth. But culture is often shaped by something much smaller: the expectations we reinforce every day. Over the course of my career, I’ve sat through more bad meetings than I care to count. Meetings with no agenda. Too many people in the […]
A conversation with community banker Marc Pelletier on trust, credit, and how entrepreneurs can walk into the bank with confidence I’ve met many people over the years who have helped shape my business, but today’s guest holds a special place in my story. On this episode of Outside Insights, I sat […]
The Placers 500, the race to our critical number, and how we win by putting people first Every year at Placers, we choose a theme that’s more than a phrase on a slide or a poster on a wall. It becomes a lens, a story, and a way to see our work, our people, […]
Why slowing down, listening better, and taking the long way still matters I sat down with Jeff Ton expecting a conversation about leadership and history. What I didn’t expect was how much we’d end up talking about attention, where we place it, how rarely we slow down, and what happens when we […]
Chris Burkhard, President of Placers Staffing, joins WDEL host Peter MacArthur to break down the current state of the Delaware and national job markets in early 2026. In this interview, you will learn: – Why Delaware’s unemployment rate is now above 5% and what that means for the state’s economy. – How the […]
Why looking back honestly is the best way to plan what’s next Every year, I set goals. I’ll be the first to admit I have an overcomplicated way of thinking about my year. You don’t need to do it my way. Do what works for you. The point is to choose a path […]
What building, letting go, and choosing life taught Sam Maddula about leadership, values, and what really matters I had the opportunity to sit down with Sam Maddula, a founder whose career does not fit a clean headline. What stood out immediately wasn’t the size of the business he built, but the decisions […]
