Spherion’s Beth DeLaney Named a 2026 Franchisee Excellence Award Winner by Franchise Business Review

The honor is awarded annually to franchise owners across North America who demonstrate outstanding leadership, operational strength, and meaningful impact within their communities.

DeLaney operates four Spherion offices in Ashland, Mansfield, Wooster, and Willard, with additional hybrid operations serving 12 counties across Ohio. For more than three decades, she has built a strong team and reputation as a trusted workforce partner, remaining deeply invested in the long-term vitality of the communities she serves.

“There’s a big difference between owning a business and truly knowing it,” said DeLaney, who recently celebrated 34 years with Spherion. “I’ve sat in every seat, and success in this business is never mine alone. It belongs to the people who show up every day for our clients, our candidates, and our community. When you lead with that mindset and surround yourself with a team that supports one another, you build something that lasts.”

A cornerstone of DeLaney’s leadership is workforce development. In 2016, she launched the ME, Inc. program to address employer concerns around job readiness. The program teaches students essential soft skills, conflict management, and personal branding. What began as a local initiative in Ohio was later adopted across additional Spherion markets, extending her impact beyond her own community.

For the past ten years, Spherion Mid Ohio has also sponsored the Kalahari Classic, a four-day VEX robotics competition in Sandusky, where DeLaney’s team hosts mock interview stations to help students prepare to competently present their creations and sharpen their speaking skills for future careers.

Beyond schools, DeLaney and her team actively engage with their local chambers of commerce and community organizations.

Within the Spherion network, DeLaney is recognized as a collaborative and engaged leader, having served on the brand’s Franchise Advisory Council and helping launch the annual Sandy Mazur Excellence in Leadership Scholarship in partnership with Ohio’s Richland County Foundation. Since its founding in 2020, the scholarship has awarded more than $36,000 to students across the country.

Each Spherion office enriches its community by connecting and facilitating employment opportunities every day—helping individuals, businesses, and neighborhoods get to a better place. When successful, the office and its investments flow back into the neighborhoods it serves. The power of Spherion is in its local roots.