Principal and Co-Founder
AlignHR, LLC
Photo by Mind Merge Design.
By Alicia Elkin
Zach Abraham, principal and co-founder of AlignHR, LLC, has many personal and professional goals, but for him, the one that rises above all others is helping West Virginia become a thriving economic state.
“This is where I was born and raised, and it’s the place I call home,” he says. “I work in West Virginia and focus on helping the state because I see all of its wonderful qualities, including, but not limited to, its people, natural resources and the untapped potential for innovation, entrepreneurial spirit and opportunity for businesses to flourish. There is no place like West Virginia.”
Abraham grew up on a 100-acre hobby farm in Triadelphia, WV. As a young boy and an aspiring athlete with a competitive spirit, he wanted to go to the Olympics to compete, and he dreamed of earning a spot on a Wheaties cereal box. His first jobs included helping a local retired general contractor care for his property and being a member of the garden team at Olgebay Resort in Wheeling. Those first jobs taught him the importance of manual labor, hard work and following directions to accomplish specific results. They also paved the way for him to earn his undergraduate degree in landscape architecture in 1995 and his graduate degree in industrial and labor relations in 1996 from West Virginia University (WVU).
After graduation, he joined Wheeling Hospital, where he worked his way up the ranks to human resources manager, assistant human resources director and interim director of human resources. From there, he moved to the McKinley Investment Group, which later became McKinley Carter Wealth Services, as the director of operations, and by 2010, he had been promoted to chief compliance officer and chief human resources officer. In 2013, he faced his greatest career challenge—starting his own business—and launched AlignHR, LLC with Bernie Deem and Sharon Werdebaugh.
“At AlignHR, my job is to help small businesses understand how to best utilize, plan and develop their human resources for growth and success,” he says. “I serve as an HR business partner and advisor for companies and organizations that need HR support due to either their growth, pain points, future opportunities or goals and objectives.
While several events and experiences aided Abraham in finding his career path, one in particular sticks out for him. “It was my failed attempt to make the NFL roster for the Washington Redskins in 1995,” he says. “This placed me on a path
of continuing my education at WVU, obtaining my MSIR degree and returning home to find employment at Wheeling Hospital. This further led to me meeting my wife, Carrie, and working in the Wheeling area today while raising our three children.”
As a volunteer, Abraham contributes to the growth and well-being of his community by serving on the board and special committees of Valley Hospice and the board of education for Ohio County Schools. He also volunteers with CO.STARTERS, an entrepreneur education program in the Wheeling area, and he is an active member, elder and past deacon of Vance Memorial Presbyterian Church, where he has participated in mission trips to Mexico and Honduras.
Abraham also serves as a coach for Wheeling Bandits football, a local youth football league, and has given many hours over the years to help coach and mentor local youth through a variety of other sports, including soccer, hockey, track and basketball. These efforts, which have been beneficial to the local youth, have also proven to be a learning experience for Abraham.
“Working with youth sports has reminded me about helping kids see the importance of hard work and getting yourself better by making every day of practice count to achieve a goal,” he says. Abraham chooses the areas in which he devotes his time and resources by focusing on the causes that impact children, his community and his faith life. “It is important for me to give back for many reasons, but none are more important than helping grow the quality and caring communities in which we live and raise our families,” he says.
1994 Made the historic winning touchdown catch in a WVU/Pitt football game
1995 Graduated with a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from WVU
1996 Graduated with a master’s degree in industrial and labor relations from WVU
1996 Hired as an HR generalist at Wheeling Hospital, Inc.
2006 Hired as the director of operations for McKinley Investment Group
2010 Promoted to COO and chief human resources officer for McKinley Carter Wealth Services
2013 Formed AlignHR, LLC with Bernie Deem and Sharon Werdebaugh
2016 Elected president of Ohio County Schools’ Board of Education
2018 Began serving on a regional Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland advisory board
