Vivian Shepherd
Vivian Shepherd is the Branch Manager for Wise Staffing Group in Las Vegas, Nevada, where she leads branch operations, sales, and recruiting in a competitive and fast-paced market. Responsible for full P&L performance, KPI tracking, compliance, and revenue growth, Shepherd oversees the entire staffing lifecycle—from business development and client acquisition to candidate placement and retention. She is known for building high-performing teams, strengthening client partnerships, and delivering customized workforce solutions that help businesses scale efficiently.
With a professional background spanning corporate sales, marketing, and healthcare recruitment, Shepherd previously served as a Recruitment Specialist with Barton Associates, where she connected physicians and healthcare professionals with specialized opportunities in cardiology and critical care. A graduate of the Los Angeles Film School with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Management, she combines strong business acumen with a people-first leadership style. Her experience across sales and marketing roles gives her a well-rounded perspective on growth strategy, talent acquisition, and operational execution.
Shepherd currently operates as a hands-on leader in the Las Vegas market, managing recruiting, client relationships, payroll, reporting, and new business development. Brought in at a critical time for the branch, she quickly secured new contracts and began placing full-time leasing agents and property management professionals, reinforcing her commitment to building careers—not just filling jobs. Passionate about helping individuals secure stable, long-term employment, Shepherd takes pride in delivering life-changing opportunities while driving measurable results for her clients and organization.
• Los Angeles Film School
• Billing over $50K award (trophy/plaque)
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would definitely say that you have to be a go-getter and really hit the ground running. I think that is the best advice that I could give anyone, and be sure about what your goal is. Like, what are you going to be bringing to the table in staffing? You know, I think with staffing, it's forever changing, and to really know your market is another good one. Even to know where you're at geographically, you know, that definitely really makes a difference. I see that even with this company that I'm with now, Wise Staffing, we have 72 offices, and offices bill more than others, and the top people always want to know why. One thing I feel like they don't look at is the geographical location. We have one in Cincinnati that is doing great. Vegas, we're not doing so great, but that's because it's not that many jobs out here if you're not a part of hospitality. So those are definitely little words of advice that I have.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think some of the challenges that I've been seeing lately is just simply companies don't have any money. I think we are truly going through a recession, and as much as they are interested in hiring, once they look at the numbers, then go back and look at their budget, they simply just cannot afford it. They don't have the volume to hire. I think that's really been the challenging piece of it right now. They like us to focus on warehouses and stuff like that, but I have not been able to even meet with a warehouse. It just seems like right now property management and the clerical work is where it's at in Vegas. The Vegas market is difficult because if you're not a part of hospitality, there's not that many jobs. When you're a visitor, the first place that you think of is the Strip. People don't even know that there's more to Vegas than just the Strip. If you're staffing in Vegas, you're automatically like, okay, well, I need to get in with the MGM or the Sahara, but those top people are not even giving you the time of day if they haven't heard about your company. We have a ton of bars out here, there's nothing out here but bars, and it's funny because we can't staff for those. They said we can staff servers, but Las Vegas, it's nothing but drinking that goes on out here, so the number one thing that we need workers for, we can't staff for that. Long term, I see expansion. California is on my radar. I want to get to the point of asking our bigger bosses, like, are we able to maybe staff in California and still keep the Vegas location here and we roll the billing through here. I think that would be a great way.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Resilience, adaptability, and persistence are the values that guide both my work and personal life. Working in this city has taught me how to hustle, trust my instincts, and keep pushing forward until I turn a “no” into a “yes.” As a mom to my two sons—one of whom is autistic—I’m deeply committed to patience, advocacy, and supporting autism causes, while creating a life centered around growth, love, and opportunity.