Illinois Search & Staffing Association

What Illinois Search & Staffing Association does

The Illinois Search & Staffing Association (ISSA) is a non-profit professional membership association serving the staffing and recruiting industry across Illinois and the broader Midwest. Founded in 1995 and headquartered in Westmont, Illinois, ISSA operates as the self-described state leader in professional development for the sector, with a Board of Directors composed of executives from member staffing firms such as The Plus Group, JOS Staffing, Total Staffing Solutions, and Unlocking Greatness Staffing. It serves both established staffing companies seeking industry education and individuals new to the industry, segmented further into Young Professionals and Owners/Executives cohorts.

ISSA's product surface is organized around a membership program that bundles access to events, the Partner Product Learning Hub, member and partner directories, legislative updates, and ASA certification preparation (CSP and TSC). Signature offerings include the annual Midwest Staffing Conference (drawing 200+ attendees), the Midwest Owners and Executives Retreat, the Legislative Conference, and a recurring webinar series. Underlying technology consists of the Wild Apricot membership platform supporting self-service member registration, event ticketing, and website operations on issaworks.com, with content distribution through a Wild Apricot-hosted blog at blog.issaworks.com.

ISSA generates revenue through three streams: annual membership dues, event registration fees (with member-discounted or complimentary access to most webinars), and tiered corporate sponsorships (Platinum, Gold, Silver, plus a dedicated Legislative Sponsorship). Its GTM motion is event-driven, anchored by flagship conferences and complemented by digital content, email newsletters, and social channels. The organization maintains mutual strategic partnerships with the Wisconsin Association of Staffing Services (WASS), the Michigan Association of Staffing Services, and the American Staffing Association, plus GTM partnerships with vendors serving the staffing industry (Assurance Agency, UHY LLP, TaTiO AI, FactoryFix, Ultra-Staff EDGE, echogravity).

Name

Illinois Search & Staffing Association

Legal name

Illinois Search & Staffing Association

Website

https://issaworks.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Illinois Search & Staffing Association is a non-profit professional membership association, founded in 1995 and based in Westmont, IL, that delivers education, networking, legislative advocacy, and ASA certification support to staffing and recruiting firms across Illinois and the broader Midwest.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Westmont

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees for staffing companies and individual professionals in the search and staffing industry. Membership provides access to events, educational resources, legislative updates, and networking opportunities.
2. Event Registration Fees: Revenue from webinar registrations, conference attendance, and professional development workshops. Pricing varies with member status (members receive discounted or free access to many events).
3. Corporate Sponsorships: Sponsorship packages at Platinum, Gold, and Silver levels provide revenue and support for events and association activities. Also includes Legislative Sponsorship opportunities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Illinois Search & Staffing Association (ISSA) is a non-profit professional membership association serving the Illinois staffing and search industry. ISSA's core offering is an annual membership program that grants staffing companies and individual professionals access to educational events, signature conferences (Midwest Staffing Conference, Owners and Executives Retreat), ASA certification preparation (CSP, TSC), legislative updates, the Young Professionals committee, partner resources, and peer networking opportunities across Illinois and the broader Midwest.

Product overview

The Illinois Search & Staffing Association (ISSA) is a professional membership association for the staffing industry, not a software product company. ISSA offers a unified membership program that provides access to educational events, conferences (including the flagship Midwest Staffing Conference), ASA certification preparation, legislative updates, the Partner Product Learning Hub, and networking resources including member and partner directories. The association also runs the Young Professionals Program and hosts regular webinars and training sessions covering topics such as sales, recruiting, compliance, and leadership for staffing professionals throughout Illinois.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Wisconsin Association of Staffing Services (WASS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing regional partnership for the annual Midwest Staffing Conference and Owners/Executives Retreat. Both associations collaborate on programming, speakers, and event execution for the combined Illinois-Wisconsin staffing community.
• Michigan Association of Staffing ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partnership for the annual Midwest Staffing Owners and Executives Retreat, combining Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan staffing executives for shared learning and networking.
• American Staffing Association (ASA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational affiliation providing ASA certification programs (CSP, TSC), Staffing World conference, staffing law conferences, and industry standards. ISSA facilitates ASA certification workshops and promotes ASA events to members.
• NAPS (National Association of Personnel Services)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational partnership for recruiting excellence recognition and annual conferences. Pinnacle Society, associated with NAPS, is featured at ISSA events for top producer networking.
• Assurance AgencyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProvides meeting space and sponsors ISSA events. Specializes in insurance and benefits compliance for staffing companies.
• UHY LLPminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner contributing content articles on topics including AI in staffing, CFO guidebook, and legislative updates.
• TaTiO AIminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner contributing content on hiring beyond resumes and observable performance in staffing.
• FactoryFixminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner contributing content on industrial hiring challenges and data.
• Ultra-Staff EDGEminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner contributing content on staffing software selection.
• echogravityminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner contributing marketing content and services for staffing industry. Co-chaired Young Professionals committee historically.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Michigan Association of Staffing Services: Michigan's state-level staffing trade association that jointly hosts the Midwest Owners and Executives Retreat with ISSA. A direct state-chapter peer offering identical membership, event, and advocacy services to Michigan staffing firms.
• American Staffing Association (ASA): The national-level trade association for the US staffing industry and a direct strategic partner of ISSA. Comparable because it operates the same membership, certification (CSP/TSC), advocacy, and conference model (Staffing World) that ISSA replicates at the state level.
• Wisconsin Association of Staffing Services (WASS): Wisconsin's state-level staffing trade association and a documented co-host of ISSA's Midwest Staffing Conference. Highly comparable as a peer chapter delivering the same membership, conference, and advocacy services in an adjacent Midwest state.
• ASA Central: ASA's regional/state-chapter network that includes organizations like ISSA. Comparable as the umbrella peer organizing multiple state-level staffing associations, providing ISSA both competitive context and partnership opportunities for national programs.
• National Association of Personnel Services (NAPS): National professional association for the search and placement industry, featured at ISSA events and a documented ISSA partner. Comparable as a membership body focused on recruiting excellence, top-producer recognition (Pinnacle Society), and industry advocacy.

Others

• Bullhorn: Leading staffing-industry software and automation vendor providing ATS and CRM platforms to ISSA's member companies. Comparable as an ecosystem enabler whose products underpin the operations of ISSA's staffing-firm members and which often exhibits at ISSA-style events.

Broad incumbents

• Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA): The leading research and advisory firm serving the global staffing industry. Comparable as a sector-defining organization that ISSA members consume for benchmarking, but operates as a commercial research/media business rather than a membership-driven association.
• Talent Board: Industry organization running the Candidate Experience Awards and benchmarking programs for staffing and talent acquisition. Comparable as a non-profit industry body serving staffing firms with awards, research, and employer recognition programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ISSAworks
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/illinois-search-and-staffing-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Illinois Search & Staffing Association