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CareerPlug Wins Gold Stevie® Award For Achievement in Sustainability in 2024 Stevie Awards for Women in Business

PRESS RELEASE: [AUSTIN, TX] – November 11, 2024 – CareerPlug has been named the winner of a Gold Stevie® Award in the Achievement in Sustainability category in the 21st annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business.

The Stevie Awards for Women in Business honor the achievements of women executives, entrepreneurs, employees, and the companies they run – worldwide.  The Stevie Awards have been hailed as the world’s premier business award.

Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word for “crowned,” the awards were presented to winners last night during a gala event attended by nominees and their guests at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.  The event was broadcast via Vimeo. 

More than 1,500 entries from organizations and individuals in 36 nations and territories were submitted this year for consideration in more than 100 categories, including Executive of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, Company of the Year, Startup of the Year, Women Helping Women, and Women Run Workplace of the Year.  

CareerPlug received the Stevie® Award for Achievement in Sustainability in recognition of its partnership with the global nonprofit WeForest, through which the company has planted 20,000 trees in Zambia’s Copperbelt. By planting a tree for every first hire made on its platform, CareerPlug integrates environmental responsibility directly into its business model, creating a lasting impact that aligns with its mission. This initiative not only helps restore ecosystems and support biodiversity but also highlights CareerPlug’s commitment to aligning business success with global sustainability efforts.

Jenny Leman, President of CareerPlug, expressed how meaningful this recognition is for the company, “I’m so honored and excited that CareerPlug has been chosen for the 2024 Stevie Sustainability Award! This means so much to us, especially because it ties directly into our commitment to making a positive impact on the planet as we operate our business ongoing. Getting to contribute to reforestation projects through our Partnership with WeForest is so rewarding.  And through our Founder’s Vision, we’ve found a way to make it even more meaningful as it’s connected to our own Purpose of helping small business owners make critical hires to realize their own dreams. CareerPlug is proud to participate in creating a more sustainable future!”

Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners were determined by the average scores of more than 200 business professionals around the world, working on seven juries.  

Details about the Stevie Awards for Women in Business and the list of winners in all categories are available at www.StevieAwards.com/Women.  

Entries for the 2025 Stevie Awards for Women in Business will open in May.  

For press inquiries, please contact Lauren Torregrossa: ltorregrossa@careerplug.com

About CareerPlug

CareerPlug was founded in 2007 in the heart of Austin, Texas by Clint Smith. He had a simple vision to make hiring easier for busy business leaders. Today we are the preferred partner to over 400 hundred franchise brands and member-based organizations, as well as over 60,000 business owners. Together, we are achieving our purpose of empowering teams to grow by making it easier for managers to hire and retain the right people. 

Our software is easy-to-use and built for busy owners and managers who are not HR professionals but still need to hire and retain their teams. CareerPlug has a proven playbook that has helped our clients build a winning culture, hire faster, and retain great people. In addition to innovative tools that streamline and automate time-consuming HR tasks, we offer exceptional client support to help you hire, grow, and retain your team. 

About the Stevie® Awards 

Stevie Awards are conferred in nine programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, the Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards®, The International Business Awards®, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, the Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence, and the Stevie Awards for Women in Business.  Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 70 nations and territories. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at http://www.StevieAwards.com.

HCLTech sponsored the Women in Technology categories in the 2024 competition.

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Originally from small town in central Texas, Ashley Johnson graduated from Texas State University in 2013 with a degree in Business Administration. She was hired by CareerPlug as a Talent Specialist in 2014, and moved up to ultimately lead the Recruitment Services team. From there, she pivoted to Implementation, and is now the Implementation Manager.

As the Implementation Manager, Ashley and 3 direct reports function as a transition between Sales and Partner Success in helping our clients get set up and established in our software. She spends her free time raising her 2 dogs, playing cornhole, and perfecting the art of charcuterie.

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Chris accidentally started a 20-year career in franchising when he was 18 years old and took a job painting houses for College Pro Painters. That job turned into the ownership of his first franchise (a house painting franchise). While at Monmouth College in IL, he operated his business, played on the varsity football team, and studied to become a teacher.

The taste of entrepreneurship and desire to coach others led Chris deeper into franchising, working with a few franchise brands helping them grow their businesses. He lived in the Chicagoland area his entire life until recently moving his family to Austin, TX.

In his free time Chris coaches youth sports, especially youth football, and spends as much time as he can with his wife and 2 children.

Jenny Leman

President

Native to Texas, Jenny graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2004 and joined CareerPlug in 2017. She retired her first career path as a Registered Dietitian after 10 years, and has found her true belonging in business operations.

As CareerPlug’s President, Jenny leads all teams to an aligned effort toward achieving our vision. She works to build healthy and scalable internal systems to equip and empower the CareerPlug teams to bring their best for our clients. She loves contributing new ideas and rethinking the status quo. Jenny really connects with the company’s core values, but especially with our intent to “Keep Growing.”

In her non-work life, Jenny enjoys time with her family, playing drums and performing with the Austin Samba School, and finding excuses to be on the lake.

Clint Smith

Founder & CEO

Clint founded CareerPlug in 2007 with the simple idea that there was a better way to help employers connect with quality applicants. Today Clint works every day to fulfill CareerPlug’s mission: Make Hiring Easier. Leading by example, Clint loves spending his time developing new ideas and teaching others.

After graduating from the University of Florida, Clint worked in investment banking and strategic marketing; both experiences influenced the development of CareerPlug. He also spent a year away from the business world teaching 5th grade in Boulder.

Clint is passionate about helping others succeed and is involved in numerous mentoring programs. He and his wife, Sarah, are also foster parents. Clint enjoys family time, beach volleyball, and outdoor adventures.