Kristen Ripmaster

Market Leader

Kristen joined Kimmel & Associates in 2017 in the Electrical Division, serving the Northeastern region. She later transitioned to serving the general construction market in California, Arizona, and Nevada.

Prior to joining Kimmel & Associates, Kristen held several leadership roles (including President and COO) at ConstructionJobs.com, a leading job board for construction companies and professionals. Her background in sales, business development, and relationship-building translates perfectly to her career in executive search.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

We sat down with Kristen and asked her the following:

• What do you like most about working at Kimmel & Associates?
  I love helping people take the next steps in their career. And at Kimmel, I love that I have the flexibility to focus on both my family and my career, which can be incredibly difficult to do.
• What is one thing you learned early in your career that has made you successful?
  That you need to be resilient and not take everything personally. Also, there is no substitute for hard work.
• What is your greatest strength in your role?
  Understanding. Listening to those I speak with so I can hear what their needs are and make sure that I take care of those needs.
• What makes you different from other recruiters in your industry?
  I treat each relationship as a friendship, which helps me remain focused on what is best for the individual or company. The more I know about the individuals, the more it helps with finding people who will succeed when they come together.
• Do you have a favorite quote?
  I don’t know who said this first, but “Hard work is better than talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” Also, Einstein said, “Never give up on what you really want to do. The person with big dreams is more powerful than the one with all the facts.”
• What causes are you passionate about?
  My family, helping people see the positive in a wild world, animals, nature, and running.
• Personal interests?
  I love vacationing everywhere with my family because it’s always an adventure! We visit Telluride the most because we have roots there, but we love visiting new places and different cultures as often as we can. Favorite hobbies are spending time with family and dogs, decorating, learning, running, visiting with friends, hiking, and traveling.