TAMPA, FL – Tampa Partner Chris Cavaliere served as a judge in two local rounds of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Better Workplaces Challenge Cup. The inaugural competition, sponsored by ParagonLabs, is like the HR version of the TV show "Shark Tank," in which entrepreneurs in the HR space pitch their start-up concepts to a panel of judges to secure funding. There are three rounds of competition that conclude with a $50,000 cash prize, investment opportunities, and media coverage. Chris and two others judged the Tampa round (co-hosted by HR Tampa), where competitors vied to be selected among the top three companies to move on to the regional level. The final round will be held during SHRM's Annual Conference & Expo in June. The winners of the Tampa round were PTO Genius, LeaderBits, and Premier Virtual. Chris was also asked to judge another round of the competition in Denver, Colorado. The winners of the Denver round were Caresplit, Tilt, and BizRun. Shumaker congratulates all of the contestants and wishes them all great success with their innovative start-up businesses.  

Focusing on labor and employment law, Chris assists both large and small employers with HR and employment issues relating to hiring and firing, background checks, employee handbooks, compensation, overtime, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, unpaid wages, non-competition agreements, non-solicitation agreements, confidentiality agreements, and more. With an appreciation for the specific business needs of his clients, Chris helps ensure compliance with federal and state employment laws.