American Society of Employers

What American Society of Employers does

American Society of Employers (ASE) is a Michigan-based nonprofit employer association founded in 1902, headquartered in Troy with four additional regional offices across the state (Muskegon, Grand Rapids, Macomb, Novi). The organization serves more than 1,000 member organizations—primarily Michigan employers with facilities in 48 states—and delivers a comprehensive "Everything HR" membership covering compliance, training, compensation benchmarking, talent acquisition, consulting, and HR advisory support. Core products include 75+ training courses carrying HRCI and SHRM recertification credits, Michigan's largest employer compensation survey (467 participating companies, 600 positions across 36 job families, 110,000+ incumbents), an HR hotline, compliance services, TalentLink career center, and Circle of Peers networking hubs. The membership is sold annually on a subscription basis with dues calculated by FTE count and county, while ancillary revenue comes from paid training, events, consulting engagements, and direct-hire recruiting fees.

ASE's technology stack centers on the ASEConnect learning management system and Chester AI, a proprietary AI assistant trained exclusively on ASE resources to help members navigate courses, benchmarking data, events, and toolkits. The platform is augmented through partnerships with Zywave (HR Services Suite), CCH AnswersNow (employment law), McLean & Company (HR research), Payscale Peer (compensation benchmarking), HRCI (certification credits), and BEVEL (employee homeownership benefit). ASE reinvests surpluses into member services rather than distributing profits, and its wholly-owned subsidiary HRMG extends the same operating focus. Distribution combines direct membership sales, five Michigan offices, virtual training via ASEConnect, weekly EverythingPeople newsletters, conferences (Employer Risk & Compliance, Employment Law Briefings, HR Together West Michigan), and active social channels on LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube.

Name

American Society of Employers

Legal name

American Society of Employers

Website

https://aseonline.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1902

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

American Society of Employers (ASE) is a 1902-founded Michigan nonprofit employer association serving 1,000+ member organizations with comprehensive HR services including membership, training, compensation benchmarking, compliance, consulting, and Chester AI navigation across five state offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Human Resources Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131), Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Temporary Help Services (561320)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPACAHAL

Onboarding, Offboarding & Employee Lifecycle Administration

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Employer of Record (EOR) & Global Employment / PEO Services

SECONDARYBPACAIAF

Workforce Benefits Administration (Enrollment & Deductions)

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Payroll Services & Workforce Administration

SECONDARYBPAHAAAD

Employment & Labor Law

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Legal Services

SECONDARYEDAAAKAF

Collaboration, Teamwork & Conflict Resolution

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Career Readiness & Employability Skills (Resume, Interview, Workplace Skills)

Keywords

• Employer association services
• HR consulting support
• Compensation survey data
• Compliance training programs
• Talent acquisition services

Headquarters

HQ city

Troy

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. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees calculated based on organization FTE count and county location. Membership provides access to all core benefits including surveys, HR hotline, webinars, and member resources. The membership is described as annual basis, renewed automatically on January 1st.
2. Training & Development Courses: Over 75 unique employee development courses offered in-person and virtually. Courses include Principles & Practices of Supervision, virtual training, custom training, on-demand training, and coaching/leadership development. Most courses offer HRCI or SHRM recertification credits.
3. Events & Conferences: Revenue from events including Employer Risk & Compliance Conference, Employment Law Briefings in Troy and Spring Lake, Golf Outing, and various webinars. Event pricing varies - Golf outing $500/team of four, webinar for non-members $49.
4. Consulting Services: Discounted consulting services for members including HR consulting, compensation consulting, compliance services, organizational development, and staffing services. Direct-hire recruiting with 15% placement fee for members.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

American Society of Employers is a nonprofit membership-based employer association that provides Michigan-based organizations with comprehensive HR services. Its offerings include annual membership (priced by FTE count and county), access to compensation benchmarking surveys covering 480+ job titles across 36 job families, over 75 training and development courses (in-person, virtual, on-demand), HR hotline support, compliance services, talent acquisition/staffing, employee engagement programs, and the Chester AI assistant for navigating member resources.

Product overview

American Society of Employers (ASE) is a membership-based employer association offering a comprehensive HR ecosystem. The core offering is the ASE Membership, which provides access to an integrated suite of products including Chester AI (an AI chatbot for resource navigation), training and development courses (75+ courses with HRCI/SHRM credits), survey benchmarking data (480+ job titles across 36 job families), HR hotline support, compliance services, and employee engagement programs. The portfolio includes staffing and fractional services, TalentLink career center, and Circle of Peers networking hubs. Access to third-party platforms including Zywave HR Services Suite, CCH AnswersNow, McLean & Company, and Payscale Peer is integrated into the membership. The EverythingPeople newsletter delivers ongoing HR content to members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Chester AI: AI-powered assistant for ASE members to find courses, benchmarking data, events, toolkits, services, and more.
• Circle of Peers Hubs
• Michigan Total Rewards Network

Products and services

• ASE Membership Annual organization-level membership providing access to HR tools, compensation benchmarking data, training, compliance support, HR hotline, and professional networking. Pricing is based on member organization's FTE count and county location, renewed automatically on January 1st.
• Chester AI Proprietary AI assistant trained exclusively on ASE resources that helps members quickly find courses, benchmarking data, events, toolkits, and services via natural language queries.
• Training and Development Courses Over 75 unique employee development courses covering supervision, leadership, custom training, virtual training, on-demand training, and certification prep, available to members with HRCI/SHRM recertification credits.
• Compensation Survey Data and Benchmarking Michigan's largest employer compensation survey, covering 600 positions across 36 job families and over 110,000 incumbents, plus access to Payscale Peer for real-time global compensation analysis.
• HR Hotline Support Unrestricted access to email and phone support from ASE's team of seasoned HR professionals offering guidance and best-practice recommendations on member HR inquiries.
• Compliance Services Services including handbook building, health and safety consulting, HR audits, labor law posters, and workplace investigations to help member organizations maintain regulatory compliance.
• TalentLink Career Center Career center powered by YM Careers connecting job seekers with employers seeking talent, supporting both job postings and candidate searches.
• Staffing and Fractional Services Talent acquisition services including direct-hire recruiting (15% placement fee for members), fractional CFO/HR/payroll services, and temporary/contract-to-hire staffing solutions.
• Employee Engagement Programs Tools and programs to measure and improve employee engagement, including pulse surveys, analytics, and implementation strategies for retention improvement.
• Compensation Consulting Compensation consulting services including market pay assessments and the Michigan Total Rewards Network for market pay analysis.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3.3% wage growth forecast for 2026 based on ASE Compensation Survey data
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• The Employers' Association (TEA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 March 2026Joint partnership to bring HR Together West Michigan conference to the region. New regional conference designed to bring HR professionals together for learning, collaboration, and practical insight. Event held at Trillium in Spring Lake, MI on May 5, 2026.
• BEVELcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 10 February 2026Strategic partnership where BEVEL serves as a Preferred HR Partner offering ASE member employers an innovative no-cost employee homeownership benefit. BEVEL provides up to $12,000 in closing cost credits toward mortgage closing costs and prepaids, connecting workers with approved mortgage lenders and real estate professionals across a nationwide network. The benefit is available at zero expense to participating employers and their employees.
• ZywavecoreTechnology or IntegrationASE provides access to Zywave HR Services Suite - a 24/7/365 robust resource with HR applications, handbook builders, and comprehensive content library for modern HR challenges. The suite includes interview builders, HR support notices, and tools for managing HR processes, compensation programs, and payroll administration.
• CCH AnswersNowcoreTechnology or IntegrationASE provides access to CCH AnswersNow database for federal, state, and international employment law updates. Includes templates, training decks, and comprehensive databases to help HR professionals stay compliant with regulations.
• McLean & CompanycoreTechnology or IntegrationASE provides access to McLean & Company database offering actionable strategies, tools, and insights for HR professionals. Includes project management resources, training decks, and analysis for business management and employee services.
• Payscale PeersupportingTechnology or IntegrationReal-time compensation analysis tool available to members for global competitive benchmarking. Enhances consulting competitive edge with employer-reported data.
• HRCIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASE is an HRCI Alliance partner providing members access to HRCI credits and certification support. Members can earn up to 9 HRCI credits per cycle with discounted exam rates. HRCI Concierge service available for certification guidance.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Gusto: Cloud-based HR, payroll, and benefits platform serving SMBs with a modern technology-led approach. Represents the secular shift toward integrated HR tech platforms that challenge traditional association/PEO bundles like ASE's.
• G&A Partners: PEO providing payroll, benefits, HR, and risk management to small and mid-sized employers across multiple U.S. regions. Comparable to ASE's fractional HR/payroll offering but positioned for national rather than regional employers.

Broad incumbents

• Paychex: Major payroll and HR solutions provider with PEO capabilities (Paychex PEO) serving SMBs. Comparable to ASE's payroll and workforce administration positioning, with much broader national scale and technology investment.
• Insperity: Large publicly traded PEO providing HR outsourcing, payroll, benefits, and compliance services to SMB and mid-market employers nationwide. Overlaps with ASE's fractional HR/payroll and direct-hire staffing offerings but operates at much greater scale.
• ADP TotalSource: ADP's PEO division offering comprehensive HR outsourcing for small and mid-sized businesses. A scaled national incumbent competing for the same employer HR services budget that ASE members allocate.
• TriNet: PEO serving small and midsize businesses with HR, payroll, benefits, and risk management outsourcing. Comparable to ASE on employer-side HR administration and benefits delivery, though primarily technology-led rather than association-led.

Direct peers

• WorldatWork: Nonprofit professional association focused on total rewards, compensation, and HR — offering certification, research, and member education. Directly comparable as a membership-based HR association with adjacent content categories (compensation, benefits).
• Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM): The largest national HR membership association in the U.S., offering certification, training, advocacy, and member resources. Directly comparable to ASE's membership-based HR association model, just at a national rather than Michigan-focused scale.
• The Employers' Association (TEA): West Michigan employer association offering HR consulting, surveys, training, and advocacy to regional employers. Recent joint venture partner of ASE on 'HR Together West Michigan,' indicating near-identical service portfolio and overlapping geography.

Regional players

• Michigan Chamber of Commerce: Michigan's statewide business membership organization, providing advocacy, HR/employment law resources, and member benefits to Michigan employers — overlapping with ASE's core employer-services charter within the same geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UClkEFxygImYKRz7kU-643XQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/AmericanSocietyEmployers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/57966
• Xx.com/ASEnews

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

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 American Society of Employers