HR Companies & HR Consultants in Biloxi, MS

Gulf Coast Training & Education Services, LLC (GCTES) is a firm in Biloxi, Mississippi that combines human resources consulting with training, coaching and professional development. Sheila Farr founded the company in 2017. It works mainly with small businesses and individual professionals along Mississippi's Gulf Coast. Business owners get outside HR expertise, and their staff and other career-minded people get structured learning programs.

HR and business services

The firm's main business offering pairs HR advisory work with related administrative support. Clients can hire GCTES for:

• HR consulting for small employers
• Employee benefits administration
• Bookkeeping services
• Compliance consultations based on a set of HR compliance manuals tailored to each client
• A business plan starter kit, which is a template adapted to the client's company
• One-on-one consulting sessions on a topic the client chooses
• Career assessment and consulting, which requires some preparation before the session

Training and certification

Professional development is a large part of the practice. GCTES runs an instructor-led hybrid prep course for SHRM certification. It also offers BASK leadership training, which introduces participants to core HR competencies. Job training and coaching are available for people who want to move ahead in their careers. Most courses and coaching sessions are delivered virtually on several online platforms, so clients can pick the format that suits them. Smaller in-person sessions are also held at the Biloxi office.

Background and credentials

Sheila Farr is the owner and lead instructor. She holds an M.A. and an M.Ed., is a registered yoga teacher and has the SHRM-SCP credential. Her career covers more than 33 years in training, management, healthcare administration and human resources. She has also served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve. She is described as an international best-selling author and has done volunteer literacy coaching since the early 1990s.

What sets the firm apart

GCTES looks at workplace development as part of a person's overall growth. Alongside its HR and training work, it offers wellness classes such as yoga, tai chi and art. It also runs writing classes through The Final Draft, a writing studio with a book and tea nook at its location. The company has two literacy programs.

Best in Business Publishing covers a magazine and small-scale book publishing, and Biloxi Reads gets books to underserved communities on the coast. Money from its wellness classes goes to local charities, and the firm regularly picks a nonprofit to support.

For employers comparing HR consultants, GCTES is best suited to small organizations that want an experienced, certified HR practitioner in one place. That practitioner can handle compliance documents, benefits and bookkeeping support, and can also run staff training and leadership development.