Tilson

What Tilson does

Tilson HR, Inc. is a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) founded in 1995 and headquartered in Greenwood, Indiana, that delivers outsourced human resources services to small and mid-sized businesses in the U.S. Midwest. The company operates as part of the VensureHR family of companies and serves as a co-employer, assuming employer-of-record responsibilities for payroll tax, benefits administration, and compliance while clients retain operational control of their workforce. Named customers include SAGE Event Management and ASAP - Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress, and the company employs 101-250 staff.

Its service portfolio comprises six core modules: Employee Benefits (health, dental, vision, life, disability, HSA/FSA, 401(k)), Payroll Administration, HR Support, Risk Management, HR Technology, and Talent Management. The technology layer is built predominantly on third-party platforms including PrismHR (cloud-based HRIS powering employer and employee self-service portals), ApplicantStack (online applicant tracking), and a proprietary secure file transfer portal hosted at securefile.tilsonhr.com. Benefits delivery is enabled through carrier partnerships with United Healthcare, MetLife, Accentra (EAP), Slavic401k, FinFit (financial wellness), ThrivePass (HSA), and Liberty Mutual/Lincoln Financial.

Tilson generates revenue through recurring service fees structured as a percentage of payroll or per-employee pricing on monthly billing cycles, with custom enterprise quotes based on workforce size and service scope. Go-to-market is sales-led via direct phone outreach (1-800-276-3976), website quote requests, and an emphasized client referral network, supplemented by content marketing through HR Insights newsletters, blog resources, and gated downloadable e-guides. Leadership is concentrated in founder Brent Tilson, who serves as President/Owner/CEO, received the PEO industry's 2021 Doyle Award, authored the book "Go Slow to Grow Fast," and has led federal regulatory engagement including the passage of the Small Business Efficiency Act and PPP loan language amendments.

Name

Tilson

Legal name

Tilson HR, Inc.

Website

https://tilsonhr.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Tilson is an Indiana-based Professional Employer Organization (PEO) founded in 1995 that provides outsourced HR, payroll, benefits, risk management, and talent management services to small and mid-sized businesses across the U.S. Midwest, operating as part of the VensureHR family of companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Employer Organization (PEO) / HR Outsourcing

NAICS

Professional Employer Organizations (56133)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Onboarding, Offboarding & Employee Lifecycle Administration (BPACAHAL), HR Service Delivery & Employee Contact Centers (HR Helpdesk) (BPACAKAI)

Keywords

• Professional employer organization
• HR outsourcing services
• Payroll administration
• Employee benefits administration
• Workforce risk management

Headquarters

HQ city

Greenwood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. PEO/HRO Services: Tilson generates revenue by providing comprehensive HR outsourcing services to small and mid-sized businesses. As a PEO, they co-employ client workers and handle all HR functions including payroll processing, benefits administration, compliance, and risk management. Revenue is generated through service fees typically structured as a percentage of payroll or per-employee pricing. The company acts as the employer of record for tax purposes while clients maintain operational control of their workforce.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Tilson is an Indiana-based Professional Employer Organization (PEO) that co-employs client workforces and delivers integrated HR outsourcing services including payroll administration, Fortune 500-level employee benefits, HR support, risk and compliance management, HR technology, and talent management to small and mid-sized businesses, enabling owners to focus on core business growth.

Product overview

Tilson is a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) offering a suite of integrated HR services as a unified solution stack. The core portfolio consists of six service modules: Employee Benefits (health, dental, vision, voluntary benefits), Payroll Administration, HR Support, Risk Management, HR Technology (PRISM HR-powered portal platform), and Talent Management. These services are designed to work together as a comprehensive workforce management solution, where Tilson assumes co-employment responsibility and handles the administrative burden of benefits, payroll, compliance, and HR functions. The technology layer includes an online HR portal with PrismHR for employer and employee self-service, an Employee Onboarding Portal, ApplicantStack for applicant tracking, and a Secure File System for document exchange. The company also publishes educational resources including e-guides, compliance outlooks, and checklists, and CEO Brent Tilson authored the business growth book 'Go Slow to Grow Fast'.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Employee Benefits Benefits administration service delivering health, dental, vision, life insurance, disability coverage, HSA/FSA accounts, 401(k), and voluntary benefits to small and mid-sized business clients, providing Fortune 500-level coverage through aggregated purchasing power as a PEO.
• Payroll Administration Full-service payroll processing for client businesses including tax withholding, direct deposit, and payroll tax compliance management, allowing clients to submit hours and have Tilson handle accurate payroll execution.
• HR Support Comprehensive HR advisory and operational support for client businesses covering hiring, onboarding, employee relations, policy development, and day-to-day HR guidance delivered by a dedicated team.
• Risk Management Risk mitigation and compliance service for client businesses covering local, state, and federal regulatory compliance, employment practices liability, workers' compensation, and broader business risk management.
• HR Technology Cloud-based HR technology platform providing a unified dashboard for payroll, HR, and benefits data with real-time reporting, including client and employee self-service portals for accessing workforce information.
• Talent Management Talent strategy service for client businesses covering recruitment support, performance management, and succession planning to attract, develop, and retain employees.

Quantifiable outcome

• 7-9% faster business growth for PEO clients
• +3 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

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• VensureHRcoreOthersTilson operates as part of the VensureHR family of companies. The privacy policy is governed by VensureHR which handles data processing, compliance frameworks, and operational infrastructure for the PEO services. Contact information and privacy notices reference VensureHR systems.
• PrismHRcoreTechnology or IntegrationProvides the cloud-based HRIS platform powering Tilson's client and employee portals for 24/7 access to payroll, benefits, and HR information. PrismHR serves as the technology backbone for client and employee self-service capabilities.
• ApplicantStacksupportingTechnology or IntegrationOnline applicant tracking system integrated into Tilson's services for managing the receiving and reviewing of job applications. Enables streamlined recruitment workflow for client businesses.
• United HealthcaresupportingTechnology or IntegrationHealth benefits provider offering health plans with rewards programs through United Healthcare Rewards. Tilson provides access to Fortune 500-level health coverage through partnerships with major insurers.
• MetLifesupportingTechnology or IntegrationDental and vision insurance provider. Tilson offers MetLife dental PPO plans and vision coverage as part of comprehensive benefits packages for client employees.
• Accentra (formerly Espyr)supportingTechnology or IntegrationEmployee Assistance Program (EAP) provider offering 24/7 confidential counseling and support services to employees and their families at no additional cost.
• Slavic401ksupportingTechnology or Integration401(k) retirement savings solution partner providing retirement planning tools, support center resources, and investment options for client employees.
• FinFitsupportingTechnology or IntegrationFinancial wellness platform offering savings tools, credit improvement resources, financial coaching, personal loans, and member rewards. Integrated through employee portal widget.
• ThrivePasssupportingTechnology or IntegrationHSA (Health Savings Account) management partner providing investment options, member portal, and transition support for employees managing HSA-eligible health plans.
• Liberty Mutual / Lincoln Financial GroupsupportingTechnology or IntegrationShort-term and long-term disability insurance providers offering income replacement coverage for employees unable to work due to medical conditions.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• OneSource Virtual: PEO-style provider focused on Workday-supported HR, payroll and benefits administration for mid-market employers. Comparable co-employment-adjacent service model but differentiated by its Workday specialization, making it an adjacent rather than direct competitor to Tilson.

Broad incumbents

• Insperity: Large publicly-traded PEO offering co-employment HR, payroll, benefits and workforce management to SMBs and mid-market companies nationwide. Comparable to Tilson in core PEO value proposition but operates at national scale with proprietary technology and broader geographic reach.
• ADP TotalSource: PEO division of ADP providing co-employment, payroll, benefits, HR and compliance services to SMBs. Comparable PEO model and SMB target market to Tilson, with substantially larger national infrastructure and brand.
• Paychex PEO: PEO services from Paychex bundling payroll, HR, benefits and risk management under co-employment for SMBs. Comparable core offering to Tilson, but with a national footprint, proprietary HRIS and deeper technology R&D.
• TriNet: National PEO focused on small and mid-sized businesses, providing HR, payroll, benefits and risk management under co-employment arrangements. Directly comparable service mix to Tilson, but TriNet targets higher-growth, often venture-backed SMBs and operates coast-to-coast with deeper technology investment.

Direct peers

• CoAdvantage: Multi-state PEO providing payroll, benefits, HR, risk management and workers' compensation to small and mid-sized businesses. Closely comparable to Tilson in service scope and SMB focus; serves as a similar-sized competitor in adjacent geographies.
• VensureHR: Parent company and PEO platform provider for Tilson; offers the same co-employment HR outsourcing, payroll, benefits and risk management model across multiple states. Most directly comparable because Tilson explicitly operates as part of the VensureHR family and shares its technology and compliance backbone.
• Oasis Outsourcing: PEO providing HR, payroll, benefits, workers' compensation and compliance support to SMBs across multiple states. Closely comparable co-employment offering and target customer base to Tilson.
• FrankCrum: Employee-leasing and PEO firm offering payroll, benefits, HR and risk management, headquartered in Florida. Comparable co-employment model and SMB focus to Tilson, serving as a peer of similar scale and longevity.
• ExtensisHR: PEO delivering HR outsourcing, payroll, benefits and workers' comp to SMBs across multiple U.S. regions. Directly comparable service model and target customer to Tilson, with a similar mid-market positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tilsonhr
• Facebookfacebook.com/TilsonHR
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tilson

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Tilson