The National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO) announced today that Barron Guss, President and CEO of simplicityHR by ALTRES in Honolulu, HI, was elected chair of the association's Board of Directors last week at its Annual Conference in Phoenix. He succeeds Norman Paul, CEO of Bulverde, Texas-based SWBC PEO.

"I am honored to serve as NAPEO Chair and look forward to this exciting time of growth and progress in the PEO industry," said Guss. "I've been a member of NAPEO since 1992 and have seen how the popularity of outsourcing HR business functions have grown. My goal is to lead the organization on a path of increased innovation and advocacy to not only better the environment for which PEOs operate, but for all businesses and their employees nationwide."

Guss is a long-time NAPEO Board member and is a founding member of the Employee Services Assurance Corporation (ESAC), an independent non-profit corporation that provides an accreditation and financial assurance program for the PEO industry. His company began in 1969 and he's known as a pioneer of the PEO industry as the founder of simplicityHR (formerly ALTRES HR) Hawaii's first PEO, the creator of HR Symphony®, the only Human Resource Information System (HRIS) developed specifically for local employers, and the creator of the nation's first multi-tier HR administration service.

"Barron Guss brings decades of experience and innovation in the PEO industry that will greatly benefit NAPEO in the coming year," said NAPEO President and CEO Pat Cleary. "Barron's drive and commitment to serve the industry will serve all NAPEO members well as he leads our efforts to grow the PEO industry."

About NAPEO

The National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO) is The Voice of the PEO IndustryTM. NAPEO has some 250 PEO members that provide payroll, benefits, and other HR services to between 175,000 businesses employing 3.7 million people. An additional 200 companies that provide services to PEOs are associate members of NAPEO. For more information, please visit www.napeo.org.