John W. Allen Named Honoree for Most Admired CEO

The Houston Business Journal has named G&A Partners President and CEO John W. Allen as an honoree on its 2021 list of Most Admired CEOs. HBJ’s panel of judges reviewed hundreds of applications from companies of all sizes across Houston and surrounding areas before naming the final 50 honorees (31 from for-profit companies and 19 from nonprofit organizations). The judges were looking for CEOs who have contributed greatly to their company’s success and who are active civic leaders, among other criteria.

Allen, who helped found G&A Partners 26 years ago, served as its President and Chief Operations Officer until October 2020, when his business partner and friend Tony Grijalva retired from his role as CEO and passed the title to Allen.

Grijalva and Allen’s small Houston-based professional employer organization (PEO) started with only three team members in 1995. Today, it employs more than 475 employees working in fifteen offices across the U.S. and Latin America.

The G&A Partners tagline, “Time to Grow,” reflects the company’s mission to provide employers with the service and support they need to grow their companies and take better care of their employees. But delivering “Time to Grow” is also an integral part of Allen’s leadership philosophy.

Allen is passionate about ensuring the wellbeing of all his employees and clients and makes it a point to thank his team members with bonuses, public accolades, and more when they go above and beyond for their clients and fellow employees. His leadership inspires his team to always strive to provide the world-class service G&A’s clients have come to count on.

“We have an amazing culture at G&A, and even with major events such as the pandemic and the winter storms that affected so many members of our team earlier this year, we’ve been able to persevere,” Allen said. “Not only that, but our team has really risen to the challenges and shown our clients how committed we are to their success.”