When Stephen Horton joined Carlton Staffing in 2013, he brought with him over twelve years of staffing experience, but more importantly he brought his passion of this industry.  Stephen’s nature was to help others and he did this as a colleague, manager, salesperson, coach, father, husband and friend.  Everyone who knew him is better for that experience.

In March of 2021, Stephen lost his battle with COVID and the world lost a man who led with the heart of a servant, and even more than that, he led with love.

We decided after his passing to honor Stephen’s legacy by creating an award called “The Heart of Carlton” which is given out at our annual meeting each year in the first quarter.  The award is given to someone at Carlton who has created similar experiences for others throughout the year – especially with other Carlton colleagues. Nominees for this annual award will have demonstrated the characteristics that made Stephen unforgettable:

• Generous with their time & talent
• Optimistic
• Joyful
• Dedicated to the success of their team
• Always learning
• Respectful to all, regardless of their station in life
• Humble
• Happy for others’ success

In 2022 the award was given to Katie Sechrist, and she presented the award this year to the 2023 winner, Sara Lozano. The nominees were submitted and voted upon by all Carlton Staffing employees, and Sara was praised for always being available to help others, always participating in company activities, for being a loyal and dedicated Carlton cheerleader.  Other employees said she genuinely cares about the well-being and success of not only her own team, but everyone in the company. She’s always happy to help anyone with operations questions and has worked tirelessly on her own development and the development of the people around her.

This award means so much to so many people who loved Stephen and treasure his memory, and we want to congratulate Sara for exemplifying these honorable traits Stephen was known for.