Meet One of Our Lead Recruiters: Interview with Harmony Healthcare’s Zack Hyre
What do you do at Harmony?
My title is Lead Recruiter but I’m really like the “big brother” of Harmony’s recruiting side. Having been with Harmony for seven years, I help mentor the new recruits and jump in to resolve issues whenever they arise. People come to us a lot whenever they don’t want to go to “Dad”, whenever they have a more hands on question because it’s what we do every day.
What would people be surprised to learn about you?
I used to be a DJ. That’s all I will say about that…
Do you like to cook?
No, I don’t. My wife and I have designated departments in our house and she’s the head of the cooking department. I manage sub-departments within cooking; the BBQ and the smoker, and breakfast on the weekends.
What is your favorite movie genre to see in a theater, specifically?
I can’t really answer this question as it takes me about three weeks to make it through a movie—I pass out within 15 minutes. I’m a narcoleptic movie watcher.
Of all the cities and / or countries you’ve been to, which is your favorite? Why?
Probably where I just went. Two days ago, I was in San Miguel De Allende which is the geographical center of Mexico. It’s about four hours northwest of Mexico City. It’s just this beautiful town. All cobblestone roads. It’s the seclusion of it and the structure of it, how it’s built, how it’s organized, that made it so appealing. We’d walk and you’d see the most magnificent church and the most interesting buildings. And the culture was charming, the people there just seemed to be happy. One of my best friend’s was getting married. He and his new wife have traveled to over 30 countries and he had been to Allende four times and it was his favorite city. As customary in Mexico, we, the wedding party, paraded through the city. It was an amazing experience. I would recommend going there.
What would be a good theme song for your life?
Kenny Chesney’s “Get Along”. It’s about loving others and staying positive. I live every day by trusting that positive behavior will get you positive outcomes. Building relationships and treating others with respect and love is very important to me—that’s why it would be a good theme song for my life. Plus, my two little girls love singing along with me as my wife cringes at the cheesiness of the song.
Who is your inspiration?
My Mom. My Mom passed away in 2007 from breast cancer. I had recently graduated from college at the time and it was a tough situation. I really wasn’t sure what I was going to do because sometimes people submit under those pressures. She had battled cancer for many years from when I was in middle school through high school and it came back when I was in college. I pushed myself to get my BS in three and half years to spend time with her. But she was the one that taught me how to behave and how to treat other people. She was a musical mastermind, always teaching kids how to play instruments. She was a huge figure in the community and I always thought she was who I would want to be. I came from a small blue-collar town outside of Pittsburgh, but we owned a music store growing up and musical instruments were my parent’s passion. My Mom and I worked at the store and we tried to do something more every day, we always tried to accomplish something. We felt accomplished by how many lessons we taught, it brought in the money, but it also taught people to grow. It was tough to see her get weaker and weaker over the years and I never really thought about it until years passed but I realized I had to make her proud. That’s how she inspired me—I was and still do want myself to grow. Now I want my kids to grow. I go home and try to accomplish things with them. Whether its teaching them how to sort the laundry with me or how to put the dishes in the dishwasher the right way. It’s just the little things and we celebrate that stuff—just like I did with my Mom.
Is there a charity / cause you feel passionate about? Why?
I support what my wife does in teaching and education—my wife is a teacher. I also support a lot of cancer related causes. Cancer has affected many important people in my life, and it has taken some of my closest friends and family members. My wife’s cousin participates in the Pelotonia annual bike ride benefitting cancer research. I’m passionate about helping him and others raise money for cancer research because of my Mom and because both his parents are battling cancer.
