About Pillar & Compass
About Our Founder
For over two decades, Ryan Sutton, SPHR, has been at the forefront of building people-centered business strategies that drive growth and success.
Attaining his first management position at the young age of 17, Ryan Sutton, SPHR knew early on that helping businesses win was what he would love to do with his life. Coupled with a love of people, the two together, People and Business, would chart the path to Human Resources, leading Ryan to major in Human Resource Management in College. Ryan attained his Bachelor of Science Degree in HR Management in 2002 and quickly set sail on his journey as an HR professional.
Since starting that HR journey, Ryan has provided strategic and tactical HR leadership to organizations in all stages of life. Throughout his career, Ryan has worked with small-medium size organizations experiencing rapid growth (and the challenges that go along with that), led the HR and talent programming for a startup, led HR due diligence & integration for 14 acquisitions, and ultimately grew to lead global HR strategy at a Fortune 200 Company, Stanley Black & Decker, where he served as VP, Human Resources leading HR support for the Company's global marketing and finance teams.
Following more than 22 years in HR, Ryan made a life-changing decision to focus on his purpose, passions, and family. While Ryan enjoyed working for large organizations and is thankful for the experience it provided, his passion at this point is working with small to medium businesses to help them win through activation of difference-making people strategies. His goal is to do so in a way that enables personal balance and is purpose-driven. Rooted in faith, Ryan firmly believes in using personal gifts (our time, our talents, and our treasures) to enhance the community and lives around us. It is with this in mind that Ryan founded Pillar & Compass, HR Advisors in January, 2025, activating a life-long dream of owning/operating an organization dedicated to driving growth and positive impact for all it touches.
If you’re looking for an HR partner who understands both the challenges and opportunities of growth—let’s connect
What Makes Pillar & Compass Unique?
- EXPERIENCE: Spanning more than two decades, we have led the development and execution of winning human resource strategy across businesses & industries of all shapes and sizes... Local to Global, Startup to Fortune 200, Acquiring and Being Acquired, Service, Manufacturing, Distribution, Marketing, Finance, Retail, Call Centers, Product Management and more... our wide array of experience has uniquely prepared Pillar & Compass to partner with organizations for success no matter their situation. With great strength in both the Tactical & Strategic components of HR, we have you covered!
- BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP: We are more than an HR advisor—we are your business partner. In winning organizations it is absolutely key that functional team communicate with, are considerate of, and understand each other... the more they do, the stronger they will be. With a holistic understanding of what it takes to operate a healthy business, enabled by a firm foundation in knowledge of finance, marketing, sales & commercialization, program management, and HR, Pillar & Compass is ready to provide well-rounded strategic guidance that's rooted in a wide perspective of what your business is experiencing. No narrow focus here, we'll partner with a wide lens.
- CLIENT FOCUS & NETWORK: Our highest priorities are to take excellent care of our clients, exceed their expectations, and add value. That said, sometimes we may not be best suited to meet needs of our clients and we are humble enough to acknowledge that. Our client's best interests are always at the heart of what we do and how we do it. Where we are not best to serve our client's needs, we know people who are and will be happy to leverage our expansive professional network to enhance client experiences and create value.
- NO COOKIE CUTTER APPROACHES: Every business is unique, and your HR solutions should be as well. With P&C, every solution is "wired" based on the unique needs, goals, and culture of your organization. No Cookie-Cutter approaches here, we will spend time with you to figure out what solutions are best for your business to help it build, grow, and thrive.
OUr Guiding Principles
Mission
Mission
Mission
Have a positive impact in community by helping organizations Build, Grow, Thrive, and WIN, through the optimization of talent strategy, establishment & maintenance of a healthy purpose-driven culture, cultivating leadership capabilities, and enhancing team ability to execute.
Vision
Mission
Mission
Our vision is to partner-with, and support, 100+ organizations within the next 10 years to drive culture and talent strategy in a manner that differentiates our partners as employers of choice, creating positive outcomes and competitive advantage.
Purpose
Purpose
Purpose
Pillar & Compass is rooted in a giving & community-building mindset that sets the foundation of our purpose. While we are here to provide exceptional client support and strategic partnership that will help organization’s grow, our broader purpose is to do so in a manner that enables us to have a meaningful and lasting positive impact on the people and communities we serve.
Values
Purpose
Purpose
- IMPACT
- SERVICE
- LEARNING
- EXCELLENCE
- SEE IT THROUGH
- INTEGRITY
- AGILITY