A Survivor’s Strength.

Kara Bloomberg’s cancer journey transformed her approach to leadership, emphasizing employee care and community connection.

By Magi Thomley Williams Photo by Kate Treick Photography

Kara Bloomberg embodies a leadership style that is both strategic and deeply personal. As president of Landrum, a company with a rich 55-year history in Northwest Florida, she’s a leader who understands that a company’s success is tied to its community, and that technology, while vital, should never overshadow the importance of human connection. Her career progress is a result of her belief in continuous learning and the power of relationships. She’s also a breast cancer survivor who is passionate about sharing her experience to encourage others.

Bloomberg’s path to Landrum began not in a boardroom, but in a kindergarten classroom. Her son and the son of Britt Landrum III were in the same class, and through that connection, she met Britt’s wife, Kena. The two boys, who are now roommates at Florida State, forged a bond that would, in a way, connect their parents professionally. Bloomberg, with a background in insurance and a growing interest in business operations, was a natural fit for Landrum. Britt Landrum, who had recently taken over as CEO from his father, was looking to build a new leadership team as the original one began to retire. Bloomberg’s experience and her long-standing relationship with the Landrum family made her a perfect choice.

“I graduated from the University of Florida and started my career in business development within the insurance industry as a licensed agent at UNUM, benefiting from their strong training program. My interest in operations grew alongside my sales experience, leading me to support internal teams and apply client-facing insights to improve business,” Bloomberg explained.

She brought all that experience to her role at Landrum.

“As president of Landrum, I combine my passion for sales and operations with an incredible team that cares deeply about each other and our clients,” she said.

Over the past 55 years, Landrum has evolved from a local Pensacola staffing firm into a nationwide provider of human resource services. Bloomberg has been instrumental in this growth, which has included acquisitions and the expansion into new areas of HR. The company is even opening a new office in Greenville, South Carolina. But despite this expansion, Bloomberg emphasizes that commitment to relationships is foremost.

“If we have clients in an area, we probably have employees there too, because we want to have relationships with our clients that are face-to-face and are connected. We’re also going to be connected to that community,” she said.

This commitment to community is a central theme in Bloomberg’s leadership philosophy. She believes that caring about your community reflects how you care for clients.

“If you care about your community, you care about serving others outside of your job, then you’re probably also bringing a lot of care into your job every day,” she explained.

This belief is evident in her personal life as well. A former chair of the Santa Rosa Education Foundation, Bloomberg has a deep respect for educators and a passion for supporting young people. She is particularly fond of the Take Stock in Children program, which connects students with mentors and provides them with scholarships for higher education.

In addition to her career and volunteering, Bloomberg is a wife and mother of two children and two stepchildren, who are now all young adults. But back in 2022, their family was in a whirlwind of nonstop sports and school commitments. There was no time for a bump in the road.

“In February of 2022, I went for my yearly scheduled mammogram,” she said. “I remember I almost rescheduled for another commitment. I wasn’t overly concerned about the screening since I had never experienced an issue with a prior mammogram and had no history of cancer in my family.”

She said she was shocked when the call with the news of cancer came.

“I remember it was Valentine’s Day when my husband and I received the news that I would need to schedule a lumpectomy, and my cancer journey was underway.”

Bloomberg underwent all her treatment through Baptist Hospital, and she said her care was extraordinary.

“Baptist assigns you a Patient Navigator to help with answering questions and setting appointments. Kelly Ward was my Patient Navigator, and I am so grateful for the way she understood my sense of urgency for care and her commitment to helping me navigate a difficult and emotional experience,” Bloomberg said. “I even had a sonographer that was a breast cancer survivor give me her cell phone number and tell me I could text or call anytime I needed support, and I did!”

Her oncologist encouraged her to get a second opinion before making a final decision on treatment, and Bloomberg appreciated how open he was to other opinions as well as her own thoughts around how to approach treatment.

“I learned so much during that time about how many women are affected by breast cancer that have no family history (more than 80%)! I learned that no one is going to tell you what to do; you are going to make your own decisions about your treatment. So, I focused on asking questions and feeling like I was as informed as I could be about my care,” she said.

Friends and family were key during that time as well. Bloomberg and her husband felt it was important that the kids kept up with all their activities and academics, and she said they wanted to do all they could to reduce their anxiety.

“Once we had a plan for treatment, we shared the news with them and told them we would keep them updated, but we were confident in our plan. My husband jumped into overdrive with attending all my doctor appointments and managing more of the schedule for the kids,” she said.

And of course, with their core principles of care and connection, the people at Landrum helped as well.

“I also could not have balanced it all without my work family. They stepped in when I couldn’t be there for meetings or other obligations,” Bloomberg said. “I was given the flexibility to adjust my schedule, so I could keep working during treatment, which was very important to me. The care and concern everyone at Landrum showed me during that time was a lesson for me on how we can support employees experiencing trauma in their lives. Kindness is so powerful, and I now understand more about how to support employees that are struggling with a difficult experience in their life.”

Bloomberg knows that with the aggressive form of cancer she had, if she had missed that yearly mammogram, she would not be here today. Now that she and her husband are officially empty-nesters, she is making more time to exercise and focus on healthy living.

“I turned 50 this year, and I’m still not perfect when it comes to balancing the needs of my family, my career and my health,” she said. “It can often feel like something is being sacrificed because there is never enough time. However, your own health has to be a priority.” — Kara Bloomberg

Bloomberg’s career success is a reminder that leadership is not just about numbers and strategy, but about people, passion and community. She is a shining example of how a leader can guide a company to new heights while staying true to its core values and its people, and of how a cancer diagnosis doesn’t have to be the end of a stellar career path.

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