In less than five years Scott Stoppler will pick up the reins of the company his retiring father started in the 1970s. The 27-year old is vice president of Executrade, a specialized staffing company in Edmonton.

He says he started at the absolutely very bottom in 1999, working grunt jobs before he moved up the ranks. Now, Stoppler wears two hats at the company: one as the manager and another as a recruiter.

Originally, he had planned on being a lawyer, but decided to capitalize on his interpersonal skills in a different way.

“I wanted to be in business… having an impact on peoples’ lives.” He went to NAIT for a human resource management and marketing diploma.

Stoppler annually places more than 100 people in permanent positions, plus many more in temporary positions. People he placed five years ago now come back to him as clients looking to hire professionals.

The close connection between Stoppler and his former applicants might have to do with the way he goes above and beyond his role as a recruiter. As a matter of course, he calls applicants the night before their interviews to wish them luck, and he asks them to call him immediately after to talk about the experience.

Recently, Stoppler started writing a book, centred on the way he approaches and views life. Though unnamed, one of his favourite sayings may work itself onto the cover: “You’re the master of your own destiny.” He believes people need to be more positive, to take time to believe in themselves, to set goals, to manage relationships, and to understand that, in whatever you choose to do in life, you need to enjoy your job.

A magnet on Stoppler’s fridge reads, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams,” and he tries to live by that adage.

“Being myself is most important. I’m really motivated and I dream big.”