“Building Something Special”: Hailey Canon’s Role in Growing Addison Group and Her Career

Addison Group is one of the largest staffing firms in the country, with 25 office locations in 16 states nationwide. But it didn’t get that way on its own. 

Hailey Canon, Regional Vice President of Finance and Accounting, was part of the very first step of Addison Group’s expansion from its original Chicago office. Without her instrumental role in opening up the Houston location in 2004 — the first Addison Group office outside of Chicago — there’s no telling whether the company’s expansions across the U.S. would be as extensive or successful.

Laying the Groundwork

Canon’s own success, however, would have never happened if she didn’t take a flier on herself and Addison Group as a whole. Before joining what was essentially a start-up 17 years ago, Canon had a successful, secure job with another staffing firm. There was nothing wrong with her position at the time, but the chance to take the reins of her own personal career growth within a new, up-and-coming company was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up.

“I remember talking to my dad about this, and he told me it was an opportunity I may never have again,” Canon said. “He kind of gave me that push that I needed. I also knew I wasn’t going to join some random company that didn’t know the players. It was a really good opportunity for me to start over from ground zero, run my own office, and be part of something where I really trusted the people I was working with to build something special.”

Throughout her 17 years at Addison Group, Canon has seen 23 expansion offices added and an insurmountable amount of growth within the company. With that success, not only has she been able to heighten her status within Addison Group, but has also seen those beneath her find opportunities of a lifetime.

“I’m like the mom cutting the cord on these people,” Canon said. “I’ve seen them open new offices, climb through the rankings, and do all these things to not only help grow our company, but to grow their careers and give them opportunities. It’s been amazing to see that.”

Finding Your Crew

One of the reasons Canon has seen so many people find success is because she leads by example. In fact, she was one of the first regional vice presidents in Addison Group’s history.

“At first, I really looked to Kelly [Gorham] for advice and guidance on some things,” Canon said. “With her and me as the only females at that level at the start, it could get kind of scary. But then I looked at the table and I saw Jay [Houston] and Phil [Gaddis] who I knew for a long time and trusted, and that helped a lot. I felt honored to be a part of that with Kelly, and now, we have Ann King on the FAC side. She’s been a great mentor to me, giving me different perspectives and whatnot. The three of us kind of stick together.”

And stick together they have. Canon, Gorham, and King have traveled together to the West Coast for a girls’ trip, further strengthening their bond as female leaders. It’s important to them to get that time to themselves, spending quality time with one another and talking about things aside from work.

“It’s great to partner with different women from different backgrounds, like Ann and Kelly,” Canon said. “When we brought in CVP as a partner, I learned a lot from Ann. And Kelly, I got to know her when I was just a branch manager in Houston; she helped me a lot and gave me some great advice. It was great to partner on a small scale to get to know people because it made it easier to help each other out and grow our careers together.”

Canon is an example of how good things come to those who work hard and believe in themselves. She saw the vision Addison Group had, knew she had the work ethic to succeed, and continuously asked questions so she could do the best job possible.

Because of that, she serves as one of the best female role models Addison Group has to offer, and is a guiding post for other women looking to follow in her footsteps.

Interested in finding high performing women like Hailey? Contact an Addison Group professional today to get started.