UpSpire

What UpSpire does

UpSpire is a non-profit social enterprise registered as a trademark of the Presbyterian Night Shelter of Tarrant County, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. Founded in 2016 and rebranded as a professional services company in 2020, UpSpire delivers workforce solutions by employing individuals facing barriers to employment, particularly those experiencing homelessness, and placing them in five integrated service lines: commercial staffing (temp-to-perm and permanent placement for waste remediation, warehouse, general labor, and forklift positions), litter abatement (municipal and commercial street cleaning), commercial janitorial (office buildings, churches, community centers), commercial landscaping, and warehouse assembly/sorting/packing. The company operates as an OSHA-compliant W-2 employer, providing free daily transportation, individualized onboarding, background checks, and ongoing staff management as part of its wrap-around service model.

The business model is contract-based professional services, with pricing structured as hourly billing for worker positions ($15.00-$16.00/hour for entry roles) and salaried arrangements for managerial roles ($45,000-$50,000/year). Revenue is generated through customized contracts with municipal, enterprise, and SMB clients in Tarrant County. Named customers include the City of Fort Worth (Code Compliance department since 2018, $1.8M funding boost in October 2025), WM (Waste Management), the Humane Society of North Texas, Specialty Packaging Inc., and the Tarrant Regional Water District. Go-to-market is direct consultation-based field sales targeting local businesses, municipalities, and community partners in the greater Fort Worth area, supported by an informational website, case studies, and earned media coverage in regional outlets.

UpSpire's claimed outcomes include 250+ employees moved out of homelessness since 2016, a 300% higher employee retention rate than the next-closest staffing agency nationwide, 1,200 curb miles cleaned per month, 75 tons of trash removed monthly, and a $2.23 social return for every $1 spent. The organization is wholly owned by Presbyterian Night Shelter, with no external investors, and operates without disclosed funding rounds or revenue figures.

Name

UpSpire

Legal name

UpSpire (registered trademark of the Presbyterian Night Shelter of Tarrant County)

Website

https://upspire.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

UpSpire is a Fort Worth-based non-profit social enterprise that provides commercial staffing, litter abatement, janitorial, landscaping, and warehouse services while employing individuals facing barriers to employment, primarily serving municipalities and businesses in Tarrant County, Texas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Enterprise Workforce and Facility Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Temporary Help Services (561320), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (6243)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Help Supply Services (7363)

akta.pro primary industry

Group Outplacement Programs (Employer-Sponsored) (BPACAOAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Contractor Benefits & Perks Administration (BPACAGAJ)

Keywords

• Commercial staffing services
• Litter abatement services
• Commercial janitorial services
• Social enterprise workforce
• Commercial landscaping services

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Worth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Staffing Services: UpSpire provides commercial staffing services, placing vetted and trained workers in temporary-to-permanent or permanent placement positions for clients including waste remediation, warehouse jobs, general labor, and forklift driving roles. All UpSpire employees are W-2 full-time employees.
2. Litter Abatement Services: Contract-based litter removal and community clean-up services primarily for municipalities and local businesses, including roadside and right-of-way cleaning.
3. Janitorial Services: Full-service commercial janitorial services for office buildings, church campuses, and community centers in the greater Fort Worth area.
4. Landscaping Services: Commercial landscaping services including large acre mowing, litter abatement, and roadside maintenance for businesses and municipalities.
5. Warehouse Services: Warehouse logistics including assembly, sorting, packing, and shipping services from a single location.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

UpSpire is a social enterprise professional services company in greater Fort Worth that places its own W-2 employees into commercial staffing roles (waste remediation, warehouse, general labor, forklift driving) and provides contracted litter abatement, commercial janitorial, landscaping, and warehouse services to businesses, municipalities, public improvement districts, churches, and nonprofits. All workers are vetted, background-checked, trained, and provided with free daily transportation, and the company's profits support the Presbyterian Night Shelter of Tarrant County's mission.

Product overview

UpSpire is a professional services company offering five integrated workforce solutions: Staffing (temp-to-perm and permanent placement for waste remediation, warehouse, general labor, and forklift positions), Litter Abatement (municipal and commercial street/park/waterway cleaning), Commercial Janitorial (full-service cleaning for office buildings, churches, and community centers), Landscaping (commercial mowing and grounds maintenance), and Warehouse (assembly, packing, and shipping). All services include fully vetted employees with daily transportation, free onboarding and training, and staff management support tailored to each client contract.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Staffing Commercial staffing service placing capable, drug-screened, and background-checked UpSpire W-2 employees in temp-to-perm and permanent positions for businesses in the greater Fort Worth area. Covers waste remediation, warehouse jobs, general labor, and forklift driver positions, with customized onboarding and free transportation.
• Litter Abatement
• Commercial Janitorial
• Landscaping
• Warehouse

Quantifiable outcome

• 264% increase in citywide miles cleaned since 2018 contract with City of Fort Worth
• +5 more outcomes

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

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WM (Waste Management)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUpSpire partners with Waste Management to provide staffing services for drivers and technicians. WM chose UpSpire for their unique access to readily available workforce and wrap-around services including training and employee support. The partnership resulted in 300% higher retention rate than other staffing agencies.
• Presbyterian Night SheltercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUpSpire was founded by Presbyterian Night Shelter in 2016/2020 as a social enterprise workforce program. The shelter continues as the parent organization, with UpSpire providing operating support through profit allocation.
• City of Fort WorthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Fort Worth Code Compliance department has contracted with UpSpire for litter abatement since 2018. The city expanded the contract in 2022 and boosted funding by $1.8 million in 2025. Results include 264% increase in citywide miles cleaned.
• True Worth PlaceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner organization working with UpSpire on workforce development initiatives for the homeless population.
• Journey HomeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner organization collaborating with UpSpire on housing and employment initiatives.
• Humane Society of North TexascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUpSpire provides janitorial and animal shelter support services. Quote: 'UpSpire had a plan that fit our unique needs but then we also liked the whole part of hiring people who are looking for opportunities to start over.'
• Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTRWD partnered with UpSpire to launch a new apprentice program in January 2023.
• Community Financial ResourcesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured as a partnership spotlight in July 2023, supporting UpSpire's mission and social enterprise model.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO): National nonprofit providing employment services for people recently released from incarceration, operating transitional staffing crews across multiple states. Compares directly to UpSpire on mission, staffing-crew delivery model, and wrap-around support services.
• Chrysalis: Los Angeles-based social enterprise that provides transitional employment, job training, and placement services for people experiencing homelessness, poverty, and other barriers to work. Closest analog to UpSpire's workforce-development staffing model in a different geography.
• FareStart: Seattle-based social enterprise providing culinary job training, transitional employment, and staffing for catering/food services to people facing barriers including homelessness. Compares on workforce-development-staffing-into-operations model.
• Rubicon Programs: Bay Area social enterprise providing workforce development, transitional employment, and supportive services for individuals facing barriers including homelessness and reentry. Strong peer on integrated human services + staffing model.
• Homeboy Industries: Los Angeles-based social enterprise offering job training, wrap-around services, and transitional employment for formerly incarcerated and gang-involved individuals. Provides comparable social-enterprise staffing model with multiple service lines.

Broad incumbents

• PeopleReady: National staffing provider (subsidiary of TrueBlue) supplying temporary labor across construction, warehouse, hospitality, and industrial roles. Direct overlap with UpSpire's temp-to-perm and industrial placement services.
• Goodwill Industries International: National nonprofit operating workforce development, staffing, and contract services (custodial, janitorial, landscaping, warehousing) across the U.S. Comparable to UpSpire on broad workforce-services portfolio serving people with barriers to employment.
• ABM Industries: National provider of integrated facility services including janitorial, landscaping, parking, and warehouse logistics. Comparable to UpSpire's janitorial, landscaping, and warehouse service lines offered to commercial and municipal clients.
• Labor Finders: Large U.S. industrial staffing franchise focused on light industrial, construction, and warehouse workers. Comparable to UpSpire's staffing business in target customer (industrial/labor-intensive employers) and W-2 temp model.

Regional players

• The Other Ones Foundation (Resolana): Austin-based nonprofit operating Resolana, a transitional work program for people experiencing homelessness, providing paid work in cleaning, landscaping, and maintenance. Highly comparable to UpSpire on geography (Texas), mission, and service lines.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/UpSpireWorkforce
• Instagraminstagram.com/upspireworkforce/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/upspire

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 UpSpire