Bios: 
Headshots: Burton M. Goldfield
President and Chief Executive Officer
Burton Goldfield is more excited than most to wake up every morning and get to work. That's because, as President and CEO of TriNet, his company cultivates HR partnerships that enable entrepreneurs to solve many of the world's most challenging problems.
"I am amazed at what our clients are doing. We have one CEO passionate about mentoring children through after-school programs. We have another working to cure a staph infection called MRSA. What I find wonderful is that TriNet gets to be a part of their success. We're helping them make it happen. Multiply that by thousands; it's a great feeling. The work that TriNet does enables these executives to build their companies and focus on what they're passionate about. Many of these CEOs and entrepreneurs create their businesses to change the world and they trust us to help them be successful.
"Entrepreneurs don't start businesses to make sure that every aspect of employment law and processes are followed. But those activities are essential in making a business successful. That's where we come in. But we don't have your typical vendor relationship. We are a trusted advisor as it relates to all issues around their human capital. TriNet manages payroll and pays the taxes, as well as administers health care plans for every one of their employees—and their families. I am humbled by how much our clients rely on us to do what we do so they can build their dreams."
Burton has his own dream as well: to build an enduring company with his team at TriNet. He defines his key responsibilities as diving into the "people, processes, and systems" that will allow the company to thrive no matter how the market evolves. "Ultimately, I want to be able to look back and be proud of having been a part of a team that created something great."
As such, Burton is focused on building high-performance teams. That starts with attracting the right candidates, hiring the right employees, and then mentoring and growing them into great leaders and contributors. In order to cultivate discussion among all colleagues, he incorporates a host of activities, including weekly podcasts, a book club, office hours, all-hands meetings, leadership forums, and team offsites.
Burton's had many successes since joining TriNet three years ago. He is known for driving product innovation, and has impacted the TriNet client experience with the addition of 22 new products and services. He more than doubled revenue, to almost $200 million by the close of 2010, and has invested heavily in the company's SaaS technology platform. In 2009, despite the difficult economic times, Burton raised $80 million to acquire a larger, public competitor, Gevity, and has grown TriNet's client base from 2,000 to 5,000.
Burton has more than 25 years of experience in sales, operational leadership, and technology management positions and is known by many as an accomplished, goal-driven leader. Even as a kid, he was passionate and driven; he was (and still is) a self-described "technology geek." He built a computer from scratch when he was just 12 years old and spent his childhood dabbling in physics and electronics at the Franklin Institute Science Museum in Philadelphia. He considers watching the landing on the moon as one of the most significant events of his childhood. "That night fundamentally changed my life," he recalled. "We walked on the moon!"
Burton went on to become part of Syracuse University's first graduating class of biomedical engineers. This new discipline was the combination of natural sciences and engineering. In the fall of his senior year, he secured a job upon graduation that would give him one of his first tastes of entrepreneurialism.
Although his employer, American Hospital Supply, was a billion-dollar enterprise with thousands of employees, Burton was brought on to be a part of a seven-person innovation team that would leverage computers to revolutionize the level of integration the company's systems had with its clients for inventory control and order processing. Back in 1978, this was a big deal and AHS executives supported the effort and provided funding similar to how today's VCs help grow startups. Burton's team increased the company's revenue by tens of millions of dollars, and developed technology which is still being leveraged today.
Burton's growing passion for business led him to pursue an MBA at Villanova University. Upon graduation in 1989, he accepted a position at Rational Software. He still considers this opportunity his "big break." He recalled, "The two founders, Paul Levy and Mike Devlin, were strong leaders and fostered a true entrepreneurial spirit. I was absolutely fascinated by the teams' desire to build something that had never been built. I felt I was a part of a true high-performance team that was growing a great company, and we did just that—from $19 million to more than $700 million before being acquired by IBM."
Burton was with Rational Software for 14 years, including his time with IBM after its purchase of Rational in 2002. His career had additional highlights; at Hyperion Solutions, he was the SVP of Worldwide Field Operations where during his tenure, Hyperion experienced dramatic growth by leveraging the Business Intelligence space. Hyperion was ultimately acquired by Oracle. About his next move he says, "Ketera Technologies was my first CEO role, which allowed me the opportunity to provide leadership in an emerging SaaS provider funded by Kleiner Perkins, Foundation Capital, and Emergence Capital, among others.
"For me, growth and success has always been about attracting and developing the right team. Being CEO of TriNet provides me the opportunity to do just that with more than 5,000 client companies. The entrepreneur's job is extremely difficult. TriNet tips the scales in favor of the entrepreneur."
In November 2010, Burton was named Most Admired CEO by the San Francisco Business Times. He has endeavored to become a noted expert in the varied industries he is a part of, and has spoken at numerous association events, including leading a two-part panel on the PEO industry's market growth opportunities in September 2010 at NAPEO's annual conference. He has also served on numerous boards in the past, and is currently a member of the Pacific Region Advisory Council of the National Parks Conservation Association.
"To quote Ken Burns, national parks truly are ‘America's Best Idea' and I'm passionate about supporting this cause. I've stood on a glacier in Alaska with no other humans for 250 miles, and I came to realize that a lot of the issues we worry about day to day are trivial. Spending time in our national parks gives you a great perspective."
Other causes Burton's family supports includes SF Jazz, Best Friends Animal Shelter, and American Diabetes Association. Burton, who now resides in Palo Alto, has been married almost 30 years, has one son, and spends his free time playing with his dog Liberty (a rescue Greyhound), nurturing his love of photography, and enjoying the open roads while cycling.
Burton credits his Philadelphia roots for making him the intuitive, energetic, and driven executive he is today.
"I'm driven by the relationships that I've built over time. I am still friends with guys I knew in kindergarten. Philly also gave me that ‘stick-to-it-ive-ness' that drives success. I'd like to think I also have a great sense of humor. I laugh a lot and have fun every single day."
He is most proud of the people he has hired throughout his career who have gone on to be "wildly" successful, and he shared a story from a recent NPCA council meeting: "A man came up to me at breakfast and said ‘you changed my life.' We had worked together at IBM and I was blown away by what he shared. It's pretty cool to have had that impact on an individual. I've seen other colleagues go on to be CEOs of their own companies. I get so excited watching people achieve beyond their own expectations. A lot of people would say they're doing as much as they could when they were really only just scratching the surface. I push hard when I see the potential somebody has, and it's very rewarding when it clicks and they finally see it in themselves."
Burton also sees TriNet clients achieving beyond their expectations, solving the world's most challenging issues. And he's thrilled to be a part of it. "We're helping our clients make the world a better place. It doesn't get any better than that."
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