990. A Day in the Life: What’s It Really Like to Be a Human Resources Consultant?

“My dad was brought up on a farm that raised Angus cattle. When my brother and I were around 11 years old he decided that we needed to have a similar experience that would keep us busy and engaged and because he had learned so many valuable lessons during his early years. Because cattle farming was so intense and arduous every day, he wanted to find a better option for us. Over the holidays one year we went to Oklahoma where he shopped around and finally decided to buy four English Pointer dogs that would be the starting point for what became the Cooper Brothers’ Kennel. Taking care of this growing family of purebred dogs became the focal point of my life during the next ten years. We started each day at 5:00 a.m., worked until 7:30, then went to school. We returned home around 4:30 p.m. and worked with the dogs until dark. Our kennel raised around 250 puppies every year. In the summer months I spent my days training the dogs to hunt so that we could sell them in the fall. From those myriad experiences with our kennel, we learned so many powerful lessons that were foundational in my life and career going forward: of course, the results of hard work, as well as how to be resilient and consistent, how to deal with all types of people, how to run a small business and finally the basics of how to market and sell. I thank my father for having the insight of giving us this atypical and powerful experience along with our solid traditional education.”

Chuck Cooper is the Founder & Managing Member at WhiteWater Consulting. He sets the Mission, Vision and Values for the company. Over the past twenty-five years, he has had the experience of starting, acquiring, building, and selling businesses in multiple industries. During this time, he’s experienced the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. His passion for founding WhiteWater Consulting is to help enable employers and HR practitioners to drive their organization to realize: An improved company culture; enhance employee engagement; grow revenues; control expenses; maximize profits and all the while taking care of the greatest asset: their people. Chuck subscribes to the belief that our client’s success is our success.