Ryan Festerling
President and COO
QPS Employment Group
Age: 44
Hometown: Pewaukee
Education: Bachelor’s in finance, marketing and public administration, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Previous position: Executive vice president of human resources, Kohl’s Corp.
What attracted you to QPS?
“I was so excited to be able to combine making a difference in people’s lives … but I also had this really strong desire to be part of the true running the business of a company. For me, QPS checked literally all the boxes of being really involved in the community, making a difference in the lives of people in the community and me getting to work with a large team of really smart people across the Midwest.”
What does your board service mean to you?
“I think any time you have a chance to give back you should look to do that. I’ve been fortunate to be able to do that in a leadership role. … Both my wife and I are graduates of Wisconsin Lutheran High School …to say that it’s near and dear to my heart is an understatement. It’s given a lot to me and the family I am with, so I want to give back, so that one is easy. The Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation has a really great cause … but it’s also pretty great because we get to work with some pretty interesting and prominent sports figures …They couldn’t be on two opposite ends of the spectrum, very different networks, but two things I’m pretty passionate about.”
What are your hobbies outside of work?
“I picked up racing, believe it or not, in my mid-life crisis, so I’ll be running at Road America in two weeks; I do that a few times a year. I race in an old vintage series that has become lots of fun and my wife could not hate it more. … my favorite hobbies in the world are my two girls. I’ve got two daughters, one is 12 and one is 14, so I’m a dance dad on the side.”
