Employco USA

What Employco USA does

Employco USA, Inc. is a privately-held, family-owned Professional Employer Organization (PEO) headquartered in Westmont, Illinois. Founded on April 16, 1996 by Bob Wilson along with sons Rob and Scott Wilson, the firm now operates into a third generation and serves as co-employer/employer of record for a worksite employee population of approximately 15,087 across the United States (per the 2024 Crain's Chicago Business ranking). Its core service portfolio covers six integrated lines: HR outsourcing, payroll administration, benefits and 401(k) administration, workers' compensation (including a pay-by-pay premium model), onsite HR staffing, and ACA compliance/reporting. The company pairs its generalist SMB offering with verticalized service packages for the trade show/exhibition, craft brewing, food, and golf industries, including designated provider relationships with EACA and ESCA in the trade show vertical.

Economically, the business operates as a managed-services PEO: Employco becomes the administrative employer while clients retain worksite control, monetizing through a per-employee fee structure (annual billing, quote-based, with tiering across five headcount brackets from 1-49 to 1000+) and through pass-through insurance procurement where its pooled buying power delivers Fortune 500-scale pricing on health benefits and workers' comp. Go-to-market is sales-led with a direct enterprise field sales force, a quote-request form on the corporate site, industry-specific landing pages, and a content funnel spanning a blog, HR podcast, YouTube channel, webinars, white papers, and email newsletters.

Technology surface area is conventional rather than differentiated: payroll processing, benefits enrollment, workers' comp policy administration, ACA/1095 reporting, and union fringe calculation. No proprietary AI/ML capabilities, APIs, SDKs, mobile apps, or third-party integrations are disclosed. The competitive thesis relies on three decades of operating history, insurance pooling economies of scale, deep integration as employer of record, and association-backed distribution in niche verticals—rather than on technology IP or platform differentiation.

Name

Employco USA

Legal name

Employco USA, Inc.

Website

https://employco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Employco USA is a family-owned Professional Employer Organization (PEO) based in Westmont, Illinois that provides HR outsourcing, payroll, benefits, workers' compensation, and ACA compliance services as co-employer to roughly 15,000 worksite employees nationwide, with verticalized offerings for the trade show, brewing, food, and golf industries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Employer Organization (PEO) / HR Outsourcing Services

NAICS

Professional Employer Organizations (561330), Professional Employer Organizations (56133), Payroll Services (541214)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Help Supply Services (7363)

akta.pro primary industry

Professional Employer Organization (PEO) / Co-Employment Services (BPACAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Payroll Outsourcing & Pay Administration (Multi-country/Managed Payroll) (BPACAKAD), Workforce Benefits Administration (Enrollment & Deductions) (BPACAIAF), Workforce Compliance & Employment Law Risk Management (Local Labor Law, Tax, Statutory) (BPACAHAH), Global Payroll & Multi-Country Payroll Coordination (EOR/PEO Interface) (BPAAAHAE)

Keywords

• HR outsourcing services
• Payroll administration
• Benefits administration
• Workers compensation management
• Professional employer organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Westmont

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. HR Outsourcing Services: Full-service HR outsourcing where Employco acts as the employer of record for administrative purposes while clients retain control as worksite employer. Services include payroll administration, benefits administration, workers' compensation, and compliance management.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Employco USA is a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) that provides full-service HR outsourcing, acting as the employer of record for administrative purposes while clients retain worksite control. Core services include payroll administration, benefits administration (health, life, disability, 401(k)), workers' compensation management, ACA compliance, and onsite HR solutions, delivered with Fortune 500-level buying power to companies of all sizes across the United States.

Product overview

Employco USA provides a comprehensive suite of HR outsourcing solutions positioned as a large purchasing group offering Fortune 500 buying power. The core offering consists of six interconnected services: Human Resources Outsourcing (handling day-to-day employee administration), Payroll Administration (processing, tax filing, and compliance), Benefits & Administration (health insurance, 401(k), and employee benefits), Workers' Compensation (insurance and claims management), Onsite HR Solutions (dedicated HR staff embedded at client locations), and ACA Solutions (Affordable Care Act compliance and reporting). These services are designed to work together as a complete HR infrastructure where Employco acts as the employer of record for administrative purposes while clients retain control as worksite employers. The company also offers industry-specific solutions for Trade Show, ESCA, Brewing, Food, and Golf sectors, plus an Education Library with webinars and white papers. The portfolio is unified around cost control (decreased healthcare premiums, reduced workers' comp rates), risk reduction (compliance management, liability minimization), and profit increase (employee lifecycle management, engagement programs).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Human Resources Outsourcing Basic HR solutions for companies looking to offload day-to-day tasks associated with employee administration, including performance management, training programs, onboarding and terminations, and unemployment insurance. For businesses of all sizes seeking scalable HR support.
• Payroll Administration Payroll outsourcing services that help companies stay compliant and up-to-date, effectively eliminating the need to process payroll in-house. Includes W2 and tax reporting, audit management, and union fringe processing.
• Benefits and Administration Cost-controlled benefits and benefit administration designed to keep employers competitive in their employee offerings without additional cost or workload, including health insurance, life and disability insurance, 401(k) plans, and employee customer service.
• Workers' Compensation Cost-controlled workers' compensation solutions delivered at mitigated costs, featuring a pay-by-pay solution to ease cash flow, direct access to experience MOD ratings, and claims management with safety programs.
• Onsite HR Solutions Scalable human resource solutions allowing Employco USA to work with the demands of any size company through onsite HR employees, progressive HR strategies, dedicated project managers, and back office support.
• Affordable Care Act (ACA) Solutions ACA compliance solutions including tax information, Form 1095 preparation for Applicable Large Employer clients, and reporting assistance for the Affordable Care Act.
• Trade Show Industry Services Specialized HR and payroll services for the trade show industry, providing union agreement access, fringe calculations, payroll and tax management, and workers' compensation solutions; official payroll and HR service provider of the EACA and ESCA.

Quantifiable outcome

• Companies using one solution for all HR related functions saw an 18% savings per employee over multiple internal and external vendors
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Amy Alcott (LPGA Icon and World Golf Hall of Famer)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Named Golf Ambassador for Employco USA in 2023. LPGA icon with 29 career wins raises brand visibility and secures new business leads in the golf industry.
• EACA (Exhibition Industry Communications Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial payroll and HR service provider of EACA, providing specialized services for trade show companies including union agreements, fringe calculations, and payroll management specific to the exhibition industry.
• ESCA (Exhibition Services Contractors Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial payroll and HR service provider of ESCA. Employco has been highlighted in The ESCA Digest and celebrated 30 years of service to the trade show industry.
• Illinois Craft Brewers GuildminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProud member of the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild, positioning Employco as a dedicated HR partner for craft brewing companies in Illinois.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Justworks: Tech-forward PEO targeting small and mid-sized businesses with a self-serve SaaS platform for payroll, benefits, and HR compliance. Represents the digital-native competitive threat to traditional service-led PEOs like Employco.
• Gusto: Cloud-based payroll, benefits, and HR platform primarily serving very small businesses. While not a true co-employment PEO, Gusto competes for the same HR outsourcing wallet at the smaller end of Employco's customer base and exemplifies the digital-native threat.

Broad incumbents

• TriNet: Major publicly-traded PEO specializing in HR outsourcing for small and mid-market businesses, including payroll, benefits, and compliance. TriNet targets a similar customer size profile as Employco and is a direct substitute for bundled PEO services.
• Paychex PEO: PEO offering from Paychex, one of the largest U.S. payroll and HR solutions providers. Competes with Employco on bundled HR/payroll/benefits outsourcing for SMBs and mid-market companies, with deeper technology and broader geographic reach.
• Insperity: Public, large-scale PEO providing co-employment HR outsourcing, payroll, benefits, and workers' comp to SMB and mid-market employers. Insperity is the closest direct large-scale comparable to Employco's full-service PEO model, with vastly greater scale and technology investment.
• ADP TotalSource: PEO division of ADP, the largest payroll services company in the U.S., offering co-employment HR outsourcing. ADP TotalSource competes head-to-head with mid-market PEOs like Employco and offers far greater scale, technology, and brand recognition.

Direct peers

• FrankCrum: Florida-based PEO providing co-employment HR, payroll, benefits, and workers' comp services to small and mid-market employers nationwide. Comparable as a mid-sized, multi-vertical, family-influenced PEO with a similar bundled service offering.
• Vensure Employer Services: PEO and HR outsourcing firm offering co-employment, payroll, benefits, and workers' comp to SMBs across multiple industries. Operates a similar mid-market, multi-vertical service model to Employco and is a relevant comparable on size and go-to-market.
• ExtensisHR: PEO delivering white-label and direct HR outsourcing, payroll, and benefits services to small and mid-market businesses, with notable depth in workers' comp and multi-state payroll. Closely comparable to Employco's bundled PEO model and customer size profile.
• Sequoia One (now Asure): PEO and HR technology provider offering payroll, benefits, and HR outsourcing to SMBs, now part of the broader Asure HCM platform. Comparable mid-market PEO service offering and target customer segment to Employco.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses2 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCw4aigWAUHQbINQoq3nVDBQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/Employco
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/2693141
• Instagraminstagram.com/employcousa
• Xx.com/employco

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Employco USA