About RSS

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Some stories are born from legacy. Others are forged in the hardest moments of life. Ours is both.

My grandfather, Fred L. Peterson, founded The Outdoor Press, a rural and outdoor publication dedicated to conservation, community, and the people who call rural places home. He also founded the Northwest Outdoor Writers Foundation, creating a place for storytellers and advocates to gather and amplify rural voices. His grit, kindness, and heart left a mark not just on the world, but on me.

The paper was more than newsprint. It was a reminder that rural stories matter and deserve to be preserved and shared.

Years later, in 2007, my daughter Sammy was diagnosed with leukemia the same week her sister Sayler was born. Our community rallied around us with compassion and generosity that carried us through the darkest days. That experience showed me what true support and love look like, and I am honored to give back to the healthcare community in this way.

Before founding RSS, I worked inside traditional staffing and corporate recruitment. I saw how rural communities were often handled like transactions instead of relationships. High fees, scattered systems, and impersonal processes made it harder for the very communities that needed support the most. That experience did not turn me away from recruitment. It showed me that rural deserved something better. 

Both of these threads of legacy and resilience came together to form Rural Staffing Services. This was never about building another business. It was about honoring the roots that shaped me, paying forward the love my family received, and carrying a lantern of hope for rural communities.