Bringing "The Helpful Place" to Life in TA with Ace Hardware’s Steph Nikitas (LIVE @ RecFest US 2026)

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/qYG1mvP6c_c Live from RecFest USA 2026 in Nashville, host Adam Posner sits down with Stef Nikitas, Leader of Talent Acquisition at Ace Hardware. Stef shares her journey from joining Ace as a part-time sourcer to scaling a lean, high-performing team of nearly 30 TA professionals across corporate, distribution, international, and customer service divisions. She unpacks how Ace Hardware’s iconic core value—being "the helpful place"—is directly integrated into their recruitment process through curiosity, strong competency models, and human-first candidate touchpoints. Stef discusses the evolution of their hiring process, including the creation of their standardized "Req to Check" framework ("The Ace Wave of Hiring"). She offers candid insights on leveraging conversational AI and automation for scheduling, sourcing, and recruitment marketing, while maintaining clear guardrails to protect company culture. Finally, Stef offers recruiters actionable advice on overcoming unconscious bias, delivering compassionate rejections, and keeping candidates motivated in today’s job market. Stef Nikitas is Director of Talent Acquisition at Ace Hardware Corporation, where she leads enterprise talent acquisition strategy, employer brand, recruiting technology, AI adoption, and workforce transformation initiatives. With more than 20 years of experience, she specializes in helping organizations move beyond transactional recruiting to build scalable talent strategies that drive business performance. Stef is a recognized speaker on talent transformation, structured hiring, recruitment marketing, and the future of work. Connect with Stef: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/snikitas/ Ace’s careers page: careers.acehardware.com