Surge Staffing
Surge Staffing is a private US staffing firm operating 200+ branches across 23 states, providing temporary, temp-to-hire, direct-hire, payrolling, and VMS/MSP workforce solutions across manufacturing, logistics, automotive, hospitality, and other verticals.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1967
- HeadquartersColumbus, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Surge Staffing does
Surge Staffing is a national staffing and workforce solutions company founded circa 1967 and headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, operating as Surge Staffing, LLC under a multi-LLC corporate structure (including Surge Management, Talent, Daily Services, and Mason Equity). The company provides temporary staffing, temp-to-hire, direct-hire placement, payrolling, employment verification, and contingent workforce program management through a network of more than 200 physical branch offices spanning 23 US states. Its technology stack includes the mySurge mobile application for job seekers, an ePortal for client and employee self-service, the SurgeVMS vendor management system, a Surge MSP managed service provider offering, and a data analytics module providing real-time reporting on compliance, turnover, time-to-fill, attendance, and safety metrics. The platform claims AI-powered matching to connect candidates with opportunities more efficiently.
The company monetizes primarily through transaction-fee arrangements: bill-rate markups on temporary and temp-to-hire placements, contingency or fixed placement fees on direct-hire conversions, payroll service fees on payrolled client workforces, and managed service fees on VMS/MSP programs. Ancillary transaction revenue is generated through employment verification ($32.99-$37.99 per reference) and an employee referral bonus program ($400 per successful referral meeting tenure and attendance thresholds). Go-to-market combines enterprise field sales at the branch level, direct-to-consumer recruitment through the website and mySurge app, and a channel partner motion through SurgeVMS serving as a vendor-neutral managed service provider.
Surge serves nine verticals — automotive, manufacturing, engineering, logistics, packaging, hospitality, professional, technology, and life science — with the first six representing core legacy strength and technology and life science representing more recent additions. The company has been recognized by Forbes as one of America's Top Temporary Staffing Firms for seven consecutive years and is also acknowledged by Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA). Ownership appears to be private and family-controlled, with no disclosed external private equity or venture capital backing and no parent company.
Surge Staffing firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Surge Staffing
- Legal name
- Surge Staffing, LLC
- Website
- https://surgestaffing.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1967
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Surge Staffing is a private US staffing firm operating 200+ branches across 23 states, providing temporary, temp-to-hire, direct-hire, payrolling, and VMS/MSP workforce solutions across manufacturing, logistics, automotive, hospitality, and other verticals.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Surge Staffing industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Staffing Services
- NAICS
- Temporary Help Services (56132)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- High-Volume / High-Turnover Temp Staffing (BPACACAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Project / Surge RPO (Short-Term Hiring Programs) (BPACABAB)
Keywords
Where Surge Staffing is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Columbus
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Surge Staffing business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Temporary Staffing: Flexible staffing solutions delivering top quality candidates to meet temporary workforce needs. Companies pay for the staffing service while Surge handles recruitment, vetting, and payroll processing.
- Temp-to-Hire: Temporary employees who can be converted to permanent positions after a trial period. Revenue generated through markup on hourly rates during temp period, with potential conversion fees for permanent placement.
- Direct Hire: Permanent placement services where Surge sources, screens, and vets candidates for full-time roles. One-time fee or contingency-based placement fee.
- Payrolling Services: Outsourced payroll processing for client's existing workforce. Surge processes weekly pay, handles compliance, deductions, taxes, and unemployment insurance for a fee.
- Vendor Management System (SurgeVMS): Technology platform for managing multiple staffing vendors. No client fees for VMS; revenue model unclear or may include MSP management fees.
- Employment Verification Services: Verification of employment and income information for third parties. $32.99 per reference for standard employment verification, $37.99 per reference for employment and income verification.
- Referral Program Incentives: Employee referral bonus program paying $400 for successful referrals who meet placement criteria (90 days with perfect attendance, 100 hours worked).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Employment Verification |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Employment & Income Verification |
| Outcome Based/ Performance | Pay-as-you-go | Successful Referral Bonus |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Surge Staffing product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Surge Staffing provides temporary staffing, temp-to-hire, and direct-hire placement services across industries including automotive, manufacturing, engineering, logistics, packaging, hospitality, professional, technology, and life sciences. The company operates through a 200+ branch network across 23 states, complemented by a proprietary vendor management system (SurgeVMS), managed service provider (Surge MSP) offerings, payrolling services, and AI-powered candidate matching via the mySurge mobile app.
Product overview
Surge Staffing operates as a dual-offering staffing and workforce management company with a staffing platform and a technology suite. The staffing platform encompasses temporary staffing, temp-to-hire (Full Time Staffing), direct hire placement, payrolling services, and employment verification, all accessible via the mySurge App mobile application and the ePortal self-service portal. The technology suite is anchored by SurgeVMS, a vendor management system platform, which can be paired with Surge MSP (Managed Service Provider) for comprehensive contingent workforce program management. Data Analytics serves as an integrated reporting module providing visibility into workforce performance, compliance, and cost metrics.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SurgeVMS: Vendor Management System for workforce solutions that allows companies to manage job assignments, access data reports, and ensure compliance.
- mySurge App
Products and services
- Flexible Staffing (Temporary Staffing)
Quantifiable outcome
- Real-time reporting across workforce lifecycle including compliance, turnover trends, performance, attendance, time-to-fill, and safety metrics
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Surge Staffing
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments9 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Surge Staffing technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Surge Staffing partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Surge Staffing competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Aerotek: Subsidiary of Allegis Group placing contract, contract-to-hire, and direct-hire talent across industrial, technical, and professional roles. Directly comparable on industrial and engineering verticals and on branch-led enterprise account coverage.
- Staffmark Group: Private equity-backed staffing firm providing temporary staffing, direct hire, and workforce solutions across manufacturing, logistics, and professional sectors. Comparable to Surge on multi-vertical industrial staffing and similar private-market profile.
- Robert Half: Public staffing firm specializing in finance, accounting, technology, legal, and administrative placements. Comparable on the professional and technology segments Surge also serves and on cross-sell of temporary and direct-hire services.
- PeopleReady: Subsidiary of TrueBlue focused on light-industrial, hospitality, and event staffing with a high-volume branch footprint. Directly comparable to Surge on light-industrial volume and same-day fulfillment emphasis.
- Express Employment Professionals: Privately held generalist staffing firm operating a franchised branch network across the US and Canada, placing temporary, temp-to-hire, and direct-hire workers across industrial, administrative, and professional verticals. Closest direct analog to Surge's multi-vertical branch model.
- Insight Global: Private staffing firm placing IT, engineering, and professional talent on contract, contract-to-hire, and direct-hire engagements. Comparable on the technology and engineering verticals where Surge also operates and on similar private-company profile.
Broad incumbents
- Adecco Group: Global staffing leader operating across general staffing, Adecco USA, and specialized brands including LHH. Represents the broad incumbent benchmark for scale, MSP/VMS capability, and enterprise client access that Surge competes against.
- ManpowerGroup: Global workforce solutions company with a large US footprint across temporary staffing, permanent placement, and talent resourcing. Comparable as a broad incumbent competing for the same enterprise and SMB clients as Surge.
- Randstad North America: Major global staffing provider with US operations in temporary staffing, permanent placement, and digital talent sourcing. Comparable on enterprise staffing and MSP/RPO offerings that overlap with SurgeVMS and SurgeMSP.
- Kelly Services: Established US staffing firm with temporary staffing, direct hire, and workforce solutions across industrial, professional, and technology verticals. Comparable on multi-vertical temporary staffing with a long operating history similar to Surge's 57-year tenure.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Surge Staffing social profiles
Digital presenceSurge Staffing financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Surge Staffing leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Surge Staffing subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
Surge Staffing funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Surge Staffing 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 Surge Staffing
What does Surge Staffing do?
Surge Staffing provides temporary staffing, temp-to-hire, and direct-hire placement services across industries including automotive, manufacturing, engineering, logistics, packaging, hospitality, professional, technology, and life sciences. The company operates through a 200+ branch network across 23 states, complemented by a proprietary vendor management system (SurgeVMS), managed service provider (Surge MSP) offerings, payrolling services, and AI-powered candidate matching via the mySurge mobile app.
Is Surge Staffing a public or private company?
Surge Staffing is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Surge Staffing founded?
Surge Staffing was founded in 1967. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Surge Staffing based?
Surge Staffing is headquartered in Columbus, United States, in the North America region.
How does Surge Staffing make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. Temporary Staffing is the primary driver. The others are temp-to-Hire, direct Hire, payrolling Services, vendor Management System (SurgeVMS), employment Verification Services and referral Program Incentives.
Who are Surge Staffing's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Aerotek, Staffmark Group, Robert Half, PeopleReady, Express Employment Professionals and Insight Global. Broad incumbents are Adecco Group, ManpowerGroup, Randstad North America and Kelly Services.
Does Surge Staffing have an API?
No public API is recorded for Surge Staffing.
What industry is Surge Staffing in?
Surge Staffing's product category is Staffing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACACAF, High-Volume / High-Turnover Temp Staffing, with a secondary code of BPACABAB, Project / Surge RPO (Short-Term Hiring Programs). Its NAICS code is 56132 and its SIC code is 7361.