(DALLAS, Texas) -- Terdema L. Ussery II, President and CEO of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks kicked-off this year’s PeopleAnswers User Conference, “The Next Generation of Hiring” by proclaiming the critical importance of Human Resources in the Mavericks’ organization. It was a message that hit home in the ballroom filled with executives from all branches of human resources.

“Buddy is my consigliere and with me every step of the way,” stated Ussery, emphasizing how heavily he relies on his Sr. VP of Human Resources Buddy Pittman. “He cares about the good of the organization and comes to me with information and ideas to help make decisions. He’s one of the persons I trust most in my office.”
The two-day event also featured presentations on PeopleAnswers best-practices from ADP, Sbarro, Neiman Marcus, Pulte Homes, and Safety-Kleen. PeopleAnswers also announced at the conference three new technologies: the Performance Dashboard, Profile Optimization and Client Value Index.

“Our clients came to Dallas looking forward to learning big new ideas to improve their business, and we made sure they weren’t disappointed,” PeopleAnswers CEO Gabriel Goncalves said of the event. “Beyond the impressive list of speakers and our new technologies, I’m most proud of the resoundingly positive response from our clients. They don’t need more technology bells and whistles or catchy new lingo. They need answers to their business challenges, that is just what we delivered.”

More Conference Highlights:

• Mark Ellis, Chief Technology Officer at PeopleAnswers unveiled the company’s new Performance Dashboard—advanced business intelligence technologies that provide real-time business analytics reporting through graph-based displays.

• Ira Grossman, VP Operations at PeopleAnswers introduced the new Client Value Index—a detailed and transparent performance scorecard designed to ensure the highest value and customer service for PeopleAnswers clients.

• Jason Taylor, PhD., Chief Science Officer at PeopleAnswers announced new Profile Optimization capability. Designed specifically for use in high-volume, entry-level hourly positions, the process streamlines hiring processes by identifying the optimum balance between assessment length and information required to make effective hiring decisions.

• Merwyn A. Hayes, Ph.D., CEO and President of The Hayes Group International: “The number one thing for leaders is to follow through on promises. Leaders must motivate their people, not seduce them.”

• Michael Grennier, National Director, Recruiting and Staffing Pulte Homes: “The value PeopleAnswers delivers is the rich dialogue it creates. Our discussions about who to hire are much more thoughtful and objective than before.”

• Lee Roever, Vice President of Human Resources, Neiman Marcus: “Ours is a great marriage of a 100-year-old brand with next generation technologies.”

• Mike Williams, Senior Vice President Human Resources, Safety-Kleen: “They [PeopleAnswers] got us going back on the path to righteousness.”