What IRIS does

IRIS Consulting Corporation is a US-based IT staffing and talent acquisition firm headquartered at 18280 84th Ave. N., Maple Grove, Minnesota, founded in 1997/1998. The company delivers four core service lines — Contract Staffing (including contract-to-hire), Direct Placement, IT Executive Search, and Near Shore Staffing — to enterprise and mid-market clients across power sports, airline/aerospace, biotech, manufacturing, healthcare, finance, and technology verticals. Its named client base is concentrated in Fortune 500 enterprises, with multiple testimonials describing relationships spanning 8 years to multiple decades.

Revenue is generated entirely on a transaction-fee basis: contract engagements are billed monthly at negotiated rates tied to role seniority and contract length; direct placements yield a placement fee; executive search is conducted on retained or contingency terms; nearshore staffing follows the same transactional model. Distribution is relationship-led, with senior leadership (CEO Dan Jones, Director of New Business Development Mike Fabro) directly engaging enterprise hiring managers, supplemented by a website, SEO, and a self-serve candidate job-search portal. The company's value proposition centers on quality-over-quantity candidate matching via a proprietary four-step "IRIS talent cycle" (Listen/Learn, Identify/Align, Qualify/Validate, Select/Submit) that screens for technical skills, soft skills, team dynamics, and cultural fit.

In December 2024, IRIS was acquired by Javelin IT Consulting & Staffing (Javelin ITCS), led by CEO Jim McNabb, CFO Robert Burnett, and COO Tom Messick. IRIS continues to operate as an independent entity under Javelin ownership, with the stated strategic intent of gaining access to a national recruiting network and broader staffing resources as part of Javelin's multi-firm buildout. IRIS holds no patents, operates no proprietary technology platform, and discloses no AI/ML capabilities; its competitive moat is built on 25+ years of regional brand equity, long-tenured client relationships, and recruiter-driven screening expertise.

Name

IRIS

Legal name

IRIS Consulting Corporation

Website

https://iriscc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

IRIS Consulting Corporation is a Minneapolis-based IT staffing firm providing contract, direct placement, executive search, and nearshore staffing services primarily to Fortune 500 enterprise clients, acquired by Javelin ITCS in December 2024.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

IT Staffing Services

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Human Resources Consulting Services (541612)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Data, AI/ML & Analytics Staffing (BPACADAB)

Keywords

• IT staffing services
• Contract IT placement
• IT executive search
• Direct hire staffing
• Nearshore IT talent

Headquarters

HQ city

Maple Grove

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Contract Staffing: Placement of IT professionals on a contract or contract-to-hire basis. Clients pay for the duration of the contract engagement, with the option to convert to permanent placement.
2. Direct Placement: Permanent placement of IT professionals. The company earns a fee upon successful placement of a candidate in a full-time role.
3. IT Executive Search: Retained or contingency-based executive search services for leadership-level IT placements. Specialized recruitment for C-suite and VP-level technology positions.
4. Near Shore Staffing: Nearshoring services providing access to IT talent in geographically proximate regions with similar time zones, offering cost-effective solutions while maintaining cultural alignment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

IRIS Consulting Corporation is an IT staffing and talent consulting firm that connects enterprises and IT professionals through four service lines: Contract Staffing (project-based and contract-to-hire), Direct Placement (permanent hires), IT Executive Search (C-suite and VP-level technology leadership), and Near Shore Staffing (geographically proximate IT talent with cultural and time zone alignment). The firm places pre-vetted candidates with clients across power sports, airline, biotech, manufacturing, healthcare, finance, and technology industries, sourcing from individual IT professionals up to executive leaders.

Product overview

IRIS Consulting Corporation is an IT staffing and consulting firm offering a portfolio of talent acquisition services. The core offerings include Contract Staffing for project-based needs with flexible scaling, Direct Placement for permanent hires aligned with culture, IT Executive Search for leadership recruitment, and Near Shore Staffing for cost-effective global talent. The company was acquired by Javelin IT Consulting & Staffing in December 2024 but continues to operate as an independent entity. With over 25 years of experience, the firm serves industries including travel, manufacturing, healthcare, finance, and technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Contract Staffing IT contract and contract-to-hire staffing services that provide enterprise clients with flexible, project-based IT talent and the option to convert contractors to permanent hires.
• Direct Placement Permanent placement staffing service that matches IT candidates to client organizations by assessing both technical requirements and cultural fit.
• IT Executive Search Executive search service specializing in identifying and recruiting senior IT leadership (C-suite and VP-level) with the strategic vision to lead technology organizations.
• Near Shore Staffing Nearshoring staffing solution that provides clients with IT professionals in geographically nearby regions, balancing cost-effectiveness with cultural and time-zone alignment.

Quantifiable outcome

• Candidates presented yield high performance and enable team synergies
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Javelin IT Consulting & Staffing (Javelin ITCS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2024IRIS Consulting was acquired by Javelin IT Consulting & Staffing in December 2024. Under the agreement, IRIS continues to operate as an independent entity while leveraging Javelin ITCS's extensive resources and expertise. Javelin ITCS is led by industry veterans Jim McNabb (CEO), Robert Burnett (CFO), and Tom Messick (COO) who bring over three decades of experience in building and scaling successful IT solutions organizations. The acquisition represents Javelin ITCS's first step in an ambitious growth initiative to acquire and grow IT staffing firms.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• TEKsystems: TEKsystems is the largest US IT staffing firm, offering contract, contract-to-hire, direct placement, and managed services across all IT skill categories. It is the closest direct peer to IRIS by service mix and Fortune 500 enterprise focus, though at vastly greater scale.
• Insight Global: Insight Global is a leading national IT and engineering staffing provider serving Fortune 500 clients with contract and direct hire services. Directly comparable to IRIS in service portfolio and enterprise GTM motion, but operating at national scale.
• Beacon Hill Staffing Group: Beacon Hill is a national staffing and consulting firm with dedicated Technology, Finance, and HR divisions offering contract, contract-to-hire, and direct hire services. Directly comparable to IRIS as a mid-sized IT staffing specialist with strong enterprise relationships.
• Yoh (Day & Zimmermann): Yoh is a technology-focused professional staffing and talent solutions firm serving Fortune 500 clients with contract and direct hire services. Directly comparable to IRIS in IT staffing GTM and enterprise client focus.
• Kforce: Kforce is a US-focused professional staffing firm with a strong Technology and Telecom practice, offering contract and direct placement services. It is a direct competitor to IRIS in the IT staffing arena with comparable Fortune 500 client focus.
• Apex Systems: Apex Systems is one of the largest IT staffing firms in North America, offering contract, direct hire, and managed solutions to enterprise clients across industries. Directly comparable to IRIS by service mix and Fortune 500 focus, but with significantly larger scale.

Broad incumbents

• Hays (Hays Technology): Hays is a global staffing leader with a dedicated Technology practice offering contract and permanent IT placement. Overlaps with IRIS in IT executive search and contract staffing but operates across many geographies and disciplines.
• Kelly Services (Kelly OCG): Kelly Services is a global staffing leader with a strong IT and engineering practice, providing contract, direct hire, and MSP/RPO services. Overlaps with IRIS in IT staffing but operates across many workforce categories globally.
• Randstad Technologies: Randstad Technologies is the IT staffing division of Randstad, one of the world's largest HR services groups. Competes with IRIS in IT contract and permanent placement with global delivery infrastructure including nearshoring capabilities.
• Robert Half Technology: Robert Half Technology is the IT staffing arm of Robert Half, a publicly traded staffing leader. It competes directly with IRIS in IT contract and permanent placement, with broader corporate infrastructure and a national/international footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 IRIS