On the Cover! Jennifer Delgado

The Beating Heart Behind Every Person’s Resume

By: Jeremy Ross

For anyone going through the manic highs and lows of a job hunt, this story is for you. If you’ve ever hit “Apply” following a tedious, impersonal and corporately cold application exercise on Indeed, LinkedIn or Glassdoor … followed by digital tumbleweeds rolling across your inbox, one woman understands your pain.

Jennifer Delgado, President and CEO of San Antonio’s Stability Staffing and Consulting is doing what she can to make the process more personal, humane and empathetic.

“My job is to help people. We help them gain employment and make sure people don't lose hope. Whether it be for the deployment of an Emergency Disaster or stable longterm employment, we make it a point to help everyone.

There are so many opportunities out there and so much potential in each person, I feel there's a heartbeat behind every resumé. If we feel there is a great match, we connect that heartbeat to a great job,” said Delgado.

Delgado insists the jumble of organized text, bullet points and business babble on a resume is so much more than a document. Rather than prose in paragraphs, she sees potential and emphasizes their skills. She prefers to focus on the outcome of a life-changing connection that Stability Staffing and Consulting can make.

“When I speak to our employees, we talk about the wonderful feeling of having a new job and how thankful they are. That feeling drives me and my staff. It’s a beautiful connection. My focus is always on the person rather than just their resume. It doesn't make me any better. It just makes me different, and I find that people appreciate that. I listen. My staff listens. We listen to what they're looking for. My staff and I help people gain hope through jobs. To me, there is not a more important focus out there when it comes to employment,” said Delgado.

What makes her focus more meaningful, is her connection to San Antonio. She believes every job connection she makes creates hope in her backyard and that makes her business even more meaningful.

“I am from San Antonio. I went to school in San Antonio and was raised on the west side of San Antonio. I was at Ballet Folklorico Dancer and a young Mariachi singer. I was even featured on President Reagan’s campaign brochures as a Mariachi singer. I understand and embrace my culture as a

Latina and the beauty of this community. It’s all part of who I am … a small business owner, Latina and a woman in business. They are all elements you don’t normally see in a CEO, and that’s why it’s so important to use my business to service my community. I'm giving back in a way that’s separate from charity, I’m giving hope and with hard work, it’s translating into stability in employment. I believe in that process so much, it’s in the title of my company, Stability Staffing and Consulting,” said Delgado.

I didn’t want to die … saying I didn’t try.

When it comes to matching people with jobs, Delgado is part business leader, cheerleader and constant optimist. She sees opportunities rather than obstacles for clients and she’s quick to admit that’s part of her previous focus, as a corporate recruiter.

While doing that job, back in 2010 she came to the realization she could recruit and place people on her own. The thought was exciting but filled with fear, doubts and nervous next steps.

How would she do it?

Could she run her own business?

Would it work?

The answers took time, risk and hard work but were guided by one poignant thought.

“I didn’t want to die … saying I didn’t try,” said Delgado.

Regret is a painful and powerful emotion, but in this case … avoiding it proved all the motivation she needed.

“In 2012, I decided to take that risk and I left the safety of my employer to pursue being a full-time business owner. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to pay myself, but I was willing to take that risk. I took a huge leap of faith and worked out of my home. I started with 16 employees and walked into a bank, opened my first checking account not knowing what to expect. I tapped into my own personal savings account so that I could pay my employees. It was scary but it was a start,” said Delgado.

From humble beginnings, this small business began to pick up momentum and with it, clients.

It began with the City of San Antonio, The State of Texas and other corporate businesses seeking employees and Delgado delivered. The city she calls home added over 20 departments to her growing list of clients. Delgado has added numerous federal agencies to her roster as well - the Department of Defense.

The needs began to build, as did Stability Staffing and Consulting’s reputation.

“Amazing opportunities came out in 2015, and that is when the business grew more than 550% and we made it on INC Magazine’s 5000 list. We were categorized as one of the fastest-growing companies in America. We accomplished that, two years in a row,” said Delgado.

From a mere 16 employees, the company now boasts hundreds of placements per year. The kinds of jobs filled include emergency disaster healthcare workers, public health professionals, finance specialists, administrative assistants, and many others.

The awards and recognition grew as well, with the company achieving recognition including a second INC Magazine 5000 award, 2018 SBA Minority-Owned Small Business of the Year and San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce 2018 Small Business of the Year.

In 2020, however, the company’s growth took on a different dimension. While matching good people with good jobs was always the priority, the placement of essential workers and deploying emergency medical staff played a role in the survival of friends, family and neighbors.

“As soon as Governor Abbott declared the pandemic an emergency, Stability Staffing was activated, and we deployed epidemiologists, nurses, physicians and other support staff. We deployed RNs and LVNs to nursing homes to help the elderly community infected with COVID-19. 2020 was a scary time but I was so focused on the needs of others, I didn’t let fear impact my business. I let it challenge me for 10 seconds. I only asked myself one time, what am I going to do? I'm a small business, what can I do? The answer was, plenty … my team and I focused on supplying essential workers to the City of San Antonio and the State of Texas during the pandemic. I’m proud of what we did to help people survive and help Stability Staffing and Consulting survive. Stability Staffing tripled during the pandemic and we're still deploying people in the aftermath, said Delgado.

Stability Staffing and Consulting is one of the few vendors selected by the State of Texas to provide staff in the state of emergency. The flexibility, speed and urgency in meeting disaster staff demands, helped healthcare outcomes and helped the business succeed.

While eventually vaccinated and boosted, Delgado was diagnosed with COVID twice during that period. Like many others, she worked from home and at times did so while sick. She couldn’t afford to let her staff and clients down. Doing so could mean life or death early in the Pandemic.

“I believe what kept me going was the fact that I knew people still needed me. They were relying on me, and just because I was sick, it was not their fault. I needed to keep going so that they could have their jobs and their future,” said Delgado.

Her commitment to others and her city during this time played a role in Mayor Ron Nirenberg selecting her to be part of the City of San Antonio's COVID-19 Economic Transition Team.

Inspiring Young Mothers & Putting Family First

From her home office, Delgado’s smile beams brightly as she begins talking about becoming a grandmother for a second time.

“I love being a President and a CEO but being a mother and a grandmother is the best job I’ve ever had. I love it, I’m a mother of three beautiful daughters and now I have two gorgeous granddaughters. I would like them to learn how to stay focused, work hard and earn it. The fight is tough, but you must stay hungry and go after your goals. Always remember something worth having doesn’t come easy,” said Delgado.

She wants the generations of her family to know and see first-hand that a woman can humbly do it all. She credits her husband’s support as a foundation for her success during her journey as a CEO.

“I would love for my children to continue life with a leadership mentality with the same strong support I have so they can achieve their goals and dreams. Whether I’m supporting my daughter at a volleyball game, advising my other daughter on furthering her education or being deployed for an emergency disaster, the most fulfilling job I have is being a mother,” said Delgado.

With another beaming smile she adds, so far, it’s working … as she proudly mentions one of her daughters being an employee of hers for several years.

But early in life, all those smiles and successes seemed like an unachievable dream for Delgado. She recalls the potentially crippling fear, anxiety and life-changing responsibility of early motherhood.

“I was a teen mother. I have empathy and understand what the teen parent community goes through because I'm part of that statistic … but I’m also an example of how you can overcome challenges and be successful. Being a teen parent should not hold anyone back from greatness, because I'm proof it can be done,” said Delgado.

As a result, Delgado works with charitable organizations around San Antonio to help young mothers going through the obstacles she went through. Sometimes it’s as simple as assisting with monetary and food donations but Delgado emphasizes the mental and emotional support needed.

“As a bilingual businesswoman, being able to give back and doing this where I grew up allows me to come full circle in my community. It’s beautiful and rewarding and it’s in line with my business mission … to give hope. Hope is so powerful in life and in business,” said Delgado.