In the latest episode of the Rock Solid: Round Rock Business Leaders Podcast, host Bryan Eisenberg interviews Kim Pollok, CEO of SWBC Payroll & HR, who shares her remarkable rise from a December 31 layoff to leading a company that serves over 42 states. The episode, titled "Kim Pollok | From Layoff to CEO," was published on June 23, 2026, and delves into Pollok's 16-year career in the industry, offering practical advice for leaders navigating hybrid work, multigenerational teams, and the rapid integration of AI in HR and payroll systems.
Pollok's journey began when her previous employer, a call center with over 2,000 workers, gave staff the choice to relocate to El Paso or be laid off. SWBC ran the closing job fair and offered Pollok an entry-level benefits coordinator role at $10,000 less than her HR-manager salary. She accepted that afternoon, a decision that eventually led to her becoming CEO. Pollok emphasizes the importance of saying "yes" to opportunities, even when the path is unclear. During the SWBC PEO acquisition, she recalls, no one on the team knew what a PEO was, but they embraced the challenge.
A key theme of the conversation is mentorship. Pollok credits SWBC Mortgage CEO Susan Stewart and FI division CEO Mark Hine as mentors who shaped her leadership style. She shares a memorable lesson from Stewart: "Stop letting people give you dead birds. Don't allow people to just give you their problem and then you are taking on everybody's problem without some solutions, because you're collecting everyone's dead birds and you can't do anything with it." Pollok now uses this framing with her own team, alongside the mandate: "You have a seat at the table, you've earned a seat at the table, use your voice." She also discusses managing baby boomers, Gen X, and Gen Z under one roof without abandoning fairness, highlighting the need for consistent policies.
Pollok outlines SWBC Payroll & HR's implementation of a secure, private AI system for research and workflows, ensuring client and financial data remain protected. This move reflects the company's commitment to innovation while maintaining compliance in an ever-changing regulatory environment. She also explains why SWBC sponsored the Round Rock Chamber's Women Who Mean Business event featuring Olympian Cat Osterman, emphasizing the company's dedication to community and women's leadership.
SWBC Payroll & HR, privately held by Charlie Amato and Gary Dudley, serves clients ranging from five to 7,000 employees across roughly 42 states, with a typical book between 40 and 300 employees. Industries include hospitals, urgent cares, construction, property management, nonprofits, train-car refurbishers, and pig farms. Pollok describes the firm as an essential back-office partner for small and mid-sized businesses, providing over 70 specialists at a cost-effective rate. The episode, produced by Round Rock Studio and hosted by bestselling author Bryan Eisenberg, offers a candid guide for leaders on developing talent, keeping clients, and ensuring compliance. Episode 79 with Kim Pollok is available now wherever podcasts are heard.
