A true entrepreneur

Melissa Pepper is a versatile multi-industry leader who excels when building, changing, and growing teams and programs. She’s known for her creative communication, contagious energy, and decisive action. She started her career as a civil servant, working to create grassroots change in how we talk about post-secondary education for first-generation college students. From there, she has worked as in account management at a large regional blood center, marketing at a law firm, and now a professional employer organization, where she serves as President and Chief Strategy Officer. Melissa’s leadership has accelerated Total Solutions' growth; in her three-year tenure, the company has experienced year-over-year revenue growth, high employee engagement, and exceptional net promoter score ratings. The Total Solutions team was recognized in 2020 as a Better Business Bureau Torch Award recipient.

As a Vice President with Russell, a construction and development firm based in Davenport, IA, Matt Rebro brings 20+ years of industry experience and relationships to the team. He is a key contributing member to Russell’s Business Development outreach efforts. Matt’s focus is to help grow the Russell brand with targeted individuals and firms and to support his Russell team members to ensure existing client relationships are maximized to their fullest potential. As a native eastern-Iowan, Matt has demonstrated a commitment to supporting communities over the last two decades via personal and firm support of organizations such as Junior Achievement, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Iowa Association of Business & Industry and the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce Workforce Coalition.