Building Culture from the Inside Out: Karla Driskill and The Hollister Group’s Human-Centered Approach

Before joining The Hollister Group, Karla Driskill devoted her career to developing mentoring programs for college students and women entrepreneurs. Her passion was — and still is — supporting women in the workplace.

A pivotal moment came in 2012 when Driskill met Kip Hollister, Founder and CEO of The Hollister Group.

“When I met Kip, I was so enamored. She personifies and embodies the kind of successful female entrepreneur I’d been coaching women to be for years,” Driskill recalls.

“She’s built a multimillion-dollar company in Boston, but she doesn’t sacrifice her heart or her family. Kip started this company at 26 to forge a new paradigm for staffing — and she’s done just that.”

Today, Driskill serves as Vice President of Cultures at The Hollister Group. She leads a department that reflects the company’s belief that organizational culture is not just a nice-to-have — it’s a business imperative.

“With the integration of our Staffing and Cultures divisions, Kip is disrupting the industry again,” Driskill says. “To my knowledge, we are the only staffing company with a dedicated Cultures division focused on helping clients build environments that retain top talent.”

Why Culture Matters

Driskill is clear: “People don’t leave jobs — they leave cultures and managers. Turnover costs companies three to six times an employee’s salary. That’s a steep price.”

The Hollister Group aims to change that by helping organizations build people-first workplaces.

“We teach organizations to be people-centric. The old, directive leadership model is outdated. Millennials — who will make up 75% of the workforce by 2025 — want to feel purpose, passion, and growth. That’s what we help companies deliver.”

The Hollister Difference

Attracting, hiring, and retaining top talent requires alignment between the company’s Staffing and Cultures divisions.

“We’ve been delivering exceptional staffing services for over 30 years. That hasn’t changed,” says Driskill.

“But now, with our Cultures division, we stay on for 1–3 years to create long-term, sustainable change. We help companies build a shared language around communication, accountability, authenticity, leadership, and conflict resolution — all of which foster engagement and trust.”

And it’s not just what they teach — it’s how they operate.

When onboarding a new hire, The Hollister Group takes time to:

• Introduce the company’s culture
• Discuss individual strengths and motivations
• Use tools like the DISC Assessment to understand values and working styles

All new hires go through REAL Conversations — a Cornerstone of Business Success, a core training program that emphasizes authentic communication and navigating difficult conversations effectively. This common language helps reduce avoidance, build trust, and address conflict head-on.

Growing Leaders from Day One

Beyond onboarding, The Hollister Group offers a year-long Emerging Leaders program focused on:

• Giving and receiving feedback
• Executive presence
• Building strong manager-employee relationships

“We’re a relational company, not a transactional one,” says Driskill. “We build a culture of principles, reinforced from the top down and the bottom up.”

The Cultures division also supports clients through:

• Onboarding & retention programs
• Individual and executive coaching
• Team coaching
• Custom training & development workshops

Core focus areas include:

• Difficult Conversations
• Personal Brand
• Accountability
• Stress Management
• Feedback Culture

Post-Pandemic Reinvention

Reflecting on the company’s evolution through the COVID-19 pandemic, Driskill says: “The pandemic blew open the door on outdated practices. We created a collaborative space to co-design a new model that truly works for our team.”

This same mindset fuels their work with clients today. The Hollister Difference includes not only staffing support but also robust tools for culture-building — helping companies evolve into healthier, more human-centered workplaces.

“Our vision is all-encompassing,” Driskill says. “Wherever there are living, breathing human beings, the principles we teach can support them.”