The following are our permanent staff members.

Mark A. Smith
President & CEO
msmith1@cpi-group.com

Mark Smith became President of The CPI Group, Inc. in 1997, and in 1999 was named CEO. Since then, the company has expanded from its headquarters in Columbus to include offices in Hattiesburg and Gulfport, and as of the first quarter of 2007, had over 1600 employees. Mark provides daily oversight of all operations for the company and a vision for strategic business development. Since his appointment to President, the company has grown by over 2500% and has received numerous awards. Most recently, The CPI Group has been recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest growing companies in America. The Inc Magazine’s Inc. 500 List is the premier and most widely recognized official ranking of fastest growing, privately held businesses in the country. Other recognitions include the 2004 Mississippi Business Journal (MBJ) Small Business of the Year award, for which the company was recognized as a finalist in 2005 as well. Also in 2004 CPI received the Inaugural Governor’s Cup recognizing CPI as the top small business in the state of Mississippi. It has also been named an MBJ Top 100 Privately Held Company and has placed consecutively in the Mississippi Business Journal/KPMG Fast 40 awards program.

Personally, Mark received the Entrepreneur of the Year Award from Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce, was a Mississippi Business Journal Top 40 Under 40 recipient and was named a Golden Triangle Region Who’s Who by the Commercial Dispatch. He was recognized in January of 2005 as the Small Business CEO of the Year among a handful of CEO’s in the state of Mississippi at the 2005 Mississippi Business and Technology Expo. He was also a member of 2005 Mississippi Economic Council’s Leadership Mississippi class. Additionally, he is a licensed real estate agent both in Mississippi as well as Florida and is a partner in Glenwood Associates, LLC, a real estate development firm which is involved with various multi-family development ventures in Mississippi. In addition, Mark is the owner of Teufel Hunden Properties, LLC, a real estate development firm specializing in historical urban restorations and development.

Mark attended the University of Maryland and the University of Alabama and is a decorated US Marine who served distinctively on three continents. He is a disabled veteran and a member of the Disabled American Veterans. Mark currently serves as Honorary Squadron Commander for the 49th Fighter Training Squadron at the Columbus Air Force Base. He is also actively involved in numerous civic organizations. He is a current member of the Mississippi Economic Council’s (MEC) Board of Governors and the past Advisory Board Chairman and current board member for the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation- Ability Works. He is a past Chairman of the Board for Habitat for Humanity, a 2-Time Chairman for the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk, was an Executive Board Member for the Columbus-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce and board member for the Columbus-Lowndes Economic Development Authority, as well as a board member for the Humane Society. In addition to several other personal recognitions and civic positions, Mark is a member of Rotary International, both the Golden Triangle and Pine Belt Society for Human Resource Management Chapters, the Hattiesburg Area Development Partnership and a member of Greater Starkville Development Partnership. In addition, Mark is involved with and supports a wide variety of Christian ministries including the Koinonia Emmaus Community of North Mississippi and Hope Family Ministries based in Tupelo, Mississippi. He also is a volunteer for Camp Rising Sun.

Michelle Daniels
Staffing Division Director
mdaniels@cpi-group.com

Michelle Daniels joined the staff at the beginning of 2004 as Staffing Division Director and brings almost a decade of staffing industry experience to The CPI Group. Her first several years of industry experience are from her tenure as a multi-office manager for a worldwide, publicly traded, global staffing corporation. She is tasked with daily oversight of the multi-million dollar divisions in the Golden Triangle, Pine Belt, and Gulf Coast markets. Michelle is a member of the Pine Belt Chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management, where she served as an officer for two years, and is also a member of National SHRM.

Michelle advises in strategic business development, client care, recruitment, retention, employee training, sales & marketing, accounting, payroll, and financial management of the company. She is also responsible for risk management, safety program development and management, ad development, and special projects management. After Hurricane Katrina devastated the Mississippi Gulf Coast, CPI was subcontracted in South Mississippi to administer the National Emergency Disaster Grant, a federal program to assist in the rebuilding and recovery of the communities devastated by the hurricane. Michelle led the CPI team in successful administration and roll out of the largest staffing and payrolling ramp up in the history of the United States. She represents the interests of The CPI Group at local and regional job fairs and conferences. She maintains an open door approach to management and promotes a team concept to all employees. Michelle emphasizes to her staff that CPI is successful when each team member is passionately focused on providing excellence in service to clients, candidates, co-workers, and our communities.

Michelle attended Mississippi State University and the University of Southern Mississippi. She is an alumna of Phi Mu Fraternity and holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree. She graduated with highest honors from the University of Southern Mississippi and is a member of the USM Alumni Association. Over the past few years, Michelle has supported many charitable and civic organizations and events which include the following: the March of Dimes, Easter Seals, the Hattiesburg Breast Cancer Awareness Team, Walk for Diabetes, and Christian Services. She, her husband Chad, and their daughter and son reside in Oak Grove.

June Cooper
Assistant Recruiter
Golden Triangle Market
jcooper@cpi-group.com

June Cooper came to CPI with an array of diverse work related experience which includes twelve years of directorial and managerial experience in the retail and manufacturing industries. As an Assistant Recruiter, June brings a variety of people skills and networking resources that have proven beneficial in the placement of candidates at our client sites. She is responsible for intake of applicants as well as assists in client care and in initial candidate matching to job orders.

June holds an Applied Science degree in Electronics from East Mississippi Community College and an Office of Childhood and Youth Certification from the Mississippi Department of Health. She is working towards her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Family Studies from Mississippi University for Women. She is a member of the Zion Gate Missionary Baptist Church Missionary Society and serves as the Sunday school teacher of the two through the five–year-olds. As a mother of two teenage girls, she has been very active in their schools over the years as well as in the community.

Kristi Stubbs
Payroll Coordinator
kstubbs@cpi-group.com

Kristi Stubbs serves as the Payroll Coordinator for CPI. She comes with an array of work related experiences. As a Payroll Coordinator she is responsible for processing payroll, employment verifications, and payroll tax preparations. She handles US Department of Labor reports among many other duties. Kristi also is Special Projects Coordinator for CPI. Specifically she has been instrumental in planning for the Columbus and Starkville Business After Hours events that CPI proudly sponsors.

Kristi has an Associate of Science degree in Banking and Finance Technology from East Mississippi Community College. Kristi and her husband, Brice, reside in Starkville.

Tara Handegard
Recruiter
Workman’s Compensation Coordinator
thandegard@cpi-group.com

Tara Handegard joined the team at CPI with years of supervisory and customer service experience in the insurance and retail industries. Serving as a Recruiter and the Workman’s Compensation Coordinator, Tara has been pivotal in the recruitment and placement of candidates. Her daily routine consists of recruiting, job placements and networking within the community.

Tara holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from North Dakota State University. She also holds an Associates in Customer Service with Honors, and a Fellowship in Life Management from the LOMA Institute. Tara’s focus is on customer service for her clients and her candidates, making sure her clients receive the proper candidate for the position. She is a strong supporter of the Lymphoma Society and the American Cancer Society. As an Air Force wife, Tara resides with her husband Erick on Columbus Air Force Base.