What Staffing does

Staffing Inc. is a West Michigan-based, 100% employee-owned (ESOP) staffing and direct-hire firm founded in 1988 by Dan Barcheski and headquartered in Grand Rapids. The company provides temporary, trial-to-hire, and direct placement services to employers, complemented by the Axios Professional Recruitment sub-brand for mid- and upper-level management placements. Operations span five Michigan offices (Grand Rapids, Holland, Ionia/Lansing, Greenville, Detroit) targeting manufacturing, light industrial, skilled trades, hospitality, retail, event venues, and country clubs, with disclosed scale of 150,000+ candidates placed locally, 300+ employer clients, 15,000+ client orders annually, and 6,500+ permanent hires over the last decade.

The product surface is anchored by a recruiter-led traditional staffing model layered with WorkShift, an on-demand workforce platform launched in 2025 that supports instant shift posting, real-time matching, and a pre-screened talent pool for last-minute and seasonal coverage. Revenue is generated through usage-based markups on temporary worker bill rates (with disclosed worker pay of $16–$25/hour across roles such as assembly, machine operator, and line cook) plus transaction-fee economics on direct placement; service fees to employers are quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is a direct-to-consumer hybrid combining field sales to local employers, a website job board for candidates, the WorkShift digital channel, and physical branch presence.

Ownership structure is materially different from typical staffing competitors: 33% of the company is allocated to the temporary employees it serves, with the balance held by employee-owners, an arrangement validated externally by the 2024 Michigan Employee Owner of the Year recognition. No external venture capital or institutional investment is disclosed, and the firm operates as a privately held, independent operator focused on the West Michigan labor market.

Name

Staffing

Legal name

Staffing Inc.

Website

https://staffinginc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Staffing Inc. is a 100% employee-owned (ESOP) West Michigan staffing firm founded in 1988 that places temporary, trial-to-hire, and direct-hire workers across manufacturing, light industrial, skilled trades, hospitality, and event-services employers via five Michigan offices and the WorkShift on-demand platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Staffing Services

NAICS

Temporary Help Services (561320), Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Light Industrial & Warehouse Temp Staffing (BPACACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Manufacturing & Production Line Staffing (BPACAEAC), Seasonal & Peak Workforce Staffing (BPACACAE)

Keywords

• Temporary staffing services
• Direct placement recruiting
• On-demand workforce solutions
• Trial-to-hire staffing
• Professional recruitment services

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Rapids

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Temporary Staffing Services: Staffing Inc. places temporary workers with client businesses, earning revenue through markup on worker wages. They provide pre-screened, local workers who can step in when businesses need them, serving the on-demand and gig economy needs of employers.
2. Direct Placement Services: The company helps businesses identify, screen, and hire top-tier full-time employees. This involves streamlining the recruitment process for permanent hires, with candidates evaluated on a temporary basis before making permanent hiring decisions under trial-to-hire arrangements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Staffing Inc. is an employee-owned employment agency that places pre-screened local temporary workers with West Michigan businesses across manufacturing, light industrial, skilled trades, and event-services sectors. Its core offerings include on-demand staffing, trial-to-hire arrangements, and direct placement of full-time hires, augmented by the proprietary WorkShift platform for flexible, on-demand workforce coverage.

Product overview

Staffing Inc. operates as a workforce solutions company offering a unified staffing services portfolio centered on traditional staffing (on-demand temporary labor, trial-to-hire, and direct placement) combined with an innovative on-demand staffing platform called WorkShift. The company also operates Axios Professional Recruitment as a sub-brand focused on mid- and upper-level management placements. Together, these offerings provide employers with flexible workforce management options ranging from gig-economy-style shift work to permanent hiring solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Axios Professional Recruitment: Professional recruitment division assisting with placing mid- and upper-level management candidates.
• WorkShift

Products and services

• On-Demand Staffing On-demand temporary staffing service providing West Michigan employers with access to a pre-screened pool of local workers who can step in when businesses need labor.
• Trial-to-Hire Staffing Trial-to-hire staffing solution that lets employers evaluate candidates on a temporary basis before converting them to permanent hires, reducing hiring risk by assessing performance, skills, and culture fit in a real-world setting.
• Direct Placement Direct placement recruitment service that helps West Michigan businesses identify, screen, and hire top-tier full-time employees who fit company culture and goals.
• WorkShift Platform Flexible workforce platform launched in 2025 that connects businesses with dependable on-demand talent, enabling instant shift posting, real-time matching, and access to a pre-screened local talent pool for last-minute coverage, seasonal demands, or fluctuating production needs.
• Axios Professional Recruitment Professional recruitment division (operated as a sub-brand of Staffing Inc.) that assists with placing mid- and upper-level management candidates for West Michigan employers, complementing the company's temporary and direct placement operations.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Express Employment Professionals: Largest privately-held staffing franchise in North America, offering temporary, contract, and direct-hire staffing across industrial, administrative, and professional segments. Closest comparable to Staffing Inc. given the generalist, industrial-leaning mix and similar client size profile.
• Spherion Staffing: Mid-market staffing firm offering light industrial, administrative, and professional placement through a franchise model. Comparable in service mix (temp, temp-to-hire, direct placement) and in serving regional/SMB employer bases.
• PeopleReady (TrueBlue): Specializes in light industrial, construction, hospitality, and event staffing with a digital on-demand model (JobStack). Direct overlap with Staffing Inc.'s industrial and event services focus and its newly launched WorkShift platform.
• Aerotek: Staffing subsidiary focused on industrial, manufacturing, and skilled trades placement. Direct competitor in the manufacturing/light-industrial segment that Staffing Inc. anchors in Michigan.
• Tradesmen International: Specialized staffing provider for skilled construction and trades labor. Comparable on the skilled-trades portion of Staffing Inc.'s portfolio, where the company explicitly addresses shortages.
• Automation Personnel Services: Regional staffing firm specializing in light industrial, manufacturing, and distribution workforce. Comparable in size and customer mix to Staffing Inc.'s core industrial book of business.

Broad incumbents

• Kelly Services: Global staffing firm with strong industrial, professional, and educational placement lines. Competes with Staffing Inc. in light industrial and manufacturing staffing at national accounts but operates at vastly larger scale.
• Robert Half International: Largest specialized staffing firm in the US, with deep office/finance and professional placement lines. Comparable via Staffing Inc.'s Axios Professional Recruitment division for mid-to-upper-level management placements.
• Adecco Group: Global staffing leader with industrial, professional, and digital workforce solutions. National-scale competitor that could encroach on Staffing Inc.'s West Michigan accounts.
• ManpowerGroup: Global workforce solutions provider with industrial and skilled trades staffing at scale. Indirect peer through competitive overlap in manufacturing staffing and through its digital gig platform.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/staffinginc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/staffing-inc
• Xx.com/StaffingIncMI

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Staffing