Surge Staffing

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.

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

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

• Temporary staffing
• Workforce solutions
• Direct hire placement
• Vendor management system
• Managed service provider

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Direct Hire: Permanent placement services where Surge sources, screens, and vets candidates for full-time roles. One-time fee or contingency-based placement fee.
4. Payrolling Services: Outsourced payroll processing for client's existing workforce. Surge processes weekly pay, handles compliance, deductions, taxes, and unemployment insurance for a fee.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core 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

Named customers3 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct 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

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Surge.Staffing
• Facebookfacebook.com/surgestaffing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/surgestaffing
• Instagraminstagram.com/surgestaffing
• Xx.com/surgestaffing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Surge Staffing