As Firespring’s Director of HR, Bruce Coufal helps to oversee the development of Firespring’s team members. Off the clock, he offers his skills to an organization called TeamMates, where he encourages and nurtures the development of a young student—someone he’s been investing in for the past six years.
Here’s your chance to meet Bruce and get a quick snapshot of what he does for both our team and the TeamMates organization.
As a Director of Human Resources, you have a lot on your hands. Give us a glimpse of what’s on your plate.
I manage Firespring’s Human Resource Information System and oversee all employee benefits. I handle all FMLA, OSHA, workers compensation and unemployment reporting. And I work closely with managers to address any personnel issues. This past year, of course, was very challenging, and I was involved with administering the Families First Coronavirus Response Act requirements and Firespring’s overall company safety protocols.
And when you’re off the clock?
I have been involved with TeamMates for the past six years and have volunteered for multiple years at the People’s City Mission.
Talk about TeamMates and what you do for them.
I meet weekly with a great young person that I’ve been fortunate enough to mentor during all my years at TeamMates. When we get together, we discuss what is going on in our lives, our interests and we play various games.
What about that particular nonprofit do you love—why did you choose them?
I chose TeamMates due to its great reputation—and I believe in trying to do what I can to help young individuals be the best person they can be. I enjoy building relationships where you get to really know one another and both parties can be themselves.
Note: If you’re not familiar, TeamMates is a school-based, one-to-one mentoring program founded by Dr. Tom and Nancy Osborne in 1991. The Mission of TeamMates is to positively impact the world by inspiring youth to reach their full potential through mentoring. Dr. Tom Osborne was the head coach of the Nebraska football team when he started the program and asked his players to give back to the community by going into Lincoln schools to mentor students. TeamMates operates in Nebraska, western Iowa, Kansas, South Dakota and eastern Wyoming.
Outside of work and volunteering, what grabs your attention or your heart?
I enjoy anything outdoors such as biking, yard work, fishing and home projects. I’m a huge fan of college football and always watch the Huskers.
How about your family—can you tell us a bit about them?
I have a wife and three daughters whom I love spending time with. I really enjoy teasing my girls and they seem to not mind it (for the most part)! I love to go watch my daughters participate in their various sporting events and have coached quite a bit of youth sports over the years.
One last question: How are you hanging in there as we move into spring of 2021?
2020 was a challenging year for so many people. I am fortunate that I was able to continue to do my job during the pandemic and am appreciative of the flexibility Firespring had with our work-from-home policy. I am definitely excited for 2021 as more people get vaccinated and society returns to feeling more normal. I also can’t wait for warm weather.
Learn more about TeamMates and how to invest in the life of a young student yourself.
