February 13, 1957 – January 9, 2023
Steve Drexel was no ordinary CEO. He was an exceptional leader who genuinely cared about his employees and invested in their success. He was generous with his time and knowledge and was always accessible and approachable to both employees and clients. He had an incredible ability to remember details about conversations you had with him and always picked up the conversation the next time he saw you.
He endorsed ongoing educational opportunities for all employees. That’s why many Cornerstone employees have earned or are pursuing their American Staffing Association Certified Staffing Professional certification. He even offered assistance to former employees who were developing business plans when they wanted to start their own staffing firms.
Along with his infectious smile, he had a giant and compassionate heart. He embraced the many charities each region supported, especially ones that helped animals.
While he empowered the leadership team to run their markets, he was an enthusiastic participant in quarterly meetings. Whatever the activity was, Steve was game – – playing trivia games, ziplining, and touring haunted houses, to name a few.
He was the most honest, caring and generous human being and incredibly humble. He was a natural servant leader. It’s no wonder that he spent almost four decades in the staffing industry devoted to the noble work of helping people find meaningful employment. Steve’s unique contributions to the companies he ran and the staffing industry as a whole are undeniable. In 2013, Staffing Industry Analysts recognized Steve as one of their Staffing 100 – the 100 most influential people in the staffing industry.
We treasure our time under his leadership and will be forever grateful to have known him. We all feel the impact of his loss. He will be greatly missed.
Jaime Larson
Steve was an exceptional person and leader. In the short time I worked directly under Steve, he gave me so much confidence. He saw something in me and gave me the guidance and autonomy to prosper. My guess is he did this for a lot of people he touched throughout his professional career and personal life. I will forever cherish the time I worked with Steve.
Brian Telfer
My heart is heavy after receiving the news of Steve’s passing. I started my career in staffing with Steve in Denver. I moved to Las Vegas to run the market for Corestaff. The first time I met Steve was in Houston for a leadership meeting. We had dinner at Pappadeaux for his crawfish.
Our connection was his Scottish heritage as my father was born in Scotland. I remember when you called him his ring tone was Scottish bags pipes.
He loved going on client visits, we went to client in Henderson, NV , cold freezer where we had staff on forklifts minus 20 degrees. We were given a tour while we were freezing he was asking questions. All we wanted to do was get somewhere warm. All the Christmas parties, quarterly meetings, he always did his best to be there to support the market.
I could go on but all I can say is that i have many many found memories of Steve, He will be greatly missed and left such a positive impact in our world.
“Scotland”
Bob Armiak
Steve was the first mentor I ever had.
He had started the finance department at kelly services and I was his first hire. He taught me so much about how to be mature, how to do act, how to work and how to think. Most importantly, how to treat people. Everyone loved Steve and I wanted to be just like him. I am so sad he is gone but so happy he was a part of my life. God bless you Steve, w much love.