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With March being Women’s History Month, PAR is proud to spotlight female leaders within our organization. Throughout the month, we will share inspiring stories to recognize and celebrate the remarkable women who contribute to the success of PAR. 

Each of these profiles will explore the unique experiences and perspectives of our women leaders, shedding light on their paths to success. We will explore the challenges they've overcome, the lessons they've learned, and the impact they've had on our organization. 

This week, we are proud to present Jaleesa Hardy. Jaleesa is a business development specialist in PAR’s sales department. 

Share a brief overview of your professional journey and how you arrived at your current role. 

I started my professional career with hopes of landing a role with the Atlanta Falcons, (hence the master’s in sports administration) but that faded quickly during my quick stint interning in their Community Relations Department. It was fun, but I was NOT ready for those hours nor extensive travel. Soon after I found myself at small healthcare IT company where I started as an administrative assistant then moved to business development and soon after became the BD manager. I spent a total of 5 years there before heading into legal marketing/business development and worked at two different firms for a total of 6 years, where I met a lot of great people and learned a lot about myself! 

Who has been the most significant inspiration in your career? How did this person impact your leadership style and approach? 

I have two, and they both came from Smith, Gambrell and Russell, LLP. My mentor, Lee Watts, Chief Marketing Officer, who was also my manager at the firm, and the second was an attorney, Justice Leah Ward Sears, the first African-American female chief justice of a state Supreme Court in the United States. 

They both taught me to face challenges head on, understanding that most misunderstands come from a lack of communication and can typically be solved with a simple conversation. They’ve also taught me the importance of making a decision and standing on it, whether right or wrong…being confident in your decision requires accountability. 

Share a significant challenge you faced in your career and how you overcame it. 

I learned quickly that friends and business don’t mix (sometimes). While at the healthcare IT firm, my manager valued my opinion and judgment and he hired two of my friends. One friend excelled and moved up in the company and, well, the other did not! 

After I was promoted to business development manager, I managed them both. The friend who didn’t do so great thought that just because we’re friends she no longer had to work until she felt like it. That was the first time I had to put on my big girl undies on and put feelings to the side. It didn’t feel good. I’m usually the one who encourages those around me, but in this instance, it was going nowhere...fast! Not to mention I was only 25, this was my first “real” job and my first managerial role as well. 

After several attempts of retraining, conversations about accountability, and warnings of reprimanding, I was left with no choice but to do what was required of me in the role I held, which was letting her go. I then understood relieving one of their duties to some may look like a step back, but inevitably holding on can only deter you from your true purpose. I ended up losing a “friend” but gained self-awareness and self-confidence and learned everything happens for a reason! 

How do you balance your professional and personal life? 

It’s something I’m still learning to do daily. With a husband, two small boys, work, and family obligations…it seems like there’s never enough time in day. But I’ve learned to be comfortable with every day looking different, some days it’s just need extra rest, somedays I get up extra early to workout/meditate/yoga, some days it’s playing outside with my boys or book club with my girlfriends, and other days it’s sitting in the sun for 10 minutes of complete silence. 

What passions or activities bring you joy and rejuvenate you outside of work? 

I love everything about personal finance and teaching the youth about personal finance, which is why a friend and I started ACTS Global, Inc. I view it as an essential skill because it touches every aspect of our lives. Many people don’t have the tools nor grow up learning about finances, but if they did, it could single-handedly change the trajectory of their lives and families. 

 

Catch up on previous profiles of Kristin Greco and Melissa Messer.

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With March being Women’s History Month, PAR is proud to spotlight female leaders within our organization. Throughout the month, we will share inspiring stories to recognize and celebrate the remarkable women who contribute to the success of PAR. Each of these profiles will explore the unique experiences and perspectives of our women leaders, shedding light on their paths to success. We will explore the challenges they've overcome, the lessons they've learned, and the impact they've had on our organization. 

This week, we are proud to present Melissa Messer, MHS. Melissa is PAR’s Vice President and Chief Product Officer. 

Brief Bio 

Share a brief overview of your professional journey and how you arrived at your current role. 

I was interested in psychology and mental health at a very young age and started working at a private practice office in high school. When I began college, I quickly became fascinated with research, specifically in children with chronic illness, medication adherence, and quality of life. I had the opportunity to develop several measures during my undergraduate and graduate training as well as use many PAR assessments as part of both the research and clinical work I was involved in. After completing graduate school at the University of Florida I joined PAR as a research assistant. Six positions and more than 20 years later, I have the privilege of leading a great team that is responsible for product development at PAR. 

Inspirational Figures 

Who has been the most significant inspiration in your career? 

First would be my dad, he worked his bum off his whole life and at almost 80 he still works even though he does not need to. He provided my sister and I with such an amazing model of what good work ethic should look like. Whether it be his commitment to his many jobs (I am not sure if ever worked just one job at a time while I was growing up) but also in the pride he took in the work he did (at-home projects or helping us with our schoolwork). He applied the same level of pride in what he was producing regardless of whether he was being paid for it or not. 

Second would be Travis White, the COO at PAR. He has been a mentor to me since my first day at PAR and he continues to serve that role in my life today. Without his guidance, mentorship, and a lot of patience I would not be in a leadership role at PAR. 

How did this person impact your leadership style and approach? 

There was a point early in my career where I made a very big mistake, it cost the company a significant amount of money, it delayed the release of a product, and it was 100% my fault. When I approached my supervisor about what I had done and the related expenses I held my breadth waiting for the slap on the wrist I deserved. But it never came. Instead, I was shown understanding, compassion, and even complimented for how I handled the situation head on. That moment had a significant influence on my own leadership style. I choose understanding and empathy over being authoritative; in essence, I treat everyone how I would prefer to be treated myself. 

Professional Challenges and Resilience 

Do you have an inspiring quote, song, or mantra that you use to remind yourself that you can get through anything? 

"Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you; spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life." -Amy Poehler

I have this quote hung in the hallway of the R&D Department. To me the people I work with both motivate me to come to work everyday because I enjoy them so much and learn from them, but also, they keep me going when things get challenging–I know we are not going to let each other fail. 

Thoughts on Work–Life Balance 

How do you balance your professional and personal life? 

I think my philosophy about work–life balance is different than what you read in most work wellbeing books, especially at those aimed at working mothers–I don’t strive for perfect balance anymore, as I am not sure that is achievable. Instead, I think of work life balance like a swinging pendulum that is constantly oscillating back and forth–and as long as I am aware of when the pendulum swings too far for too long in either direction, then I can direct it back in the other direction. So for me its about being aware, and picking up on the signs that I have been spending too much time in one area or another. 

What passions or activities bring you joy and rejuvenate you outside of work? 

For years I have enjoyed running both as a hobby but also as a significant stress reliever. However, in early 2023 because of a major surgery I couldn’t run for a few months. During that time, I took up two new hobbies. The first was painting, specifically watercolor. I painted all through high school but once I left for college and started a career and had children, I never found my way back to it. I have also started making sourdough bread–I am late to this trend as I think most people got on the bandwagon during COVID. What I like about it is that it takes planning. You must start prepping a few days before, it’s not something you can decide a few hours in advance. I also like the routine of it–I usually bake at least one loaf a week. But what I like most is how much my family enjoys it, especially right when it comes out of the oven. 

 

Catch up on last week’s profile of Kristin Greco. 

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With March being Women’s History Month, PAR is proud to spotlight female leaders within our organization. Throughout the month, we will share inspiring stories to recognize and celebrate the remarkable women who contribute to the success of PAR. 

Each of these profiles will explore the unique experiences and perspectives of our women leaders, shedding light on their paths to success. We will explore the challenges they've overcome, the lessons they've learned, and the impact they've had on our organization. 

We share their hopes and aspirations for the next generation of women. By unveiling these stories of inspiration and resilience, we aim to not only celebrate the accomplishments of our women leaders but also to inspire and empower others within and beyond our organization. 

To kick off Women's History Month, the first “In Her Own Words” profile features PAR CEO Kristin Greco. 

Kristin Greco, is the Chief Executive Officer for PAR, Inc. Kristin is responsible for the development and implementation of the company’s core strategic goals and objectives and ensuring the company stays true to its core values and mission. 

Inspirational Influences 

Q: Who has been the most significant inspiration in your career? 

A: I have had so many—I really enjoy observing and learning from others. At the top are my parents—what they have managed to do and create is inspiring. Not only did they build a successful company, but they did so with a wonderful culture and focus on giving back to others. An amazing accomplishment while raising three children. I feel so fortunate to have them as role models. I come from a background of strong females: 

  • My grandmother was in the United States Marine Corps and a working mother. 
  • I have very accomplished aunts and role models. 
  • While I worked for Johnson & Johnson, my leaders were a wonderful mix of driven, inspiring, supportive, and approachable leaders. 

Q: How did these people impact your leadership style and approach? 

A: Each of these role models and mentors influenced me by focusing on the importance of the person. I witnessed that accomplishments are attained through the people. Having a leader who understands and cares and connects with the people in is critical to success. In observing this in others, it has served as a powerful example to inspire me to find my own leadership style, showing me where my strengths and my opportunities to grow are. 

Professional Challenges and Resilience 

Q: Share a significant challenge you faced in your career that you overcame. 

A: After living in Rome for a few years, I moved back to the United States, and it took me a while to reintegrate and find a job. I was able to gain a position in New Jersey working for a boutique advertising agency. Moving up from Florida for the role, I knew no one in the state. After a short period, I learned how toxic the work environment was and soon found myself without a job. It was a humble and scary experience. I ended up having to take unemployment benefits and fortunately soon found a role (through a temp agency) for Johnson & Johnson. It was a blessing in disguise as it led to a wonderful opportunity to work for an amazing company with strong leaders, which was quite a difference from the toxic work environment I had left. It was there that I met my husband as well. This challenging career obstacle helped to strengthen my belief in myself as in staying the course, trusting and knowing that things will work out in the end. 

Q: How has resilience played a role in your career journey? Are there moments where resilience was crucial, contributing to your personal and professional growth? 

A: They often say that you learn from the difficult times and that has certainly been the case for me. I found myself and my personal grit when I chose to move to Italy. It was important to me to have an experience in another country, and I moved there only knowing one person—an Italian physician I had met while working in Rhode Island. The experience was much harder than I had imagined—finding a place to live, learning the language, supporting myself, and making friends. It was very lonely at times—and I almost quit six months into my one-year goal. But I stayed and ended up living there close to four years. For me, it was a life-changing experience and one that I look back on when I need to find my inner strength. 

Inspirational Quotes 

Q: Do you have an inspiring quote you use to remind yourself that you can get through anything? 

A: Yes, I have a few “go to” quotes that inspire me. 

I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. —Maya Angelou 

Be the change that you wish to see in the world. —Ghandi 

It always seems impossible until it is done. —Nelson Mandela 

Talk to yourself like you would to someone you love. —Brene Brown 

The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart. —Helen Keller 

To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world. —Dr. Seuss 

Advice for Aspiring Women Leaders 

Q: What advice do you have for women aspiring to leadership roles? 

A: Know what your values are and feel confident in those. Find the people who support you and inspire you and spend time with them. Believe in yourself and the value that you provide. You will never please everyone so don’t get caught up in feeling that you need to. There is always something to be learned in each part of your journey. 

Work & Life Balance 

Q: How do you balance your professional and personal life? 

A: I am always in pursuit of this balance—it is an ongoing focus because the needs of work and home are always evolving and shifting. I think for me, most importantly it is removing my self-imposed (high) expectations and simply trying to do my best, asking for help when needed, and making decisions based on priorities. I give myself flexibility in my schedule when it is needed and hopefully model this for others. Along the way, I make sure I build in enough downtime, so I am at my best to give to others when needed. The hardest part for me is striking the balance between feeling like to need to get things done vs. relaxing and recharging. I know a lot of women are constantly in the same ebb and flow, so it helps me to know we are all in this balancing act together. I try to remember that there is no perfect way to do anything, and self-care is not a nice-to-have, it has to be a priority if I want to have any kind of harmony. 

Q: On this note, are there any specific strategies or practices that help you maintain a healthy work-life balance? 

A: I rely on to-do lists and I revise them on a daily basis depending on what needs my attention. I stay open to shifting priorities at work and at home. With my family, I sit down with them to talk through the week ahead. My family gives me so much joy, I prioritize quality time with them. The family connection fills me up each day and keeps me grounded. I also believe in service work. When I serve others, it always renews my energy and gives me perspective, so I make sure I build in community service time. For example, sometimes during the work week I’ll disappear at lunchtime because I’m out in the community delivering Meals on Wheels. It completely renews my spirit, especially when I’m feeling out of steam, somehow it gives me more energy and perspective. 

Q: What passions or activities bring you joy and rejuvenate you outside of work? Any hobbies your colleagues do not know about? 

A: I turn to yoga, meditation, listening to music, dancing with my kids, and enjoying time in nature/walking (especially around the beach). I appreciate quiet and meaningful interactions with people that make me feel connected. I can’t think of an actual hobby, but maybe I’ll come up with one once the kids grow up. 

Closing Thoughts 

Q: Any final words of wisdom or life advice you would give your younger self? 

A: I would offer this: Let it be ok to say No more often because it means saying Yes to yourself. And I’ll end with this: Speak up and risk sharing your bold perspective and ideas because our world needs the voice of more women leaders. 

 

We hope you will come back each week in March to learn more from our women leaders at PAR.

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Each year, PAR asks our customers to select a charity to be the recipient of an annual donation on behalf of our customers. We are proud to announce the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is the recipient of this year’s annual donation. 

NAMI is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization. It is dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. 

“We began our Pay It Forward campaign several years ago as a way to honor the important work our customers do. While we provide our customers with insights and information to assist clients and patients throughout the year, this allows us to support them in a different way,” said PAR CEO Kristin Greco. “As a company, we feel so fortunate to be able to pay it forward on behalf of our customers.” 

PAR will be donating $5,000 to support the important work NAMI is doing in communities throughout the country. 

“NAMI is dedicated to raising awareness and providing support and education on the topic of mental health. This is vitally important work and dovetails with the work we do at PAR,” said Greco. “We are grateful to be able to contribute toward that purpose during this year’s Pay It Forward initiative.” 

To learn more about NAMI, visit nami.org.

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PAR recently lost a cherished member of our staff, Marie Mitchell. Marie was an enormous part of PAR’s success during her 33-year tenure with the company. As our order entry coordinator, Marie worked with many customers and distributors, always with a deep desire to help and a kind and positive attitude. Her loss will be felt deeply. The following are some thoughts from our staff in remembrance of Marie. 

 

To lose someone who has been part of PAR for so long (an amazing 33 years) is like losing a family member. Marie was a constant—quiet, determined, strong, witty, incredibly thoughtful, caring are all words that come to mind. She was a wonderful and foundational part of our company and is greatly missed by so many. 

–Kristin Greco, Chief Executive Officer 

 

It is difficult for me to think of PAR without Marie’s presence. It feels like she was always here as part of the Customer Service team, and she was for much of PAR’s existence. When I changed offices and moved to the South Building, I saw Marie more frequently. She would be outside my office making copies or walking by to go out to the Distribution Center. Occasionally we would chat for a few moments and catch up a little. I always enjoyed her laugh. I have very fond memories of Marie and she is greatly missed at PAR. 

–Bob Smith, Executive Chairman and Founder 

 

In memory and appreciation of Marie, who worked tirelessly and efficiently processing orders for our customers. She took great pride in taking great care of our customers. We miss you, Marie! 

–Cathy Smith, Vice President of Community Relations Emeritus 

 

I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with Marie my entire career at PAR. She was always someone to look up to as she was a great source of knowledge about all things PAR. I asked her so many questions over the years and not once did she show any sign of impatience or frustration. That was Marie, just happy to help and do her part. Usually, she did way more than her part, in fact. She was hard-working and had a can-do attitude. She cared deeply about her family, both her real family and her PAR family. But my favorite thing about Marie was her stealthy sense of humor. She didn’t tell a lot of jokes, but when she landed one, it was always gold. And while she certainly took her job seriously, she loved to laugh. She was as sincere a person as I’ve ever met and I consider myself extremely fortunate to have had her as part of my life every day for the last 23 years. Although she will be missed so much by myself and the CS team, she will never be forgotten. Thank you for everything, Marie. 

–Daniel McFadden, Vice President of Customer Support 

 

Marie and I both arrived early each morning to the PAR office, so it was always fun to call out good morning to her each day. Marie had an unparalleled work ethic. She was so loyal and committed to PAR and to her work; it was inspiring. She and her husband Mitch had such a sweet and supportive marriage, and it was always nice to connect with him when he picked Marie up each day. She will be missed. 

–Karen Falconer, Vice President of Human Resources 

 

It's hard to imagine my days at PAR without Marie. Aside from being the only member of our Customer Support team that I have had the pleasure of working with for my entire tenure at PAR (more than 30 years), Marie was not only a trusted coworker and friend but also an inspiration to me. 

I've never met anyone more dedicated to PAR, our customers, and her teammates more than Marie. Always working our early shift, she was just always there for all of us and our customers. Even during the pandemic and through her health issues, she did everything she could do to be at work. She rarely took days off, and when she did, she is and was always missed because she handled so much—especially our distributors and lots and lots of orders—with speed and efficiency. 

Marie was always the picture of calm, patience, and while quiet, she had a wonderful quick wit and sincere honesty, especially when you least expected it. My treasured memories of Marie include saving cookies for her where possible and the smile on her face when she got them, laughing together when customer issues did not quite go as planned, her being completely honest with me when I really needed it and even sometimes when I didn't, and certainly the hard moments when we both needed each other's help to make customer service magic happen—Marie she would accept nothing less. Marie was truly a force and I feel so blessed to have known her. We will miss her very much. 

–Tamara Dwoskin, Customer Relationship Manager 

 

Marie always had a smile on her face and would brighten up the room whenever I would see her. 

–Katie Garside, InVista Account Executive 

 

Marie has been the foundation of our department the entire time she has worked here. Her bottomless knowledge of our processes and our customers was an inspiration to all of us. Her dry wit would come out of nowhere and make us all laugh at the perfect moments. She always had a smile for you, and you always felt that everything would be alright when Marie was around. We will miss her, but she will certainly live on in our department and in our hearts. 

–Teri Lyon, Senior Technical Support Specialist 

 

When I started at PAR 19 years ago, Marie and I literally shared desk space on one side. Her stacks of paper would fall over into my space on a constant basis and we would both laugh about it (she was famous for printing out everything). She was always happy to answer my questions, no matter how small or silly. She was a big help to me when I was in Customer Support and continued to help me after I moved into Administration. I always knew that I could count on her. She always came through. I am going to miss her immensely. 

–Vicki McFadden, Senior Permissions Specialist 

 

I was attending my first anniversary luncheon, and I sat next to Marie. I was proud of myself for accomplishing one year, and at that time, she was celebrating 25+ years at PAR. She shared all about what PAR was like when she started and how it had changed. She was a great example of loyalty and commitment. 

–Rachel Kennell, InVista Business Solutions Consultant 

 

I just wanted to share the love Marie had for cookies. She was like a child when it came to cookies and would have them for breakfast in a heartbeat. Every year she would take a week off around the holidays to bake cookies. 

I love to see the devotion Mitch had for her. He faithfully dropped and picked her up from work every day and prepared her lunch every day. 

Marie was that reliable motor in the department that worked so well you took her for granted. At the end of the month, she easily processed 2.5 to 3 times more faxed/emailed orders than anyone else in the department and you were just left asking yourself how she does it. One month she processed more than 900 faxed/emailed orders while the next person processed about 350! It was incredible. 

Fun fact… for years she had every PAR-released catalog at her desk. She absolutely loooovved working here (she was in office every day during COVID!). Marie really was a gem and we will miss her dearly. 

–Ketsia LeFranc, Product Support Supervisor

 

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For more than 20 years, PAR has taken part in a week-long campaign to raise funds for United Way Suncoast

Last week was our 2023 fundraising drive; PAR staff spent the week learning more about the impact United Way has on the Tampa Bay community while taking part in team challenges and interdepartmental games. We are thrilled that we had 100% staff participation and exceeded our fundraising goal—raising $120,969 in staff contributions to benefit those in need. 

In the Tampa area, United Way aims to break the cycle of generational poverty through initiatives targeted at education, literacy, financial education, disaster services, neighborhood programs, and strategic community partnerships. 

We were fortunate to have leaders of our local United Way as well as representatives from partner agencies visit our offices this week to share the impact our donations have had on our community. 

Want to learn more about how you can help United Way where you live? Visit unitedway.org

 

One of PAR’s core values is to give back to our community. Learn more about some of the ways we do that throughout the year.

 

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When staff members at PAR are developing a new test, several rounds of data are collected in order to be sure that the test is measuring what it has intended to measure and that it represents the appropriate populations accurately. Data collection occurs all across the U.S. to help us gather that information. Multiple stages of data collection are crucial to test development. Learn more about the different stages of data collection and what is entailed in each step. 

Pilot 

The pilot stage of data collection is when preliminary data is gathered on a proposed measure with a small sample. The goal of pilot data collection is often to make decisions about item selection, and to determine any aspects of the test that may need alteration prior to standardization. Data collectors provide valuable feedback to PAR staff during this stage regarding the administration of the test and ways it can be improved. 

Standardization 

Standardization involves gathering data using the proposed measure with a larger, representative sample to create norms used by clinicians to score and interpret results upon the test’s publication. PAR uses Census-based norming to ensure our samples are proportionally representative of the demographics of the United States. Each examinee is evaluated for age/grade, sex, race/ethnic group, and participant’s or parent’s educational attainment in addition to their responses to the assessment. PAR’s data collection staff monitor the data closely to ensure each geographic region of the United States is represented. The standardization stage of a project provides additional data collection opportunities to gather reliability data through interrater and test–retest cases, as well as validity data using concurrent measures. 

Clinical groups 

Specific clinical groups may be recruited to serve as clinical comparison samples in data collection.. These clinical cases may require additional documentation from the data collector. The clinical populations recruited vary depending on the construct the test intends to measure. 

Get involved! 

Interested in becoming a data collector for an upcoming project? Have access to a specific clinical group that needs more research? Learn more about how you can PARtner with PAR

Want to learn more about data collection and standardization? PAR staff members recently addressed this topic on The Testing Psychologist podcast. Tune in here.

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Ever wonder how PAR gets the information needed to standardize our tests? We rely on data collectors all across the U.S. to help us gather that information. Data collectors are crucial to test development because they help us find the clinical, standardization, and reliability samples needed to create our assessment products. If you have an interest in contributing to the field in a meaningful way, you might be just the person to help us create our next instrument! 

Who can be a data collector? 

Most of our data collectors are clinical psychologists, school psychologists, psychometrists, speech and language pathologists, and other clinicians. PAR follows the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Guidelines for Psychological Assessment and Evaluation, a system of qualification levels that guides decision-making about who can purchase, administer, and interpret tests (APA, 2020). Anyone administering assessments must be well trained in standardized administration protocols, ethics, and demonstrate competency in practice. For data collection, requirements differ by test. Most projects require a PAR qualification level of B or C. 

What is involved in data collection? 

Data collectors are responsible for finding participants and are compensated on a per-case basis that varies by project. PAR does not pay participants directly, although we can provide gift cards for your participants at your request, deducted from the total amount per case. For most projects, there is no minimum number of reservations required. However, we do set a maximum number of cases that can be accepted from any one examiner/site so that we can ensure geographic diversity in our samples. 

Data collectors submit required demographic information for the participants they intend to test. It is necessary for data collectors to provide accurate demographic information. PAR uses Census-based norming, and we must ensure all demographic groups are appropriately represented. The data collection team at PAR will make a reservation for each participant based on demographics provided. Once a reservation has been made, materials will be provided to data collectors to begin testing. 

Each project is slightly different, ranging from completing rating scales online to administering performance-based tests in person. The general process involves obtaining informed consent from the participant, administering the test, and submitting the data and materials to PAR. 

Do data collectors receive compensation? 

Yes, they do! We are incredibly grateful for our data collectors and try to demonstrate this via prompt payment. PAR offers data collectors an option for either cash payments or credit toward PAR products and have provisions for compensating examinees. 

How do I get involved? 

It’s easy! Simply visit our Partner with PAR page and follow the directions listed under, “How do I become a data collector for PAR?” 

 

Want to learn more about data collection and standardization? PAR staff members recently addressed this topic on The Testing Psychologist podcast. Tune in here.

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This past weekend, PAR staff celebrated the 45th anniversary of the founding of this company. In honor of our anniversary, we thought we would share some fun facts about PAR.

  • It all started on a table—Bob and Cathy Smith began PAR on wooden table in their home in 1978. That table now holds a special place of honor in the PAR offices.
  • PAR employees are active in supporting our community organizations. We currently donate time and financial support to more than 70 charitable organizations each year.
  • Our Distribution Center ships orders with an incredible 99.99% accuracy rate—and it’s even more unbelievable because orders are shipped the day they are placed.
  • PAR is proud to have a staff that is 60% women.
  • Each year, PAR participates in a companywide fundraiser for United Way. We had 100% staff participation this year and raised $113,278 in staff contributions for this worthy organization.
  • Each week, a rotating group of PAR employees take part in a Meals on Wheels route, delivering fresh, nutritious meals to homebound individuals in our community.
  • We always say, “Customer service is our most important product,” and that’s not just an empty slogan. Our Customer Support team has more than 130 years of combined PAR experience and go through intensive training so they can be sure you are completely satisfied when you call. Also, all calls are answered by a live person—no automated messages!

These are just a few of the things we are proudest of as we look back on our 45-year history. As we look to the future, we hope to continue creating connections and changing lives with the work we do here at PAR.

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Each year, International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8, recognizing the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women around the world. The day is also an opportunity to raise awareness of the challenges and inequalities that women face and to advocate for gender equality.

It is no secret that women have historically faced greater barriers than men when it comes to fully  participating in the economy. Disparities between men and women persist in the form of pay gaps, uneven opportunities for advancement, and unbalanced representation in important decision-making. Although women represent 58.4% of the U.S. workforce as of September 2022, women only represent 35% of senior leadership positions. And while 82% of Americans say it’s important that men and women have the same career opportunities, only about a third of Americans say their place of business prioritizes putting women in leadership positions.

Here at PAR, we are proud to have a staff that is 60% women. When we polled our staff to ask about women coworkers whose work deserved to be acknowledged publicly, the response was overwhelming—citing women who inspired them in their day-to-day life, those who were contributing their time and energy to charities and causes, those who had faced personal struggles, and many who had celebrated incredible achievements. We are so proud to work among such women today and every day.

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