Monday July 31, 2023 

8.21.23 This article has been updated to reflect Candice Himes winning the award. This article was published when she was a finalist.

It’s not only communications or PR departments that tell a company’s story. Human resources professionals practice storytelling by what they do — the kind of people they recruit, hire and seek to retain. The winners in Crain’s 2023 Excellence in HR Awards include an HR director at a construction company who managed to double the firm’s 401(k) match, a finalist at a leading law firm who stepped up and then “floored” the partners with her ideas, a team at a food company that achieved double-digit improvement in employee retention, and more. Winners and finalists — both as individuals and as teams — have been selected in the following categories: Employee Experience and Retention; Overall Excellence; Recruitment; and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Honorees were selected by a panel of outside judges, all of whom are human resources professionals and 2022 honorees in the Excellence in HR program:
• Kevin Bailey, Leaf Home
• LaToya Smith, Fifth Third Bank
• Robert Kissling, Western Reserve Land Conservancy
• Lesa Evans, MAI Capital Management
• Lauren Ferguson, Hunter International Recruiting

Individual Winner Candice Himes, Director of Human Resources & Talent Management

Since her first day on the job, Candice Himes has made Youth Opportunities Unlimited a better organization, according to Craig Dorn, the nonprofit’s president and CEO.

“Candice is a resourceful professional with the ability to handle confidential information, surpass targets and make insightful contributions to further the success of individual employees and the organization,” Dorn said in the nomination. “She is a strong leader in the organization and has helped make Y.O.U. one of the best places in Northeast Ohio to work.”

Over the last four years, Himes has worked diligently to make several HR changes at Youth Opportunities Unlimited, a workforce development nonprofit that serves nearly 5,000 teens and young adults each year.

Some of those changes include overhauling the organization’s policies to ensure they are equitable and inclusive, and introducing several initiatives that improve the employee experience. Other enhancements include a flexible work schedule, remote-work opportunities, paid parental leave and employee referral bonuses.

“Candice is the consummate professional who cares deeply for the staff she serves,” Dorn wrote. “She is an advocate for the employees who carry out Y.O.U.’s mission. She makes sure they are supported so they can fulfill our mission to help the youth in our community.”