Certain phrases recall profound moments in a person's life. "It's a boy" and "I do," for example.

For Charlotte Mack King, it was: "We're sorry, we must lay you off." Little did King know back in 1991 that this traumatic event would turn her into an entrepreneur specializing in human-resources consulting. "It was a life-changing event for me. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. At the time, I was devastated," King says.

Today, King is president and chief executive officer of Resource Innovations, a Fort Myers-based company that provides full-service outplacement for Southwest Florida. The company also offers an array of human resources services, including management coaching, company handbook writing, employee relations, recruitment and performance-appraisal development, all of which account for roughly 60 percent of the firm's services, provided to small business and involving human resources.

Hope Hospice in Fort Myers is a longtime client that has used a variety of Resource Innovations' services.

"They started working with us to establish an H.R. The role has changed over the years as needs have changed," says Samira Beckwith, Hope Hospice president and CEO. "As the organization grew, they were able to accommodate us." Hope Hospice has more than 500 employees.

Resource Innovations has grown also, with revenue increases hitting 30 to 40 percent a year. That means King and Dratler are out there meeting people to attract new clients. But they get a lot of referrals from satisfied customers, King says.

Easing the Letdown

The firm has a special expertise in the sensitive issue of laying off employees during downsizing. Usually, companies seek outplacement help to handle the career transition for one or two employees, as opposed to a group. King and counterpart Cheryl Lynn Dratler, the firm's executive vice president, coach executives on how to tactfully handle a termination. The company also has developed a booklet to help address the layoff challenge, which includes writing a sample separation letter, and a section titled "How to Respond to the Tough Questions."

After the boss delivers the news, King and Dratler talk to the newly unemployed about the outplacement services they offer to get them back on their feet. They come prepared with tissues and empathy.

"It's not uncommon to get tears, usually only a couple," says Dratler, who's also a certified mental health counselor. "I always have Kleenex with me, and I always suggest that management have it, but not in a real obvious place. I keep one of those little mini-packs in my little notebook, so I could discreetly pass it over, like passing over a pen. It doesn't call a lot of attention to it."

Dratler says she has seen a wide range of emotions expressed after someone is laid off. She or King will offer a ride home if a person is too emotional to drive. "The most difficult reaction to deal with is a nonresponsive reaction," Dratler says. "It is difficult when they are not angry, not talking, not displaying fearfulness, or anything. The most common reaction is to go through a little bit of venting. I'll ask them if they had any idea that this was coming, so I can get an idea where the shock level is."

The Next Step

King said she gets great satisfaction from the transformation her clients experience in career development after the shock of losing a job.

She can relate.

A human resources director for a financial institution for 20 years, she was among 30 employees laid off in 1991. The company decided to consolidate its human-resources operations in one location, eliminating directors like her who worked in a different place.

At the time, she was living in the Florida Panhandle and had little savings because she was taking care of her ailing mother. "I had to find a job. I had no choice. In 30 days, I'd better be re-employed," she says. "My outplacement consultant suggested to me to conduct a dual search-both traditional and self-employment at the same time. I was very fortunate and landed a consulting opportunity with a one-year contract."

The counselor told King she should seek out companies interested in hiring her in the Panhandle for human-resources consulting.

"I went to a state human-resources conference," King recalls. "I met all of the outplacement companies that had vendor booths. I introduced myself and said, 'I'd like to provide service for you in Northwest Florida.' One of them bit the hook, and I started on my own. I worked for them [consulting] for several years."

In 1994, King decided to move back to Southwest Florida, where she grew up. She opened Resource Innovations in 1996.

"I'm really doing something I love," she says. "We are very fortunate. We realize at the time we go into that meeting [after the termination] it is one of the most difficult days for that employee that they've ever had. We also recognize that we get to see the end result after they've gone through our services. Ninety-nine percent of the time there is a positive transition."

Happy Endings

Kim Munn is a shining example of how outplacement can turn a person's life around. Resource Innovations inspired her to pursue consulting work after she lost her management job in 1996 at a physicians' practice tied to a local hospital.

"I was happy to have somebody who could help me and guide me and be a resource," she says.

After completing counseling at Resource Innovations, she decided to try offering management services on her own. In a few months, she was flying all over the country evaluating medical-related companies and helping them to operate more efficiently.

"Things kind of exploded. [King] was very instrumental in helping me be on target with what my goals were," Munn says. "We worked with a plan that identified what I want out of life. [The consulting work] matched very well with what I wanted to do." One of Munn's clients offered her a full-time job, which allowed her to quit traveling. "It worked out great," she says.

Munn appreciates King's assistance during that trying time. "I have to credit her for being my cheerleader and keeping me on task, and just being there-kind of just being my sounding board," she says.

Sometimes, King and Dratler's duties have taken on larger proportions. Baader Food Processing Machinery Co. hired Resource Innovations to help employees transition into new careers after closing down its Fort Myers office several years ago to consolidate its operations in Kansas City, Kan. There were several rounds of layoffs before the doors completely shut down, with the first round resulting in 30 job losses.

Liz Alpert, who was the executive vice president of the company, says Resource Innovations helped make the layoffs much less trying.

"It's the first time I've worked with a company like that. It took such a load off our shoulders, because they were present when we actually informed the people that we were laying them off," Alpert says. "They were able to take that person [aside] immediately and talk about what their next step would be in looking for a job."

She says Resource Innovations counseled top management about the best way to approach the layoffs, and how to answer questions. "It was a tremendous help," she says. "I can't even begin to describe it. It was a very emotional time, especially during the last closedown. There had been people who had been with that company, like myself, for many years and were losing their jobs. It was hard on me."

Beyond Outplacement

Resource Innovations also offers other services for small businesses. For a monthly fee, the company will take care of an outfit's human resources tasks. King, who has more than 30 years' experience in the field and is a nationally certified senior professional in human resources, handles that work.

"When it comes to the employee side of it, a lot of small businesses in this market don't have a need for a full-time human resources director," she says. "It is cost prohibitive for them to do that. We provide that service. We try to keep things to a minimum as far as paperwork is concerned, because the last thing a business owner wants is a large volume of paperwork. We try to handle everything for them in a very condensed fashion, and we also help them if employee issues arise."

Resource Innovations offers other programs including anti-harassment training and how to interview for the best hire. Dan Regelski, director of Florida Gulf Coast University's Small Business Development Center, says he knows of no other company in Southwest Florida that offers the overall services of Resource Innovations. "They have built an incredible reputation," he says. "They've built their staff by doing things the right way, from the first person who answers the phone in their office, all the way through the process."