Chad Strickland, Co-Founder and Strategy
Chad is the culture and people strategist who drives business results with the power of belief, purpose, and communication.
Chad began his 20-year career as a labor and employment attorney, then transitioned to a senior business executive, where he learned how the power of people can impact an organization. Even before then, Chad developed a unique ability to empathize and communicate effectively with a wide variety of cultures thanks to his humble, rural beginnings raised by a single mother. Equally comfortable in the boardroom in Atlanta, Georgia, or a manufacturing floor in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, his expertise rests in the power of relationships.
In co-founding NICH in 2016, Chad sought to develop a resource that he wished he had as a senior executive at a large enterprise. During his nearly 15-year tenure with one of the most successful specialty retailers in the country, Aaron’s Inc., Chad was responsible for the most valued aspect of the business: attracting, hiring, training, and engaging the 20,000+ (mostly millennial) associates. Building this process from scratch gave Chad invaluable experience and lessons on what’s effective for today’s millennial workforce.
Chad has been a featured speaker on the topic of culture and engagement for the next-generation workforce at numerous industry events, including CEB, Consero, Oracle HCM World, and Hansen Wade.
In his personal time, Chad can be found training and leading Atlanta’s most prominent Master’s cycling team. A lifetime competitive athlete, he rides about 10,000 miles a year, all over the world, in the most challenging terrain and conditions. When not training, Chad can be found designing, reading, or throwing a ball for Hutch — a Belgian Malinois with enough energy to power Oudenaarde.