EP 30 Fantastic Stickers With Tracie Kalmar
The guys talk to Tracie Kalmar about how tough it was to work with Steve (which she claims was great), building culture, cutesy stickers, interviewing for humility, and a lot more. Listeners get an update on Steve's cat flooding his bathrooms and Tony gets exposed for saying the word fantastic too much. The guys introduce a new charity you can work with and the word strategic gets said more often than you'd expect.
Learn more about Tracie Kalmar at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracie-kalmar-09b043121/
Learn more about Tony "Two Weeks' Notice" Benjamin at: https://www.thegrangellc.com/
Learn more about Steven "Big Deal" Smith at: https://thehiringtreebook.com/
Learn more about the books mentioned on the podcast at: https://thehiringtreebook.com/hr-life-podcast
Learn more about our sponsor at: https://www.megastarhr.com/
Learn more about Pucks for Autism at: https://www.pucksforautism.com/
Tracie's goal is to create and maintain a culture that fosters growth and continual improvement, all while balancing the needs of employees and embracing that we are all humans serving humans. She recruits and finds the right position for the right people while delivering the most comfortable experience, and also strives to have active communication with the new hire for not only the onboarding and training process but building trust between all parties.
Learn more about Tracie Kalmar at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracie-kalmar-09b043121/
Learn more about Tony "Two Weeks' Notice" Benjamin at: https://www.thegrangellc.com/
Learn more about Steven "Big Deal" Smith at: https://thehiringtreebook.com/
Learn more about the books mentioned on the podcast at: https://thehiringtreebook.com/hr-life-podcast
Learn more about our sponsor at: https://www.megastarhr.com/
Learn more about Pucks for Autism at: https://www.pucksforautism.com/
Tracie's goal is to create and maintain a culture that fosters growth and continual improvement, all while balancing the needs of employees and embracing that we are all humans serving humans. She recruits and finds the right position for the right people while delivering the most comfortable experience, and also strives to have active communication with the new hire for not only the onboarding and training process but building trust between all parties.
Creators and Guests
Host
Steven "Big Deal" Smith
Steve will be the first to tell you that recruiting is marketing. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Finance at Brigham Young University and started his career in recruiting in Feb 2005. In 2008, he took a risk during a recession to help start a new company with Ryan Kohler, called ApplicantPro, a full suite HR platform for small to mid-sized businesses. In March 2025, ApplicantPro became iSolved Talent Acquisition, now serving 177,000 clients and close to 9800 employees. Before the merger, ApplicantPro made the Inc 5000 list 12 years in a row, Top Places to work in Utah 3 years in a row, and Steve was named the Small Business Utah HR Achievement Award winner in May 2024. iSolved was also named an Indeed Platinum Partner in 2023, 2024, and 2025 and is one of only ten ATS platforms in the country to obtain that designation. SHRM-CP & PHR certified, Steve currently volunteers on the Utah SHRM State Council as the immediate past State Executive Director. His book, The Hiring Tree: Laws of Applicant Attraction, was released in early 2023, and has helped thousands of organizations across the country rethink their approach to hiring. If you need help understanding the principles and role of SEO, marketing, and AI when it comes to attracting job seekers, Steve provides a solid framework for hiring effectively.
Host
Tony "Two Weeks Notice" Benjamin
I am a unique HR leader with more than 20 years’ experience working for some of Utah’s oldest, fastest growing, and most well-known companies. My experience includes Superior Drilling Products, Air Medical Resource Group, Control4, Ovivo USA and Deseret Book. I am a regionally recognized authority on building successful cultures and am an alumni speaker at DisruptHR SLC and DisruptHR St. George. I have earned an MBA from the University of Phoenix, a Bachelor’s degree from Utah State University, and am a certified Professional of Human Resources (PHR). I'm married to a woman out of my league, have three brilliant kids I doesn’t deserve and, although I travel a lot, live in Vernal, Utah.
