GNSA

What GNSA does

GNSA, also operating as Great Northern Staff Administrators, is a privately held human capital management (HCM) services firm headquartered in Portland, Oregon, founded in 1997. The company provides outsourced payroll, human resource administration, time and labor management, benefits administration, and ACA compliance services to small and mid-market companies, with target clients having 100 or more employees across verticals including healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, and nonprofits. GNSA serves clients in all 50 states with primary market focus on the Pacific Northwest.

GNSA's core product is the PeoplePro HCM platform, which is powered by UKG (formerly Kronos) technology under a UKG Ready Partner Reseller agreement. The platform integrates payroll processing, HR management, time and attendance, benefits enrollment, talent acquisition, onboarding, leave management, performance management, scheduling, learning management, COBRA administration, expense tracking, and an HCM mobile app. Notable technical components include a multi-state payroll tax engine with rates updated to the latitude and longitude of an employee's work location, and a proprietary POS system integration built for hospitality clients. Complementary partnerships extend the platform with Earned Wage Access+ via ZayZoon and 401(k) integration via Human Interest.

GNSA's business model combines managed services revenue from payroll and HR administration, administrative fees from benefits management, and software licensing fees from reselling UKG technology, primarily billed monthly under custom quote-based pricing tied to employee count and modules selected. The company employs approximately 15-20 people, including a client services team with over 175 years of combined HCM experience and an average tenure of 8 years. Go-to-market is sales-led with direct conversion through 'Request a Demo' on the website, supplemented by referral programs and active participation in regional industry conferences such as NHRMA, NAO, and NAWA. Ownership is private with founders and stakeholders retaining control; no venture capital, private equity, or parent company is indicated in available sources.

Name

GNSA

Legal name

GNSA, LLC

Website

https://gnsadmin.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

GNSA is a privately held Portland, Oregon-based HCM services firm providing outsourced payroll, HR administration, benefits, and compliance solutions to small and mid-market companies through its UKG-powered PeoplePro platform across all 50 states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Human Capital Management Services

NAICS

Payroll Services (541214), Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services (54121)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Payroll Software & Payroll-as-a-Service (SaaS) (BPACAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Human Capital Management (HCM) & Payroll Platforms (HDAEAEAJ)

Keywords

• Payroll services
• Human capital management
• HR administration
• Benefits administration
• Time and labor management

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

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, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. HCM/Payroll Services: GNSA provides outsourced payroll and human capital management services to small and mid-market companies. As a third-party payroll provider, they charge for comprehensive payroll processing, tax filing, HR administration, and related compliance services. Revenue is generated through service fees typically based on the number of employees or paychecks processed.
2. Benefits Administration: GNSA offers benefits administration services including health insurance partner network, dental, vision, life/disability insurance, Section 125 plans, and retirement plans. They generate revenue through administrative fees for managing employee benefits enrollment and ongoing administration.
3. UKG Software Reselling: As a UKG Ready Partner Reseller, GNSA resells UKG's HCM software platform, generating revenue through software licensing fees and implementation services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

GNSA provides outsourced payroll, human capital management (HCM), and benefits administration services to small and mid-market companies, powered by its PeoplePro HCM platform (built on UKG technology). The offering includes payroll processing, HR administration, time and labor management, benefits enrollment, ACA compliance, talent acquisition, onboarding, scheduling, and employee self-service delivered with personalized local support from Portland, Oregon. As a UKG Ready Partner Reseller, GNSA bundles enterprise-grade HCM software with managed services and consultative support.

Product overview

GNSA offers a unified platform architecture called PeoplePro HCM, powered by UKG (formerly Kronos), providing a comprehensive suite of HCM modules including Payroll, HR Management, Time and Labor Management, Benefits Administration, Talent Acquisition, Employee Onboarding, Leave Management, Performance Management, Scheduling, Learning Management System (LMS), Accruals Manager, COBRA Administration, Mobile App, Earned Wage Access+, and Expense Tracking. The platform serves as a single unified system for managing the entire workforce from pre-hire to retire, with additional services through their Insurance Partner Network for benefits delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PeoplePro: HCM cloud platform powered by UKG (formerly Kronos) providing payroll, HR, timekeeping, scheduling, and benefits administration services.
• PeoplePro HCM

Products and services

• PeoplePro HCM Unified Human Capital Management platform powered by UKG providing end-to-end workforce management from pre-hire to retire, including payroll, HR, timekeeping, benefits, and scheduling in a single cloud-based solution for small and mid-market companies.
• Payroll and Tax Management Automated payroll processing service with employee self-service features, paycheck accuracy, and tax filing support across all 50 states for employer clients.
• Human Resource Management HR administration service streamlining compliance and HR processes covering the entire employee lifecycle from pre-hire to retire for employer clients.
• Benefits Administration Benefits administration service including carrier selection, employee benefits delivery, monthly invoice reconciliation, and provider data submission for employer clients.
• ACA Management Affordable Care Act compliance management service including reporting and documentation support for employer clients.
• Earned Wage Access+ Financial wellness service allowing employees of client companies to access earned wages before their scheduled payday, integrated through a ZayZoon partnership.
• Client Services Dedicated managed services team providing personalized support for HCM software and related services, with over 175 years of combined experience and an average tenure of 8 years.
• Insurance Partner Network Network of insurance carrier partners providing health, dental, vision, life, disability, Section 125, and retirement plan options to employer clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Processed payroll in all 50 states
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Integration3 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ZayZooncoreTechnology or Integration · 1 May 2026GNSA partnered with ZayZoon to expand its PeoplePro platform with integrated Earned Wage Access (EWA), allowing employees to access their earned wages before payday. This partnership enhances the platform's financial wellness offerings.
• Human InterestcoreTechnology or Integration · 6 July 2022GNSA partnered with Human Interest to integrate 401(k) retirement plans with payroll processing. This partnership allows employers to integrate their retirement plans with payroll, eliminating manual data entry and reducing administrative burden for OregonSaves compliance.
• UKG (formerly Kronos)coreTechnology or IntegrationGNSA is a UKG Ready Partner Reseller. Through this partnership with leading HCM technology vendor UKG, formerly Kronos, GNSA delivers best-in-class HCM solutions while providing personalized local support from their Portland office. PeoplePro is powered by UKG technology.
• Insurance Carrier PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGNSA partners with dedicated insurance agencies to provide health, dental, vision, life/disability insurance, Section 125 plans, and retirement plans. They partner with major carriers including Providence Health, Kaiser Permanente Oregon, Regence BlueCross BlueShield, and Moda Health.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• ADP (Run Powered by ADP / ADP TotalSource): ADP is the largest U.S. payroll services and HCM vendor with dedicated offerings for small businesses (RUN), mid-market (Workforce Now), and large enterprise. It is the dominant scaled incumbent that GNSA competes against, particularly in SMB payroll.
• UKG (UKG Ready): UKG is the underlying HCM technology vendor that powers GNSA's PeoplePro platform. UKG also sells HCM solutions directly through its own sales channels, making it both a critical partner and a competing incumbent in the broader HCM market.

Emerging players

• Rippling: Rippling is a fast-growing, well-funded HCM platform unifying payroll, HR, IT, and finance for small to mid-market employers. It competes for GNSA's customer base with modern UX and aggressive pricing despite no local service layer.

Direct peers

• Trinet: Trinet is a PEO offering payroll, benefits, HR, and compliance services to small and mid-market employers, comparable in target customer and bundled service approach to GNSA.
• Justworks: Justworks provides payroll, benefits, compliance, and HR support to small and mid-sized businesses via a PEO/co-employment model. It overlaps significantly with GNSA's target segment and service menu.
• Paycor: Paycor is a payroll and HCM SaaS platform focused on small-to-mid market employers, offering payroll, HR, benefits administration, time and attendance, and talent management—directly comparable to GNSA's PeoplePro suite.
• Paychex: Paychex is one of the largest U.S. payroll and HR outsourcing providers serving small and mid-market businesses, exactly the segment GNSA targets. Both deliver outsourced payroll, HR administration, benefits, and time/attendance on a recurring service model.
• Paylocity: Paylocity is a cloud-based payroll and HCM provider targeting mid-market employers with modules across payroll, HR, benefits, talent, time, and learning. It competes directly with GNSA on functionality and customer size, although it sells software more than managed services.
• isolved: isolved is a mid-market HCM provider offering payroll, HR, benefits, talent, time and attendance, and workforce management—essentially the same operational footprint as GNSA's PeoplePro, often competing for similar mid-sized employer customers.
• Gusto: Gusto provides payroll, benefits, and HR services to small and growing businesses on a subscription SaaS model. It competes for the same value-centric, growing-employer segment that GNSA serves with its mid-market offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gnsa_pdx
• Facebookfacebook.com/gnsadmin
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gnsa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 GNSA