Merritt Staffing Management Team & Recruiters
Steven J Gage, CPA, Principal Founder and Principal
sgage@merrittstaffing.com
203-325-3799, extension 110
Prior to starting Merritt Staffing in 1989, Steve worked as a tax manager for Price Waterhouse Coopers for eight years. Steve believes in hiring good people, providing them with the tools they need to do their jobs, and giving them enough room to achieve success. Steven’s management style emphasizes hard work, focused effort, efficiency, integrity, respect and communication — characteristics which have helped to define how Merritt Staffing works with both candidates and clients. He is a graduate of Pace University.
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Mindy Gage Cofounder, Principal and Managing Director – Stamford Office
mindy@merrittstaffing.com
203-325-3799, extension 106
Mindy founded Merritt Staffing along with Steven in 1989. Prior to this, she was an executive vice president at Career Blazers, where she managed the company’s permanent placement division in New York City and White Plains. With more than 20 years of recruiting experience in Connecticut and New York, Mindy brings a tremendous amount of skill and knowledge to Merritt Staffing. Mindy specializes in networking through her personal and professional connections, as well as online. As a recruiting generalist, Mindy has extensive experience in a wide range of fields. She enjoys building long-term, trusting relationships and finding the right fit for both candidate and company. Mindy prides herself on a having a strong sense of urgency and being an excellent judge of character. She is a proud graduate of SUNY Albany.
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Jennifer Biewen Grant, CPC Managing Director and Principal – Stratford Office
jennifer@merrittstaffing.com
203-386-8800, extension 302
A Fairfield County native, Jen has been with Merritt Staffing since 1992. She has served as the Stratford office’s managing director since 1994. As one of the Stratford office’s original staff members, Jen has developed a vast network of clients and candidates over the course of her career. As a recruiting and staffing generalist, Jen has extensive experience in a wide range of areas, including office administrative, legal, human resources, accounting, marketing and customer service. Jen is well-known in local recruiting and staffing circles for being hardworking, ethical and knowledgeable, with a strong commitment to the placement process. These characteristics are demonstrated in her long working relationships with clients as she has become an extension of their human resources departments. She enjoys bringing together candidates and companies who would otherwise never meet. Jen received her Certified Personnel Consultant designation from the National Association of Personnel Services in 2000. She maintains her certification through ongoing industry-related training and education. She has a bachelor’s degree from Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, Illinois.
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Barbara Corbin Account Manager, Temporary Division – Stamford Office
barbara@merrittstaffing.com
203-325-3799, extension 103
Barbara has worked in the staffing industry for over ten years. Her ability to match client needs to candidate goals have made her indispensable to Merritt Staffing’s Temporary division, where her areas of focus include administrative and clerical placements. Since relocating from New York twelve years ago Barbara lives in Fairfield County with her husband Ken and son Matthew – who she loves to cheer on in all his sporting endeavors as well as helping him navigate through his homework. Barbara has a BBA in Marketing from Iona College.
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Marjorie Dashow Senior Account Manager – Stamford Office
carol@merrittstaffing.com
203-325-3799, extension 104
After working as a litigation attorney for four years in New York City, Marjorie began working as a recruiter for attorneys at a staffing firm in New York City. She immediately realized that she loved the staffing industry and never looked back. In 1997, she met Mindy and they started working together. After a short separation Marjorie is back with Merritt Staffing, now job sharing with Caryl Poser. Marjorie has over 10 years of experience placing a variety of positions, and working with both large and small companies in Connecticut and Westchester. She has a BA from Union College, and a JD from Brooklyn Law School.
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Michelle Kimmel Senior Account Manager – Stratford Office
michelle@merrittstaffing.com
203-386-8800, extension 309
Michelle joined Merritt’s Stratford office in November 2012. She has more than 20 years of experience as a staffing professional, including being one of the first recruiters when Merritt’s original office opened in Stamford in 1989. Michelle began her career in the staffing industry working on retained and contingent searches. She is dedicated and loyal and has an in-depth knowledge of the recruitment and staffing industries. Over the years Michelle has developed a unique style as both a recruiter and a consultant. By consulting with candidates and client companies, she develops resumes and job descriptions, conducts competitive salary analysis and counsels both sides with all issues as they relate to job and career development. Michelle’s networking style is best described as “focused and diligent,“ and includes personal contacts, company databases, social media, active recruiting and referrals. Her industry success can be traced to extensive experience, dedication, an outstanding network of applicants and clients, an eye for nuances that can result in a great staffing match, and a willingness to closely research both sides of the recruiting and staffing process. Michelle received her bachelor’s degree from State University of New York College at Buffalo and her master’s degree from New York University.
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Caryl Ferber Poser, CPC Senior Account Manager – Stamford Office
caryl@merrittstaffing.com
203-325-3799, extension 104
Caryl’s successful career in the industry began in 1983, working for Division 10 Personnel in New York City. Within a short time she was recognized as the company’s top producer nationwide. After marrying and moving to the suburbs she worked at Career Blazers in White Plains and then headed north to Stamford, joining Merritt Staffing in 2011. Her areas of focus include office support, sales, IT and financial positions. Caryl attributes her successful career to her commitment to matching talented people with quality companies and maintaining longstanding relationships, both personally and professionally. Her naturally warm and easygoing manner benefits her clients as she continues to expand her network of applicants and companies. Caryl continues to embrace the industry’s constantly changing landscape by using the most current tools to make successful placements. Caryl has achieved designation as a Certified Personnel Consultant, and is a former vice president of the National Association of Professional Saleswomen. She currently serves on the Alpha Epsilon Phi sorority foundation board and the Westchester board of Hadassah and she has a long history of community service. She is a graduate of the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.
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Lisa Trask Senior Account Manager – Stratford Office
lisa@merrittstaffing.com
203-386-8800, extension 305
Lisa has worked in the staffing field for more than 30 years, including more than 15 with Merritt Staffing. She began her career in 1985 working for a national staffing firm that concentrated on temporary staffing services in Westchester County and New York City. While working in Manhattan, Lisa’s clients included Citibank, Chemical Bank, McKinsey & Co., Xerox, Teachers Insurance and Colgate. After 11 years, she transitioned to direct hire placement. Her current focus areas include all levels of corporate administrative staffing. Lisa’s networking style incorporates a wide variety of techniques including social media sites such as LinkedIn, email blasts, personal referrals and applicant referrals. Her approach to recruiting is personable, responsive and proactive. She thrives on the urgency and fast pace of working on multiple staffing jobs at once and in making the perfect match for both her applicants and clients. Lisa received her bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in business administration from Rosemont College in Rosemont, Pennsylvania.