A Talk With the Ladies Behind RnR

Welcome to R Blog and my very first posting! I will be giving you insights and updates on RnR Staffing – a busy and vibrant staffing company run by two powerhouse females.

Allow me to introduce you to Renee Laviolette and Rina Schaefer – the women behind it all.

How did you start in the staffing/recruiting industry?

Rina:

“I started off by working as a temporary staff member for an agency back in 2005, sent on assignments, mostly conferences for the major conventions here in Toronto. Sometimes they were 7 days straight of long hours or sometimes just 1-day events. After working temporary contracts for 2 years I thought it would be fun to work inside an office booking and recruiting temporary staff. From then I moved on to a corporate recruiting role for one of Toronto’s leading agencies.”

Renee:

“I started working various gigs with a staffing agency in Toronto after a friend of mine got me on the roster.  Prior to that I worked temporary assignments with another Toronto agency to help supplement my income.  After about a year of working gigs I was hired for reception in the office and from there, I progressed into an Account Manager and then into an Account Executive.”

When did you realize your dynamic duo worked well?

Rina:

“Renee and I always worked well together, whether it was at a conference working registration for 7 days straight or being the RnR team at section 201 at the Molson Amphitheatre together in the summers. We were always scheduled together and we seemed to be an effortless pair. Renee always had amazing work ethics and she really cares about what she does. We have different strengths and that became evident when I started working for Renee back in 2011. I was helping her out in the office and she was always taking care of the ‘clients’ and I was more on the recruiting and staffing side. We definitely balance each other out.”

Renee:

“Rina and I both worked at the Molson Amphitheatre as ushers and quickly became placed in a key section.  We rocked that section as the 2 Rs!  A few years later she was brought on by the staffing agency I was working for in order to help me and recruit staff. That is when we quickly realized what an amazing team we made and how well we complimented each other. Here we are today with our own successful staffing company always eager to make our clients and staff happy.”

When and what made you decide to start your own business? 

Rina:

“We had joked about it for awhile when we were working together in a customer service division for a staffing agency and thought we should just run our own business instead of just a division. We were doing all the work anyhow and it often seemed we were alone running things, making decisions, sending out quotes, booking gigs and recruiting staff. When I was unemployed and taking some time off, the ‘joke’ started to sink in a little and the entrepreneurial side of me started to explore this idea more. We have connections, we know what we’re doing, and we just want to do it our way.”

Renee:

“I had been working for 9 years at the staffing agency and the job was no longer fun.  I was stressed out trying to do the impossible with little help other than what I got from Rina (she was a life-saver).  The workload was so high that I was working 50-60 hour weeks just to get it done. At the end of it all, I realized that if I was going to work those kinds of hours it should be for myself.”

So ladies, with all your experience and dedication tell us what RnR can do for a client? 

Rina:

“What differentiates RnR the most from many of our competitors is our size. It’s just the two of us running the show. Renee and I discuss everything. We get back to clients quickly, we are fast at making decisions and we take each and every request seriously. We aren’t jumping from job to job without loyalty to every single client. We are 100% dedicated to making sure RnR succeeds and so we are 100% dedicated to our clients. Most of all we care about what we do and we are extremely invested in our business and the people in it.”

Renee:

“RnR has provided it’s clients with fantastic staff but also exceptional customer service.  We strive to get back to our clients quickly and be available to them at any time.  Most companies can’t compete with the one on one service we provide.  We also have a wealth of experience in the industry and we truly care about our client and their events. Rina and I do everything we can to ensure their events are a success.”

What are your proudest moments for RnR from the start of your venture until now?

Rina:

“A recent proud moment was when we were given the chance to bid and be awarded a good portion of staffing the 2016 Microsoft Conference here in Toronto. We knew it would be huge and that other staffing agencies would be bidding and possibly splitting the staffing requirements with us. But we are a new company now in the top ranks of staffing companies that have been around for 20 years. We are up there with the best of the best and experienced. RnR is considered in the top ranks in the event staffing agency category. I’m extremely proud of what Renee and I have accomplished in less than 2 years of being in service. We also have an amazing promotion division and have been involved with promotions across country for campaigns with Tresemme, Sabra, BMW, Hershey, Kotex, and Canadian Open. (just to name a few)”

Renee:

“Since we opened our business my proudest moments consist of:

• Successfully staffing our first large conference in June 2015 and getting rave reviews from the client
• Having an article written in a well-read online magazine about RnR – Check it out!
• Receiving tons of support from staff and clients and having many of them join us on board
• Hearing from a recent client that our staff was the best they have seen in over 9 years of running their event
• Successfully staffing and managing registration for the Tourism Toronto AGM”

What are some events/gigs that you are looking forward to staffing this summer?

Rina & Renee:

“We are so psyched for Urban Slide. It looks like a lot of fun. It will be challenging but it’s a great privilege to be given such an amazing event to supply staff across Ontario. There are 6 events taking place this summer and it will be fun for staff and participants. What’s more fun than a 1000 ft. slip-in slide ride? Another event that’s dear to our hearts is being given the opportunity to supply staff for Ride for Heart on June 5th, downtown Toronto. We love working with charities and it’s a race that Renee and her fiancé have ridden in the past. We are very excited to be working with such an amazing organization that we know makes a difference in many people’s lives. We are also thrilled to be apart of such a big conference in Toronto – The Microsoft Conference as well as NFL Play 60 events around the GTA and several others we are still waiting to here from!”

As you can tell the two R’s are back at it and have lots planned for this busy upcoming season and not just in Toronto but nationwide!

So, if you are looking for the right company to take care of your staffing needs, RnR has you covered! Get your FREE estimate now and a FAST response.
Stay tuned for the next R Blog on an event dear to many – Ride for Heart.