Meet the Team

What might have just started out as an idea for Travis Powell our President resulted a family of companies, one of those being Essential Personnel. His goal was to make a difference in the community which contributed to Essential Personnel’s growth. (He may not have realized with this goal he’d get a lot of awesome employees). Travis is an active community member, serving on various boards such as the Goodwill Industries Foundation and Nebraska Christian Schools to coaching his son’s sports teams and being a dance dad to two daughters. As a child, Travis knew he wanted to own his own company and worked hard to make that happen. In his free time Travis enjoys spending time with his family, attending sporting events and snow skiing. 

If you’ve worked with Essential Personnel, you’ve heard (or maybe not) of our Regional Manager Rodney Christensen. (You’ve probably heard of him because he’s kind of loud). Rodney is our Regional Manager and is responsible for keeping all the Branch Managers in line. Rodney has been a part of the Essential Personnel team since 2011 and has kept everyone on their toes since. When asked what his hobbies are outside of work, he answered my three kids keep me young with all their sporting events (which he finds himself coaching often) and activities. He even enjoys participating in a pickup basketball game or volleyball game every so often!

Being a cat mom isn’t the only responsibility of Jessica Slama’s. Jessica joined Essential Personnel in 2014 and is responsible for managing our Columbus Branch. As a child, Jessica wanted to be an Engineer, now she engineers people’s careers by helping place them into positions and companies where they can build a career. When asked, what childhood lesson has set her up for success she says, “My dad shaped my work ethic into what it is today by teaching me from a young age about accountability and why it’s so important in our daily lives”. We also discovered she gets her excitable personality from her mother. Outside of the office, Jessica is busy building an at home library, going on adventures with her husband Ian, and spoiling their cat Paisley. 

Boy, are we lucky to have Connie Wilson as our Norfolk Branch Manager. Connie has a passion for the staffing industry and working with clients to help them find the employees they are looking for and working with the candidates to find the job for them! As a child, Connie wanted to be a cosmetologist so working with people has always been important to her! Connie’s passion outside of work is adoption, she has been very fortunate to have an adopted daughter and knows how impactful that is for not only the child but the parents as well! What keeps Connie busy outside of the office? Two things, her poodle mix dog Bloo and playing detective while watching crime story shows.

Meet Nicole Kennedy, our Director of Operations and Training.  Nicole started her career at Essential Personnel in 2012, after working as a Corporate Recruiter.  As a child, Nicole planned on becoming lawyer, but realized that required a lot of college.  When asked, what drew her to working for Essential Personnel, she answered, the ability to learn new things and knowing that no two days are alike.  What makes Nicole unique in her profession?  She has been able to work various positions within the company that has allowed her to learn different aspects of the business.  What keeps Nicole busy outside of the office?  She spends her free time going to concerts, watching sports, and spending time with her niece.

Having a passion for numbers since high school, Jamie Logue, joined our Essential family in 2021 as our Senior Corporate Administrator. Prior to Essential Personnel Jamie worked in academia, public accounting, not-for profit organizations, and administration. When asked what drew her interest to our company, her response was, “This was a career change for me, and I was excited about a new challenge. I also loved the idea of working for a company with Christian values.” What does Jamie do for Essential Personnel? She wears many hats: payroll, human resources, accounting, budgeting, etc. Who is Jamie outside of the office? Jamie is busy with her husband, three step children, and two dogs. As a family, they dedicate a lot of their time to their faith, attending church activities, being active in children’s ministry, and supporting the Creation Instruction Association: https://www.creationinstruction.org/ and Miriam’s Hope: https://www.miriamshope.com/ organizations.  

Pamela Graham is our multitalented Fremont Branch Manager. Prior to her position as Branch Manager, Pamela worked in retail for over 20 years. When asked why she chose a career change with Essential Personnel, she answered, the ability to help people in an impactful way. What is Pam’s motivation to succeed? Watching other people succeed and helping be a part of their success. What keeps Pamela busy outside of work? Her five kids, her husband, their Pitbull Luna and ball python Ghost. In her free time, she enjoys crafts, reality television shows, and watching her kids’ sports activities. What it the most valuable lesson Pam has learned thus far? Every day is a gift, Love and Live like it was your last.

Need more information or want to get started? Contact our Kearney branch office today at kearney@essentialpersonnel.com. We look forward to working with you. 

Chad Plueger is the face of our Des Moines location.  Prior to working for Essential Personnel, Chad has worked in the service industry for 20+ years.  When asked why he came to work for Essential Personnel, Chad said it was an easy transition for him, their vision and experience made it an easy decision for him to join in on the growth opportunities the company has to offer!  What is Chad’s motivation to be successful?  He answers, I get tremendous motivation by inspiring others to believe in themselves to do better and winning. Coaching and mentoring staff members and seeing them grow brings me all the success I need.  So, who is Chad outside of work?  Chad’s hobbies include camping, boating, fishing, hunting.