CongruityHR Appoints Mike Viola as Chief Executive Officer


WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., Feb. 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CongruityHR, a leading provider of outsourced HR solutions, today announced the appointment of Michael A. Viola as its new Chief Executive Officer. Additionally, the company has announced the hiring of Bobby Higgins as Chief Strategy Officer & General Counsel.

Darrin Hunter, who founded Congruity in 2011, will transition to the firm’s Board of Directors. Under Hunter’s leadership, Congruity was named one of the fastest-growing private companies on Inc. Magazine’s annual “Inc. 5000” list, received a growth capital investment from RFE Investment Partners, and completed two strategic acquisitions.

Michael Viola joins Congruity with over 25 years of experience in the Professional Employer Organization (“PEO”) industry, primarily as the co-founder and Chief Sales Officer of Oasis Outsourcing. Prior to its sale to Paychex in 2018, Oasis was the largest privately held PEO in the U.S., serving 9,000 clients and 300,000 worksite employees across all 50 states.

“I am honored to join Congruity and lead this talented team,” said Viola, who is excited by his new role and the opportunity to make a meaningful impact. “Together, we will build on the company’s strong foundation and drive innovation to meet the evolving needs of our clients while fostering a culture of excellence and collaboration.”

Bobby Higgins joins Congruity with over 15 years of professional experience across the legal and financial services sectors. Previously, he served as a Managing Director at Masters Special Situations (“MSS”), a healthcare focused growth equity firm that he co-founded in 2020. Before his time at MSS, Higgins held a variety of legal, investment and operational roles, including at Sidley Austin LLP, Goldman Sachs and Arosa, a Bain Capital Double Impact portfolio company.

“I am honored to join Mike and the talented leadership team at Congruity,” said Mr. Higgins. “The company has earned a reputation as a trusted partner for its clients, and I look forward to the opportunity to build on the firm’s past successes as it enters this next chapter of growth.”

“We are excited to welcome Mike and Bobby to the Congruity team,” said Paul Schilpp, Managing Director of RFE. “Mike’s proven track record in the HR outsourcing sector and Bobby’s multifaceted experience will have a meaningful impact at Congruity as it embarks on its next chapter of growth and innovation.”

About CongruityHR
CongruityHR is a Human Resource outsourcing company providing HR, compliance, payroll, tax administration, employee benefits, and workers’ compensation and safety services to small and medium-sized businesses predominately in the southeastern U.S. via a professional employer organization (PEO) and administrative services organization (ASO) model. For more information, visit www.congruityhr.com.

About RFE
RFE Investment Partners is a private equity firm focused on making control investments in established small market companies located in the United States. RFE is a long-standing Connecticut-based firm founded in 1980 with over 40 years of experience investing in the lower middle market. RFE’s investment strategy is to transform its portfolio companies from the lower end of the market to fully professionalized and market leading middle market companies. RFE is currently investing out of Fund IX. For more information, visit www.rfeip.com.

Contact: John Mooney, Over The Moon PR, 908-720-6057, john@overthemoonpr.com (for Congruity)

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9e7e1df8-3d52-40a8-bf94-28740fd50ee3


Mike Viola is the new CEO of CongruityHR