“Operational excellence isn’t an endpoint—it’s the foundation for sustainable growth.”
Misty Pitts, Chief Operating Officer of Southern Response Services, Inc., started her career in the staffing industry in 2008 as the Administrative Assistant for one of the largest staffing firms in the area. Misty instantly felt a passion for helping people find their own passion and career path. As she developed relationships with candidates and clients she knew she wanted to further her career by going all in and jumped right into recruiting. After recruiting for 3 years and having an overwhelming sense of wanting to find more jobs to help more people, she dove headfirst into a role as Sales Manager. For 10 years, she worked in recruiting, sales, and management roles that landed her into Vice President of Sales, where she led her team in providing staffing services to companies across the US. While working on some of the largest natural disasters, seeing people losing their homes to storms, BP oil spill, and the Avion bird flu, she knew there was a bigger calling on her life.
During the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response, she crossed paths with Lee Duke, founder of Southern Response Services. Although they represented competing firms on large-scale disaster recovery projects, they quickly recognized a shared passion for the work and a common vision for their futures and families. Their professional rivalry evolved into a lasting friendship, built on mutual respect and a deep commitment to the industry they both loved. After Lee’s passing in 2021, she felt a strong pull on her heart to remain connected with his family. Deeply moved by the bond they had shared, she made a conscious effort to stay in touch. In 2024, she met Chase Duke, Lee’s son and the current CEO of Southern Response Services, hopeful that they could build a relationship rooted in the same mutual respect, shared values, and vision that had defined her connection with his father.
Their shared passion for the industry and aligned goals sparked meaningful conversations, eventually leading Misty to join Southern Response. After a lot of prayer, Misty believed God had His hand on the decision. For her, it felt less like starting a new chapter and more like continuing a legacy—one built on friendship, purpose, and a commitment to serving others.
Together, with the support of their exceptional team, they are achieving goals by cultivating strong business partnerships and consistently exceeding expectations. Their shared vision has created a solid foundation where candidates, clients, and employees alike know they are working with a company that truly understands their needs—and is genuinely invested in their success.
In eighteen short years, Misty has grown from an Administrative Assistant to COO, building lifetime relationships with clients and employees, winning numerous business and leadership awards. She plans to continue to fulfill the vision, passion, and calling to try and be a Godly leader, mentor, and a blessing to each life she touches through Southern Response Services.
Employing over 2000 people last year with a goal to multiply that number every year, Misty truly believes the sky is the limit as Southern Response maintains excellent communication skills, quality employees, and unmatched customer service.
Chief Operating Officer | Southern Response Services
2025 - Present
As COO, Misty oversees a 220-employee operation, optimizing resource allocation across seven regional hubs. She introduced a real-time labor demand dashboard, enabling clients to anticipate staffing needs 12 weeks in advance, and negotiated partnerships with 15 technical colleges to create pipeline programs for skilled trades.
Vice President of Sales and Operations | Technical & Industrial Staffing
2016 - 2025
isty engineered a 28% boost in client retention by aligning candidate capabilities with operational KPIs. She expanded service offerings to include safety training programs, addressing critical gaps in industrial workforce preparedness, and oversaw the development of a predictive analytics platform that reduced time-to-fill metrics by 19%.
Precision, Partnership, Agility
Misty operationalizes three principles to elevate industrial staffing:
A champion of workforce diversity, Misty partners with urban redevelopment initiatives to connect underserved communities with industrial careers, having placed 450+ individuals in high-growth roles since 2022. Off-duty, she mentors women reentering the workforce through the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce’s “SkillsBridge” program.
Let Misty’s operational mastery transform your staffing strategy—turning workforce challenges into competitive advantages.
