ETS

What ETS does

ETS Workforce Solutions (legal name: ETS, Inc.) is a family-owned, private staffing agency founded in 1983 in Plattsburgh, New York, providing direct-hire, contract-to-hire, payroll (employer of record), temporary staffing, training, and consulting services. The firm operates three regional offices serving the North Country of New York, Vermont (Burlington area), and the Albany/Capital Region of New York, supplemented by a National Accounts team for multi-state enterprise clients. It serves both job seekers (free placement services) and employers (fee-based hiring) across six vertical specializations: Manufacturing, Skilled Trades, Industrial, Engineering, Professional & Administrative, and Healthcare Support, with named enterprise customers that include Keurig Dr Pepper, Michelin, Casella, Generac, Alstom, Plug Power, and others.

The company's core technology is a staffing and workforce placement platform with candidate matching and vetting systems, and its offerings are structured around four pricing models: Contract-to-Hire (40-60% bill rate markup), Payroll Services (~25% markup), Direct Hire (18% retained, 25% contingent, both with a 90-day replacement guarantee), and FlexDirect™ (12-25% of annual salary paid in monthly installments over 3-18 months). The firm cites 48-hour fill times for most industrial roles, 3,000+ job matches per year, 2,000+ manufacturing workers placed annually, a 95% client retention rate, and 100,000+ workers placed cumulatively over its 40-year history. Sub-brands include Pro-Search (professional/executive recruiting), Ready4Real (youth workforce development), and Veterans Initiative (veteran-to-civilian career placement).

The business model is a classic professional/managed services staffing model: revenue is generated from bill-rate markups on contract workers, percentage fees on direct-hire placements, and monthly installments under FlexDirect. Go-to-market is primarily direct sales through dedicated, vertical-specialized recruiters, with supporting channels including SEO-optimized local job search on etsjobs.com, content marketing (264+ blog articles), organic social media, and community-based referrals. The firm has 11-50 employees with a leadership team including President & Chairman Deborah Cleary, CEO Jesse Krell, COO Amber Douglass, CFO Dan Albert, and VP of Enterprise Sales Tyler Davis. No external funding, M&A activity, regulatory actions, or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed.

Name

ETS

Legal name

ETS, Inc.

Website

https://etsjobs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ETS Workforce Solutions is a family-owned staffing agency founded in 1983 that places skilled workers in manufacturing, skilled trades, industrial, engineering, professional, and healthcare support roles across Vermont, Upstate New York, and nationally via contract, contract-to-hire, payroll, and direct-hire models.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Staffing Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Temporary Help Services (56132), Professional Employer Organizations (561330)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Workforce Management & Scheduling Outsourcing (Non-payroll) (BPACAKAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Payroll Software & Payroll-as-a-Service (SaaS) (BPACAIAB), Workforce Development, Employment Readiness & Job Placement (BPADAKAE)

Keywords

• Staffing agency services
• Contract-to-hire staffing
• Direct hire placement
• Workforce solutions
• Temporary industrial staffing

Headquarters

HQ city

Plattsburgh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Staffing and Recruitment Services: Revenue generated through bill rates on contract workers, markup on payroll services, and placement fees for direct hire placements. Contract-to-hire model charges bill rate during contract plus conversion fee at hire. Payroll services charge approximately 25% markup over base pay rate. Direct hire services charge from 18% of first-year salary (retained) to 25% (contingent). FlexDirect model charges 12-25% of annual salary spread over monthly installments.
2. Payroll Services / Employer of Record: ETS acts as employer of record, handling wages, taxes, workers' comp, UI, and HR admin. Revenue comes from approximately 25% markup over base pay rate. Lower markup since client handles recruiting.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ETS Workforce Solutions is a staffing agency that places workers with employers across Vermont, Upstate New York, and nationally through five hiring models: contract-to-hire, payroll/employer-of-record, retained direct-hire search, contingent direct-hire search, and FlexDirect installment-based direct hire. Its placements span manufacturing, skilled trades, industrial/warehouse, engineering, professional/administrative, and non-clinical healthcare support roles. Services are free to job seekers and paid by employers via bill-rate markups, placement fees, or monthly FlexDirect installments.

Product overview

ETS operates as two distinct organizations: (1) ETS Workforce Solutions is a staffing agency founded in 1983 offering multiple hiring models—Contract-to-Hire, Payroll Services, Direct Hire (Retained and Contingent Search), and FlexDirect™—across six specializations (Manufacturing, Skilled Trades, Industrial, Engineering, Professional & Administrative, and Healthcare Support) in Vermont, Upstate New York, and nationally; (2) ETS (Educational Testing Service) provides standardized testing products including the TOEFL iBT and GRE General Test, along with the Khan TED Institute AI degree partnership and the annual Human Progress Report research publication. Both organizations share the ETS name but serve different markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ready4Real: Workforce development program preparing young people with real-world skills, job readiness training, and direct employer connections
• Pro-Search
• FlexDirect

Products and services

• Contract-to-Hire Staffing Working-interview model in which candidates are on ETS payroll while the employer evaluates them, with the option to convert to direct hire without a separate conversion fee. Bill rate is typically 40-60% over base pay (example: $18/hr pay rate = $27.54/hr bill rate). Designed for employers that want to assess fit on the job before committing to a permanent hire.
• Payroll Services (Employer of Record) ETS acts as employer of record for candidates the client has already sourced, handling wages, payroll taxes, workers' compensation, unemployment insurance, FICA, sick time, and HR administration for an approximately 25% markup over the base pay rate. Suited to employers that want to outsource payroll and HR admin without paying a recruiting fee.
• Direct Hire (Retained & Contingent Search) Permanent placement services offered as retained search (exclusive, dedicated recruiter, from 18% of first-year salary, billed in thirds with 1/3 upfront and the balance at milestones) and contingent search (non-exclusive, from 25% of first-year salary, paid on hire). Both options include a 90-day free replacement guarantee. Aimed at employers hiring for hard-to-fill or senior roles.
• FlexDirect Direct-hire talent solution that spreads the placement fee over monthly installments (3, 6, 9, 12, or 18 months) instead of a lump-sum recruiting fee, with no bill rate, no payroll markup, and no conversion fee. Total fees range from 12% of annual salary (3 months) to 25% (18 months). Lets employers hire on Day 1 with budget-friendly monthly payments.
• Manufacturing Staffing Staffing for factory and production roles including CNC operators, machine operators, production leads, quality inspectors, and assembly workers, with over 2,000 workers hired annually. Targets manufacturers needing high-volume production staffing across Vermont and Upstate New York, with national coverage for larger accounts.
• Skilled Trades Staffing
• Industrial Staffing
• Engineering Staffing
• Professional & Administrative Staffing
• Healthcare Support Staffing

Quantifiable outcome

• 48-hour fill time for most industrial jobs
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Ready4Real Program PartnerscoreOthersWorkforce development initiative helping young people build real job skills and meet real employers through hands-on training. Michele Armani serves as Ready4Real Executive Director. Partners with local employers to provide job readiness training and direct connections to employment.
• Veterans Initiative PartnerscoreOthersProgram connecting veterans with meaningful careers through skills translation, dedicated recruiter support, and trusted employer partnerships. Helps veterans translate military skills into civilian career success.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Aerotek: Industrial and manufacturing-focused staffing division of Allegis Group; directly comparable to ETS's Manufacturing, Skilled Trades, and Industrial segments across factory, warehouse, and skilled-trade roles.
• PeopleReady (TrueBlue): Specializes in industrial, warehouse, and on-demand staffing with a branch-led model similar to ETS's three-office regional footprint; competes directly for forklift drivers, warehouse, and light-industrial placements.
• Express Employment Professionals: Privately held, franchise-based staffing firm with strong regional office model; closely comparable to ETS in offering contract, direct hire, and specialized staffing across industrial and professional segments.
• Insight Global: Large privately held staffing firm with contract, contract-to-hire, and direct-placement offerings across IT, engineering, industrial, and professional verticals — overlapping ETS's engineering and professional recruiting capabilities.
• Staffmark: Regional staffing operator with strong industrial and commercial focus and a multi-office branch network; closely comparable to ETS's three-office Northeast model and manufacturing/warehouse mix.

Broad incumbents

• ManpowerGroup: Global staffing leader with broad industrial, professional, and RPO offerings; comparable to ETS in temporary and contract staffing breadth, though vastly larger and operating across many more geographies.
• Robert Half International: Public staffing firm specializing in professional, finance, accounting, and administrative placements; comparable to ETS's Pro-Search and Professional & Administrative verticals, though primarily office-based roles.
• Randstad: Global HR services and staffing leader with broad industrial and professional offerings; comparable in vertical breadth and employer-of-record capabilities, though operating at global scale.
• Kelly Services: Established staffing firm with industrial, professional, and education staffing lines; comparable to ETS's diversified hiring-model portfolio and Engineering/Industrial verticals.

Regional players

• HW Staffing Solutions: Northeast-U.S.-focused staffing firm with industrial, professional, and managed-service offerings; competes in overlapping geographies with ETS for manufacturing and administrative placements.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/etsjobs
• Facebookfacebook.com/etsjobs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Subsidiaries2 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 ETS