Ken Carey

His job: President/owner Agil Staff Inc., which places bilingual or other hard-to-find workers

Age: 37

Family: Married, wife, Heidi; children, Colson, 5; and Sally, 2

Education: Bachelor’s degree, broadcast journalism, USC

Community involvement: S.C. Hispanic Leadership Council; Celebrate Freedom Foundation; youth program at Eastminster Presbyterian Church

From his nomination: “Ken has helped countless individuals advance in their careers and, in some cases, get back on the road to financial stability and independence.” — Ana Drummond, Agil Staff

How did you come to work with bilingual, predominantly Spanish-speaking workers? “I was an Air Force brat and lived in Spain. When I lived over there, (native children) beat me up and told me, ‘Go home, rich American.’” When Carey did come back to the States, he consciously gave up what Spanish he had learned. He has tried to fit in time for a class but has yet to find it. “I’m working on it, slowly but surely,” through conversation. But, “with the economy being the way it is, now would probably be a good time” to take a class because work for his employment agency can be slow.

What mantra do you work by? “I work real hard to finish each day and be comfortable with my activities for each day and not carry any regrets into the next day.” He also tries to live by the Golden Rule but admits that “I’m definitely a work in progress.”

How do you define success? “The success that I’m looking for is balance between work life and family life.” Family life, Carey says, comes first. On a typical day, he will drop the children at pre-school — he admits he often forgets their lunches, which can frustrate his wife, Heidi. Carey also admits he isn’t always as disciplined and organized as his wife, who is a foreclosure attorney. “I was a Marine (for three years) and think I was voted ‘least likely to be a Marine.’ ”

What’s a typical work week? “If I have a client with a deadline, then I’m working more. I’ve got to be willing to take a call and make a call on nights and weekends. . . . But most of the time it’s not like that.” Carey estimates his total hours at 40 to 50 each week.

What’s ahead for you? “I’m successful in that I’ve been able to start a staffing company and make money … but there is a lot of room for growth.” Carey is working to broaden his business outside the state.

To what do you attribute your success? “The harder I work, the luckier I am, is what Thomas Jefferson said. If I work on what I can control, which is finding the right employers,” the business will succeed.