In Episode 79 of the Rock Solid: Round Rock Business Leaders Podcast, titled "Kim Pollok | From Layoff to CEO," host Bryan Eisenberg explores the unlikely career trajectory of Kim Pollok, who rose from a December 31 call-center shutdown to become CEO of SWBC Payroll & HR. The episode, published June 23, 2026, arrives as employers grapple with hybrid work, multigenerational teams, and the rapid integration of AI into HR and payroll systems. Pollok, who advanced her career without a college degree, offers a candid guide for leaders on developing talent, retaining clients, and ensuring compliance in a changing environment.
Pollok's journey began when her previous employer, a call center with over 2,000 workers, gave staff the choice to relocate to El Paso or be laid off. SWBC ran the closing job fair and offered her an entry-level benefits coordinator role at $10,000 less than her HR-manager salary. She accepted that afternoon and spent the next 16 years climbing the ranks. A key moment came during the SWBC PEO acquisition, when no one on the team knew what a PEO was; Pollok said "yes" to the challenge and learned on the job.
Throughout the episode, Pollok emphasizes the importance of mentorship and finding sponsors. She credits SWBC Mortgage CEO Susan Stewart and FI division CEO Mark Hine as key mentors. One lesson from Stewart reshaped her leadership style: "Stop letting people give you dead birds. Don't allow people to just give you their problem and then you are taking on everybody's problem without some solutions, because you're collecting everyone's dead birds and you can't do anything with it." Pollok now uses this framing with her own team, along with a second mandate: "You have a seat at the table, you've earned a seat at the table, use your voice."
SWBC Payroll & HR, privately held by Charlie Amato and Gary Dudley, serves clients from five employees to 7,000 across roughly 42 states. Typical clients have 40 to 300 employees and span industries from hospitals and urgent cares to construction, property management, nonprofits, train-car refurbishers, and pig farms. Pollok describes the firm as an essential back-office partner for small and mid-sized businesses, providing over 70 specialists at a cost-effective rate.
On managing a multigenerational workforce, Pollok discusses balancing baby boomers, Gen X, and Gen Z under one roof without abandoning fairness. She also addresses the implementation of a secure, private AI system for research and workflows, ensuring client and financial data remain protected. The conversation touches on why SWBC sponsored the Round Rock Chamber's Women Who Mean Business event featuring Olympian Cat Osterman.
Produced by Round Rock Studio and hosted by bestselling author and keynote speaker Bryan Eisenberg, Rock Solid spotlights the entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and large employers shaping Round Rock, Texas. Episode 79 with Kim Pollok is available now wherever podcasts are heard. The episode offers practical insights for business leaders navigating modern HR challenges and underscores the value of resilience, mentorship, and embracing change.
