What RJO Consulting does

RJO Consulting, Inc. is a privately held, woman-owned staffing and recruiting firm founded in 1996 and headquartered in the Greater Chicago area. The company provides contract staffing, contract-to-hire, direct hire, and contingency search solutions to small and medium-sized enterprises, manufacturing and engineering firms, contracting firms, and digital businesses across Greater Chicago. RJO specializes in placing candidates at technical and executive levels across five functional verticals: supply chain, finance, IT, engineering, and manufacturing. Its core differentiators, as evidenced by client testimonials, are deep candidate pre-screening, relationship-driven sourcing for hard-to-fill niche roles, and dependability across recurring engagements. Named enterprise clients referenced in public materials include Polyglass USA, Tripp Lite, Panduit, and Power Plant Services.

The business model is straightforward professional services: revenue is generated from placement fees on direct hire / contingency searches and from bill rates on contract and contract-to-hire engagements. Specific pricing is not publicly disclosed and is described as quote-based. The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer: client acquisition relies on direct outreach, website inquiries, professional networks, LinkedIn presence, and word-of-mouth referrals supported by documented client testimonials. RJO markets itself primarily through a company website, a downloadable PDF brochure, and LinkedIn; there are no resellers or third-party distribution channels.

RJO is not a technology company and operates no proprietary platform or product suite — its underlying technology is described as not applicable. The competitive moat is grounded in recruiter experience (more than 60 years of combined human capital experience within the firm), a curated candidate network, woman-owned status useful in supplier diversity procurement, and a documented track record of filling niche technical roles. No funding rounds, acquisitions, partnerships, leadership changes, or geographic expansions are disclosed; the firm remains a stable, owner-operated regional staffing boutique.

Name

RJO Consulting

Legal name

RJO Consulting, Inc.

Website

https://rjo-consulting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

RJO Consulting is a woman-owned, Greater Chicago–based staffing and recruiting firm founded in 1996 that places technical and executive talent across supply chain, finance, IT, engineering, and manufacturing for SMEs, manufacturers, and digital businesses via contract, contract-to-hire, and direct hire engagements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Staffing and Recruiting Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131), Executive Search Services (561312)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Industry-Specific RPO (e.g., Healthcare, IT, Engineering) (BPACABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Executive RPO (Leadership Hiring Programs) (BPACABAI), RPO Technology, ATS Administration & Recruitment Operations (BPACABAN)

Keywords

• Staffing services
• Recruiting services
• Talent acquisition
• Contract staffing
• Direct hire placement

Headquarters

HQ city

Woodridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Staffing and Recruiting Services: RJO Consulting generates revenue by providing recruiting and staffing services to employers seeking talent. They offer contract staffing, contract-to-hire arrangements, and direct hire placement services. Fees are likely structured as a percentage of placed candidate salary or hourly billing for contract workers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

RJO Consulting provides contract, contract-to-hire, direct hire, and contingency search staffing solutions for employers. They specialize in placing candidates in supply chain, financial, IT, engineering, and manufacturing roles at the technical and executive levels for small and medium-sized enterprises, manufacturing firms, engineering contractors, and digital businesses in the Greater Chicago area.

Product overview

RJO Consulting is a staffing and recruiting services firm that offers a unified suite of talent acquisition solutions. Their core service portfolio includes contract staffing, contract-to-hire staffing, and direct hire staffing, along with contingency search solutions. They specialize in placing candidates across supply chain, financial, IT, engineering, and manufacturing positions at technical and executive levels for small and medium-sized enterprises, manufacturing, engineering and contracting firms, and digital businesses in the Greater Chicago area. The company operates as a single-service offering rather than a platform with distinct product modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Kforce: Professional staffing firm specializing in technology, finance, and engineering placements. Highly comparable to RJO in target verticals (IT, finance, engineering) and mix of contract and direct-hire engagements, though operating nationally.
• Aerotek: Specialized staffing provider for engineering, manufacturing, and industrial positions — a strong direct competitor to RJO's manufacturing and engineering placement business, with comparable technical-role focus and contract/direct-hire service model.

Regional players

• The Reserves Network: Regional staffing firm headquartered in Ohio serving manufacturing, engineering, and administrative roles in the Midwest. Comparable to RJO in regional focus and industrial/manufacturing specialization, often competing for similar client relationships.
• MPS Technical Staffing: Midwest-focused technical staffing firm placing engineering, IT, and manufacturing talent. Highly comparable to RJO as a regional, technical-vertical specialist, though based in Wisconsin rather than Illinois.

Broad incumbents

• Robert Half International: Large publicly traded staffing and consulting firm with dedicated finance, technology, and administrative placement divisions. Directly comparable to RJO in placement categories (finance, IT, engineering-adjacent) but operates nationally with vastly greater scale and brand.
• Kelly Services: Established staffing provider with strong presence in engineering, IT, and professional placements. Comparable to RJO in service mix and verticals but operates nationally with broader HR outsourcing capabilities.
• Insight Global: National staffing firm placing talent across IT, engineering, manufacturing, and finance — overlapping directly with RJO's core verticals. Operates at much greater scale with offices nationwide, representing both a competitor and a benchmark for RJO's growth ceiling.
• ManpowerGroup: Global workforce solutions and staffing provider with manufacturing, IT, and engineering verticals. Comparable to RJO in service offering but operates globally with significantly broader capability set and brand.
• Randstad: Global staffing and HR services leader covering IT, engineering, manufacturing, and finance — a broad incumbent comparable to RJO's full vertical mix, but with global infrastructure and significantly larger scale.
• Hays: Global specialist recruitment firm with strong IT, engineering, and finance verticals. Comparable to RJO in its specialism-driven placement approach, but with international scale and recognized brand in technical search.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rjo-consulting

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 RJO Consulting