About HCCC

Carla Lane

Carla Lane is President and CEO of Lane Staffing. Lane Staffing is the largest minority woman owned employment solution provider in the southwest.

Ms. Lane was hired as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of DiverseStaff in 2003, where she was responsible for the company's overall financial strategy and financial processes as well as branch operations in Houston, Texas. Ms. Lane purchased the brand name in 2006, since that time she has transformed its business strategy, adding new higher-margin business lines and increasing community involvement. In 2008, Ms Lane expanded the service offerings and rebranded the firm “LaneStaffing”. Ms. Lane’s overall business strategy is “take care of the people and the bottom line will grow”.

A firm believer of supplier diversity with “…high goals with high standards in tact.” she oversaw the implementation of an enterprise-wide technology system to allow the firm to realize greater operating efficiencies and profitability improvements. Allowing the firm to bid and win business in markets in which technology would have previously limited its ability to bid and win.

Under Lane’s leadership, LaneStaffing has expanded the footprint of the organization by seven states and expanded its client base of Fortune 100 and 200 clients and has become a leader in government contracting.

Ms. Lane began working in the staffing industry while attending the University of Houston as an accounting student. In 1993, she became the first staff member of BestStaff Services, formally the largest minority owned staffing firm in the South. She worked as an accounting clerk until completing her education at the University of Houston and accepting a full time position as Accounting Manager in 1996. She left BestStaff as Vice President of Accounting and Finance and was responsible for accounting operations in fifteen (15) states.

Ms. Lane is an American Staffing Association, Certified Staffing Professional. Known as a strong proponent of job training, she actively supports workforce development initiatives. Ms. Lane annually hosts a Job Fair in partnership with the Houston Black Expo that connects hundreds of job seekers with government agencies, Fortune 500 companies, and small businesses.

In 2007, she received the Pinnacle Award, the highest award for entrepreneurial excellence by the Houston Citizen’s Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Lane was named one of the “25 Top Women in Houston” by Rolling Out Magazine in 2008, and awarded the 2008 Strategic Teaming Award by Houston Minority Business Council, for her work with “teaming” with other minority owned organizations to provide quality solutions to her clients. She also was awarded the Emerging Ten Award by the Houston Minority Business Council, in 2008. The firm was named one of the Top 500 African American owned Companies in the US and one of the Top 100 Woman owned firms in Texas by DiversityBusiness.com in 2009, 2010 and 2011. She also was awarded the 2009 Distinguished Alumni Award by the University of Houston. Ms Lane Was listed as one of 40 distinguished Houston area business leaders under 40  (40 under 40) by Houston Business Journal in 2009. Ms. Lane was named one of the 2010 Minority Achievers by the YMCA, and the 2010 Vanguard Award by Texas Business Alliance.

Ms. Lane serves on the board of the Institute for Family Renewal, and the Family Press. She is a lecturer with the Career and Education Seminar held annually in her hometown of Dallas, Texas. She also serves on the Houston Citizens Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors and the Texas Business Alliance’s Advisory Board. Ms. Lane also writes two monthly columns, “The Right Lane” and “Ask Carla” for several Business Journals She also sits on the Economic Development Advisory Committee for District D in Houston, Texas, where she chairs and organizes “The Empower U School Tour” which visits local high schools and encourages students to continue their education post high school. She was recently made the first female member of the Across the Track Pac, a political action committee comprised of the owners of Houston’s largest African American owned businesses.

She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., National Presidents Organization, the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, National Association of Female Executives, American Staffing Association, Texas Association of Staffing, and the National Human Resource Association.