2025 Pueo Team
Designing Competitive Recruiting and Benefits Strategies
At A Glance:
Capstone Sponsor: Pueo
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Eli Jamison
Capstone Team Members: Lennox Wolak, Julian Graves, Nick Comer, Sabrina Duque-Lewis
Solution Summary: Developed tailored recruiting and benefits recommendations to help Pueo attract top talent and compete more effectively in a tight labor market.
The Challenge
As a growing consulting and technology firm, Pueo needed to strengthen its recruiting strategies and employee value proposition to stand out in a competitive hiring landscape. Balancing attractive benefits, clear career pathways, and competitive pay is critical for securing highly skilled talent. To stay competitive and cost-efficient, Pueo needed to ensure its benefits package remains attractive to employees without creating unsustainable overhead.
The Solution
The student team gathered input from four key sources: competitive benchmarking within the industry, conversations with experts on transitioning from small to large business status, in-depth recruiting trend analysis, and direct employee survey data that revealed what current staff value most.
Based on these insights, they recommended practical adjustments to reduce costs while preserving what employees care about. For example, they proposed shifting the current 4.5% automatic 401(k) contribution to a matching model — encouraging employees to invest more in their retirement while saving Pueo over $1,000 per employee annually.
They also provided two options for revamping paid time off: a tenure-based PTO policy or an unlimited leave system — both aimed at lowering accrued liabilities and boosting appeal to new hires. To balance changes and maintain morale, they recommended adding low-cost, high-impact perks like a birthday holiday, paid volunteer hours, or wellness stipends, with clear, transparent communication during rollout to protect employee trust.
Finally, the team built an adjustable financial model to help Pueo’s leadership test different scenarios and quantify potential savings across benefits categories.
The Impact
With these insights, Pueo is better positioned to market itself as an employer of choice, attract specialized talent, and retain high performers. Clearer, competitive packages and modernized recruiting practices will help Pueo scale its workforce sustainably while reinforcing its strong culture and mission-focused identity.
2025 Pueo Team Public Presentation