Leadership
Clint Armstrong, Founder and CEO
Clint is the founder and CEO of SkillsetGroup, where he has grown the company to a national operation with dozens of full-time employees. The company achieved over 3,600% growth within the first 48 months of operating. This momentum launched the company into the Inc. magazine rankings of fastest-growing firms nearly every year since the company’s inception.
Clint’s vision, mission and values have propelled SkillsetGroup into partnerships with some of the largest manufacturing, engineering, and technology companies in the world.
His unique approach to human resources management has made him one of the up-and-coming stars in staffing and HR vendor services. He’s been featured in local media in recognition of his business acumen, and accepted the invitation to deliver a TED talk about his innovations in the staffing industry.
Clint is responsible for overseeing and managing all operations at SkillsetGroup, along with manifesting the company’s future endeavors, including long-term equity partnerships.
Prior to launching SkillsetGroup, Clint spent a decade in the fields of finance, real estate, and corporate staffing. He graduated from the University of San Diego, where he studied accountancy and finance with an emphasis in real estate, entrepreneurship, and venture finance.
Dennis Avery, Vice President of Sales
Dennis has a long history in staffing. He spent his early career at staffing firms around Southern California, but he rocketed through the ranks at SkillsetGroup, starting as a senior account manager in 2016.
Dennis has helped pioneer our evidence-based client onboarding and client success processes, as well as establishing multiple lucrative partnerships with Southern California businesses. Dennis has also worked to build the teams and maintain the facilities for our four offices in Los Angeles and Riverside counties.
Dennis’s duties include managing client relationships, supporting our business development executives and overseeing the day-to-day functions of the business to maintain the firm’s impressive growth rate.
Jose Baca, Chief Marketing Officer
As the Chief Marketing Officer of SkillsetGroup, Jose brings nearly two decades of corporate staffing and recruiting experience in the manufacturing sector. Baca has partnered with dozens of Fortune 500 companies during his storied career. With a hard-working ethos, humble upbringing and generous spirit, Jose immediately connects with candidates and clients.
Jose was born in his grandma’s house in Guanajuato, Mexico. When he was four years old, his hardworking parents made the decision to chase the American dream by emigrating to California. The Bacas certainly captured the dream for their son, given Jose is now an executive at the Southland’s premiere staffing and consulting firm.
Jose’s contact network and reputation for fast, effective staffing with a high retention rate means he leads our stellar team by example.
Jose started his career providing workforce solutions for Alcoa. Later, he worked for two staffing companies where he helped grow their divisions and managed a book of business covering Los Angeles and Orange County.
Leonard Escudero, CFO
Leonard has a strong background in financial analysis and management across various industries, incorporating a robust skill set in areas such as financial statements, analysis, budgeting and projections, which are crucial for making informed growth decisions from his 30 years of experience in the financial industry. He is also well versed in customer credit management, internal controls, purchases of businesses as well as going through business mergers in the staffing industry in his 10+ years of experience in a CFO role.
Overall, his diverse industry experience, coupled with expertise in financial management, positions him as a valuable asset as SkillsetGroup's CFO.
He is a current active CPA in the State of California and graduated from California State University Fullerton with a degree in Business Administration with concentrations in Accounting & Finance.
Evelyn Javian, Payroll Manager
Evelyn Javian, SkillsetGroup’s payroll manager, is dedicated to timely, accurate payroll service, and she has the tools to achieve it for all our industrial and commercial clients.
Evelyn has spent more than a decade in payroll acquiring all the skills needed to run a tight ship, both for staffing firms and other businesses. The payroll team she leads at SkillsetGroup is known for its efficiency and detail-oriented service delivered to our employees and clients.
Connect with Evelyn on LinkedIn
Steve Coppola, Director of Talent Acquisition & Development
Steve Arredondo de Anderson joined SkillsSetGroup in 2013, marking the company's inaugural hire. Coming from a background in retail management, training, and inventory, Steve embraced the staffing industry with enthusiasm. Since then, he has grown into a skilled recruiter, handling both internal and client-based positions.
Beyond recruitment, Steve spearheads various pivotal initiatives within the company. He is instrumental in crafting standard operating procedures to align with our rapid expansion. Moreover, he diligently orchestrates training sessions for incoming staff, ensuring a seamless onboarding process. His responsibilities extend to internal communications, organizational strategy, data management, and the seamless integration of SkillsetGroup's applicant tracking system.
With Steve's leadership, SkillsSetGroup continues to flourish, adapting to new challenges while maintaining its core values.