About Sara

Sara Knoester is the founder and president of Mixed Staffing and Recruiting in Grand Rapids, MI.  Sara started Mixed Staffing after graduating from Grand Valley State University over 11 years ago. A born leader and advocate for all people and backgrounds, she wanted to make  finding employment easier for women, minorities, military veterans, and returning citizens. With deep seated roots in Grand Rapids, Sara wanted to give back to the community she loves and cares for, so with one hundred dollars in her pocket, she moved back from Chicago to Grand Rapids, and Mixed Staffing was born.

Along the way, Sara had to overcome many hurdles and hardships, but because of her desire to help and her passion for people, she overcame each and every one of these obstacles. Fast forward 11 years, and Mixed Staffing has seen its biggest growth yet in the past three years, despite a pandemic and surging unemployment rates.

Clients who work with Mixed Staffing say that the number one reason for this growth is because Mixed Staffing is simply: “Different. It doesn't take long to see Knoester's vision for a true person-centered approach to staffing.”  Sara's leadership, entrepreneurship, and dedication to helping people and her community are unparalleled.  A high level CEO of one of the largest Staffing companies in the world said about Sara: "I have never seen someone with such passion for people, a drive to succeed, and attention to detail. If Sara wanted to sell her business, I have no doubt she could be the CEO of any fortune 500 company of her choosing".

Before it was trendy, Sara Knoester dedicated herself and her business to Diversity Equity and Inclusion, knowing that there was a disconnect among employers, how they were going about diversifying their teams, and the need to do so. She has carried this portion of her business model with her, and it rings true more than ever today. After the death of George Floyd, Sara put together a "Let's Listen" series across social media, inviting people of color to share their stories, to better educate not only herself but anyone who would listen. The Lets Listen series was supposed to be "5 people, 5 stories in 5 weeks.” It was met with such success that it actually ended up going 7 weeks,  impacting the lives of everyone who spoke and many of those who listened. Each week, more and more people tuned in to these stories, asking questions and learning. Thousands of people saw the work Sara was doing each week and it took on a life of its own.

Along with owning and operating her own business, Sara continues giving back to the community she loves through philanthropy, sitting on boards, and donations to organizations and people with like-minded visions and missions. Sara Knoester IS a woman of the year, in fact some could say she is a Woman of the Decade candidate; her story of love, loss, sheer determination, and will is rivaled by very few.

Sara is a loving wife, mother of three beautiful girls (Emma age 6, Arie age 3, and Camila, 2). Sara's Christianity, stewardship, and natural leadership is on display daily, not only in her business but in her personal life as well. Anyone who has the pleasure of meeting Sara sees that her priority is never for herself,but instead everyone else around her.

To learn more about Sara please visit: https://mixedmi.com