Ground Floor: Human resources veteran in Coralville strikes out on his own

CORALVILLE — Russ Curry started his new business, Wide Prairie HR, LLC, on June 14, after recognizing that he had skills many small- to medium-sized companies lack.

'Many companies have (human resources) needs they aren't aware they have, and they have HR liabilities they aren't aware they have,' Curry said. 'One of the reasons I started this company is that I have a substantial amount of experience to offer them.'

Curry has more than 25 years of experience as a human resources professional, including the last 15 years at an executive level. Although he has worked for only a handful of companies over his career, he said the diversity of his past employers is a strength.

'I've worked for public and private companies ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies; I've worked in manufacturing, retail, technology and logistics/transportation,' he said. 'I have broad experience dealing with different types of industries and professions.'

Curry said he had been thinking about going out on his own for the last seven or eight years.

'I have an entrepreneurial spirit,' he said. 'I have that aptitude and passion inside of me to direct my own path.'

He finally decided to make the move when faced with caring for an unwell parent while working at a job two hours away from his Coralville home.

'I looked at it as a sign,' he said. 'That was the trigger, but I had been considering it for a long time.'

Curry resigned from his position as director of human resources at a southeast Iowa manufacturing company in February and began the process of setting up his own business. One of the first things he did was meet with his personal accountant, who advised him on many topics, including the importance of having customer acquisition strategies.

'One critical thing for any entrepreneur to think about is who are my base customers, who can I call on,' Curry said.

Comfortable that his large professional network provided a suitable pool of potential clients, Curry went to work on his business model.

'I identified the four or five things that are most important to a wide range of employers that I can do well,' he said.

Through that analysis, Curry developed a comprehensive menu of services to offer employers, including talent development, strategic planning, manager and supervisor training, and diversity and inclusion training, in addition to general human resources functional support.

Curry said two things that set his company apart from other human resources service providers are the breadth of what he offers and the flexibility to customize his services.

'I build my training individually for every single client,' he noted.

Curry said his services are available to companies of any size and shape that need human resources support.

AT A GLANCE

Owner: Russ Curry

Business: Wide Prairie HR, LLC

Email: info@wideprairiehr.com

Phone: (319) 541-7498

Website: www.wideprairiehr.com

Know a company or manager who has been in business for less than a year that would be ideal for 'Ground Floor'? Contact Francie Williamson at francie.williamson@thegazette.com