Burnett Specialists
Burnett Specialists is a 100% employee-owned Texas staffing and recruiting firm founded in 1974, offering temporary, direct-hire, temp-to-hire, and payrolling services across 16 industries from nine offices statewide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1974
- HeadquartersHouston, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Burnett Specialists does
Burnett Specialists is a Texas-based, 100% employee-owned staffing and professional recruiting firm founded in 1974 by Sue Burnett in Houston. The company delivers temporary/contract staffing, direct-hire placement, temp-to-hire, payrolling (employer-of-record), and convention/event staffing services across 16 industry specializations including accounting & finance, IT, engineering, legal, healthcare, light industrial, supply chain, and construction. It operates nine offices across six major Texas metros (Houston, Austin, Dallas as Choice Specialists, San Antonio, El Paso, and The Woodlands) and is recognized as the second-largest employee-owned staffing firm in the United States.
The company makes money through two primary revenue streams: (1) contingency-based direct-hire placement fees, typically calculated as a percentage of placed candidates' annual salary, and (2) margin-based temporary staffing revenue derived from markups on bill rates for temp workers, for whom Burnett manages payroll, benefits, and compliance. Additional revenue flows from payrolling services, cooperative purchasing contracts (notably HGACBuy for public sector clients), and event/special-project staffing. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed.
The go-to-market model is sales-led, with field sales targeting enterprise clients and inside sales supporting mid-market employers across Texas. In October 2024, Burnett layered in a self-serve digital recruitment platform through a technology partnership with Wolf, enabling candidates and clients to access a talent marketplace. AI/ML capabilities are embedded in recruiter workflows for resume screening, candidate sourcing, job description analysis, and predictive hiring analytics. The company is certified as a Women's Business Enterprise through WBENC since 1997 and is BBB accredited.
Burnett Specialists firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Burnett Specialists
- Legal name
- Burnett Specialists
- Website
- https://burnettspecialists.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1974
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Burnett Specialists is a 100% employee-owned Texas staffing and recruiting firm founded in 1974, offering temporary, direct-hire, temp-to-hire, and payrolling services across 16 industries from nine offices statewide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Burnett Specialists industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Staffing & Recruiting Services
- NAICS
- Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Administrative, Clerical & Office Support Direct Hire (BPACAFAF)
Keywords
Where Burnett Specialists is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Houston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices6 records
Markets served
Burnett Specialists business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Direct-Hire Placement Fees: Contingency-based placement fees charged when a candidate is successfully placed on a permanent basis. Fee typically calculated as percentage of annual salary.
- Temporary Staffing Services: Margin-based revenue from providing temporary workers to client organizations. Revenue generated through markup on hourly rates.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom quote-based pricing tailored to client requirements |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Burnett Specialists product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Burnett Specialists is a Texas-based staffing and recruiting firm that provides direct-hire placement, temporary/contract staffing, temp-to-hire, payrolling, and convention/event staffing services. The company operates across 16 industry verticals including accounting, IT, engineering, legal, healthcare, construction, and supply chain, serving B2B employers primarily in Texas through nine physical offices and a self-serve digital recruitment platform launched in partnership with Wolf.
Product overview
Burnett Specialists operates as a staffing and professional recruiting firm offering a portfolio of hiring solutions across 16 industry specializations in Texas. The core service model consists of five staffing formats: Direct-Hire Placement (permanent recruiting), Temporary/Contract Staffing, Temp-to-Hire (evaluation period before conversion), Payrolling Services (employer-of-record), and Convention/Events/Special Projects staffing. The company also offers Cooperative Purchasing Partnerships for government procurement. Their service delivery spans 9 offices across 6 major Texas cities (Houston, Austin, San Antonio, El Paso, The Woodlands, and Dallas operating as Choice Specialists). In 2024, Burnett launched a Wolf-powered self-service digital platform enabling candidates and clients to access a talent marketplace for streamlined job matching.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Direct-Hire Placement Permanent placement service where candidates are hired directly by the employer, with Burnett Specialists handling recruitment, screening, and placement across all 16 specialty divisions.
- Temporary/Contract Staffing Provides temporary workers to fill short-term staffing needs, with Burnett Specialists managing payroll, benefits, and compliance for placed employees.
- Temp-To-Hire Hybrid staffing model allowing employers to evaluate temporary workers before converting them to permanent employees.
- Payrolling Services Employer-of-record services where Burnett Specialists handles payroll processing, tax withholding, and benefits administration for contingent workers.
- Convention, Events & Special Projects Staffing Specialized staffing for conventions, events, and time-limited projects requiring additional personnel support.
- Cooperative Purchasing Partnerships Government and cooperative purchasing contract services allowing public sector clients to access Burnett's staffing services through pre-established procurement agreements, such as the HGACBuy 4-year contract.
- Wolf Self-Service Digital Platform Digital talent marketplace platform launched in partnership with Wolf, enabling self-service recruitment capabilities for candidates and clients in October 2024.
- Choice Specialists (Dallas) Dallas-area staffing and recruiting brand operated under the Burnett Specialists umbrella, serving the Dallas-Fort Worth market with the same staffing and recruitment services.
Companies that use Burnett Specialists
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Burnett Specialists technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability3 records
Feature1 record
Burnett Specialists partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- WolfcoreTechnology partnership providing self-serve recruitment platform. Wolf's talent marketplace technology enables Burnett Specialists to offer streamlined digital recruitment capabilities to employers.
- HGACBuycoreNationwide cooperative purchasing program partnership. Burnett Specialists participates as approved vendor through 4-year contract, enabling government and public sector entities to access staffing services through pre-negotiated purchasing agreements.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Burnett Specialists competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Adecco Group: One of the world's largest staffing companies with broad generalist and specialty offerings — competes for the same Texas employer clients but at global scale and with broader service portfolio.
- Randstad North America: Global staffing giant with significant Texas presence (including acquired Toptal/other brands) — competes directly for enterprise and mid-market staffing contracts across Burnett's verticals.
Direct peers
- Kelly Services: Long-standing U.S. staffing firm offering temporary, direct-hire, and outsourced workforce solutions across multiple verticals — directly comparable business model and customer segments.
- Kforce Inc. Professional staffing firm specializing in technology, finance/accounting, and clinical/healthcare placements — overlapping directly with Burnett's specialty divisions and permanent + contract delivery model.
- Insight Global: Large U.S. staffing firm offering temporary, permanent, and managed services across IT, engineering, finance, and creative — comparable multi-vertical staffing model and Fortune 500 client focus.
- PrideStaff: National staffing firm offering temporary, temp-to-hire, and direct-hire across administrative, industrial, and professional verticals — comparable service mix and SMB/mid-market positioning.
- Spherion Staffing: U.S. staffing franchise network offering temporary, temp-to-hire, and direct-hire across office, industrial, and professional roles — directly overlapping service model and customer profile.
- AppleOne Employment Services: U.S. staffing company providing temporary, temp-to-hire, and direct-hire across administrative, accounting, and professional roles — comparable service breadth and SMB/mid-market employer focus.
- Robert Half International: Global leader in temporary staffing and permanent placement across accounting/finance, IT, legal, and administrative roles — directly comparable service lines and customer base to Burnett's specialty divisions, but at vastly larger scale.
Regional players
- The HT Group: Texas-based staffing and recruiting firm headquartered in The Woodlands — operates in the same Houston-area market with overlapping vertical specializations and similar mid-market employer customer base.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Burnett Specialists social profiles
Digital presenceBurnett Specialists compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Burnett Specialists financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Burnett Specialists leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Burnett Specialists funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Burnett Specialists M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Burnett Specialists
What does Burnett Specialists do?
Burnett Specialists is a Texas-based staffing and recruiting firm that provides direct-hire placement, temporary/contract staffing, temp-to-hire, payrolling, and convention/event staffing services. The company operates across 16 industry verticals including accounting, IT, engineering, legal, healthcare, construction, and supply chain, serving B2B employers primarily in Texas through nine physical offices and a self-serve digital recruitment platform launched in partnership with Wolf.
Is Burnett Specialists a public or private company?
Burnett Specialists is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Burnett Specialists founded?
Burnett Specialists was founded in 1974. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Burnett Specialists based?
Burnett Specialists is headquartered in Houston, United States, in the North America region.
How does Burnett Specialists make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Direct-Hire Placement Fees are the primary driver. The others are temporary Staffing Services.
Who are Burnett Specialists's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Adecco Group and Randstad North America. Direct peers are Kelly Services, Kforce Inc., Insight Global, PrideStaff, Spherion Staffing, AppleOne Employment Services and Robert Half International. The HT Group is listed as a regional player.
Does Burnett Specialists have an API?
No public API is recorded for Burnett Specialists.
What industry is Burnett Specialists in?
Burnett Specialists's product category is Staffing & Recruiting Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAFAF, Administrative, Clerical & Office Support Direct Hire. Its NAICS code is 5416 and its SIC code is 7361.