Teams
Our Team Members
Our Executive Team

Al Simon
President & CEO
Al brings over 22 years of experience to his role as President of APS Solutions. He is responsible for the strategic direction of the company, including tactical initiatives, business development, P&L, insurances, recruitment, operations, and execution. Al has steadily risen through management and executive management at ProEnergy Services, Bluewater Energy, and PIC for being accountable, attentive, and possessing distinctive leadership skills. Al in a unique position to lead APS Solutions in the industrial staffing industry. Al earned his bachelor’s degree from Georgia Southern University and numerous other Safety, Management, Compliance and Sales certificates.

Chris Cooley
Vice President
Chris brings extensive recruiting and sales experience to his role as Vice President. He is responsible for leading the company in providing commercial guidance, sales solutions, and technical recruitment support to ensure APS's customers receive top service. Chris’s previous roles include Product Manager and Director of Recruiting at ProEnergy; prior, Chris served as the Sales and Recruiting Manager for Global Service Solutions where he specialized in providing staffing services to the Power and Energy industries. Chris earned his bachelor’s degree in Education from Pensacola College.

Ryan Potts
General Counsel / Commercial Director
Ryan brings 10 years of experience to his role as General Counsel / Commercial Director. He began his career at ProEnergy in the role of Inside Sales learning the ins and outs of the Professional Services business. He later went on to earn his Juris Doctor and became a licensed attorney with experience in labor and employment law, healthcare compliance, and contract negotiation. His responsibilities include the development, management and oversight of contractual relationships, risk management and compliance of the company. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Management from the University of Central Missouri and Juris Doctor from the Charlotte School of Law.

Doug Knull
Crafts & Utilization Director
Doug brings over 25 years of technical, recruiting and sales experience to his role as Crafts & Utilization Director. Doug began his career as a craftsman, earning journeyman status as a machinist and specialty welder, before being promoted to shop foreman. Prior to joining ProEnergy, Doug had transitioned to manpower management and was the corporate recruiter for an 8-location company in the Mid-West. In his more than 13 years at ProEnergy, Doug was instrumental in launching the Heavy Industrial Division and was promoted through the ranks of Staffing Manager, Manager of Heavy Industrial Services to Product Manager, while driving the Heavy Industrial Services business from initial start-up to successful multi-million dollar division. Doug has extensive training and certifications in technical trades and safety and is an NCCER Master Trainer. Doug earned his BS in Business Management from Central Methodist University.

Jayme Noble
Operations Director
Jayme Noble started her career in the Power and Energy industry over nine years ago as a Recruiter Assistant. She quickly became acclimated and was promoted two months later to the role of Recruiter. While recruiting, Jayme excelled and was promptly promoted to the Recruiting Operations Lead then onto Operations Director where she now focuses on developing the infrastructure for the business while making important policy, planning, and strategy decisions, that involve implementing and reviewing policies and procedures and analyzing software and process flow on an ongoing basis. Jayme obtained her Associates Degree from State Fair Community College.

Mandy Root
Finance Director
Mandy brings over 15 years of progressive responsibilities to her role as Finance Director. Mandy has worked for over 10 years as a multi-divisional Finance Manager at ProEnergy, where she developed her accounting skills to include Project Based Accounting, International Accounting and Labor Accounting. Mandy has extensive experience in Great Plains and other accounting software. Mandy earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration – Accounting from University of Central Missouri.
Our Sales Team

Paul Fergus
Senior Account Manager
Paul brings over 20 years of experience in developing short-, medium- and long-term managed staffing contracts to the power and process industry. He’s developed and managed projects domestically and internationally ranging from 1-175 personnel at various clients. He prides himself on aligning his clients with best-in-class resources and service. He spent 19 years at another services provider in the power industry prior to joining APS. He graduated from Auburn University with a BS in Operations Management.

Chad Wiseman
Senior Account Manager
Chad brings eight years of sales experience in Power Generation and Oil & Gas markets. Prior to supporting those heavy industrial clients, Chad worked in a Retail Management role for six years. Chad prides himself on developing strong personal relationships with his clients, being very responsive, and staying heavily involved throughout all stages of a deal. Chad earned his bachelor’s degree in Business from Missouri Valley College.

Danielle Richardson
Senior Account Manager
Danielle brings over 10 years’ experience of assisting clients with short-, medium- and long-term staffing projects in the Power and Energy industry. She’s developed and managed projects domestically ranging from 1-125 personnel at various clients. Danielle has a focus on supporting customers with the best in the industry Start-up and Commissioning professionals and industrial craftsmen. She prides herself on long-lasting client relationships, response time, and top-notch performance. Danielle has an associate’s degree in Business Management.

Wayne Ackerson
Senior Account Manager
Wayne has been in the Professional Staffing arena for over 6 years specializing in power, pulp/paper, and industrial construction. In addition to his industrial experience he has over 15 years’ experience managing medium to large teams in other lines of business. This experience allows him to develop successful strategies for his customers no matter the size of the project. He maintains customer focus and ensures their complete satisfaction, which has helped Wayne build successful relationships that are beneficial for everyone long term.

Gabe Norman
Account Manager
Gabe has been supporting power and heavy industrial customers with their staffing needs for over 5 years. Prior to working in this industry, Gabe was an Account Manager in the agricultural industry. Gabe’s primary focus has been supporting customers with best-in-class skilled craftspeople – Millwrights, Electricians, Welders, Pipefitters, etc., as well as Safety, QA/QC, and Project Controls positions. Gabe’s project headcounts have ranged from as low as 1 person to more than 30. Gabe prides himself on responding to needs quickly, tackling issues head on, and supporting his customers with all aspects of their staffing needs. Gabe earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Missouri Valley College.

Brittany Kolkmeier
Customer Service Representative
Brittany joined the team in 2019, bringing more than 15 years of customer service, office management, and sales experience with her. Brittany supports the internal contract hiring for projects and assists her team members with projects, plans and execution when any need arises. Brittany earned her associate degree in Accounting from State Fair Community College and her bachelor’s degree in Business from Central Methodist University.
Our Recruiting Team

Chris Mayfield
Lead Recruiter
Chris has eight years of experience and has held roles as both an Account Manager and Lead Recruiter. Chris has an extensive network of skilled tradesman throughout the United States that include Welders, Millwrights, and Electricians. He has recently begun to establish new relationships in higher level positions.

Mark Zaytsey
Recruiter
Mark has over eight years of experience in the Energy Industry as a Recruiter. Throughout Mark’s Recruiter career he has worked closely with Hiring Managers, Coordinators, and field personnel to fill their needs and support customers goals. Mark has worked on a variety of positions ranging from Project Managers to Helpers, which included Pipefitters, Welders, Millwrights, Electricians, Boilermakers, Safety, Quality, and others. He also has over 5 years’ experience in sales and customer service in the construction industry. He is fluent in English and Russian with a basic understanding of 9 additional languages. Mark has earned his associate degree in Business Management from State Fair Community College.

Josh Noble
Recruiter
Josh has over five years and has experience as an electrician and in mechanical systems. Josh is currently a Recruiter who focuses on heavy industrial and skilled labor positions. Josh fosters relationships with his candidates to deliver timely and reliable placements where needed. Josh has an extensive pipeline of candidates ranging from Boilermakers, Welders, Millwrights, Journeyman and Apprentice Electricians, Maintenance Technicians up to Oversight and Consulting candidates.

Milton Perez
Recruiter
Milton began his career with APS as an Assistant Recruiter in early 2020, and was quickly promoted to a Recruiter. He is bilingual in both Spanish and English, and obtained an Associate Degree in Marketing from State Fair Community College.
Our Operations Team

Jennifer Simon
Operations Manager
Jennifer brings 10 years of working in the education system serving as team leader, and head of several educational chairs. Jennifer has also been the President of Sedalia’s Women Service League, and has served on the board of countless committees. Jennifer continues to use her organizational and communication skills to support and build the Operations Department at APS. Jennifer received her bachelor’s degree in Education at Georgia Southern University.

Amy Franklin
Onboarding Manager
With over 10 years of experience in the Power and Oil & Gas Industry. Amy’s experience includes employee testing & training, assisting with payroll and benefits, policy and procedure review, employee travel, assisting with Passports and VISAS, and updating and tracking candidates and jobs within the system. Currently, she specializes in the onboarding and retention of the company’s contingent contract and craft labor. She makes providing customer service and building relationships with all candidates her main priority. Amy has earned an Associates of Applied Science from State Fair.

Elex Simon
Legal Clerk
Elex graduated from the University of Central Missouri in 2020, with a B.A. in Political Science, minors in Legal Studies, Marketing and Business Administration. While Elex was at the university she interned as a legal clerk for Buckley and Buckley Attorneys at Law, and the Legal Clerk for Legal Aid of Western Missouri. As a law clerk Elex would support attorneys by assembling and organizing information for legal documents, researching, assembling case materials, and writing reports and memoranda. Elex plans to work as a legal clerk at APS while she studies for her Juris Doctor.