In 1984, Express Employment Professionals acquired the franchise rights to 30 Acme Personnel staffing agencies across the United States, and in 1985, when the first Express employment agency was franchised, the staffing company experienced phenomenal growth. Within five years, Express ranked among the top staffing firms in the U.S. and was recognized as one of the fastest growing privately held companies in the country. By 1994, Express Employment Professionals had 180 franchised employment agencies with sales of more than $325 million. Today, Express Employment Professionals has more than 550 franchises in the United States, Canada, South Africa and Australia. In 2011, the staffing company generated $2.1 billion in sales in 2011. “We spoke with both new franchise owners and long-term owners and they all praised the training, support and leadership that Express Employment Professionals provides,” reports Bill. “They put the focus on customer service and believe they are doing something very worthwhile in putting people back to work. We were absolutely drawn to this company.” Employing Themselves Fortunately, the Sofios were able to step into an Express Employment Professionals territory in Charlotte that had been vacant for about five years. Their franchise covers Charlotte south of Trade Street. They opened for business on January 3, 2011, with a staff of two. In the first six months they met their sales goals and hired two more staff members. While it may seem counterintuitive to start an employment agency during a recession, Bill explains that it was really a good time and getting even better. “The economy is wobbling, but it’s wobbling upwards,” he asserts. “Many small and mediumsize businesses are reaching out for assistance in meeting their staffing needs.” As a full-service staffing agency, Express Employment Professionals offers a full range of employment solutions for area businesses and job seekers, including professional search, temporary and contract staffing, evaluations and direct hire, flexible staffing, and onsite services. For employers, Express Employment Professionals can also help provide solutions to HR challenges, including an HR Helpline, HR compliance audits, employee handbook creation, Organizational Effectiveness Surveys, onsite client training programs, and affirmative action plans. For the job seeker, Express will evaluate individuals’ skills, offer interview and resume writing tips, and work to find a job that fits the candidate’s skill and abilities. “Our efforts impact people’s lives,” Bill states
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(l to r) Nancy M. Dunmyer, Staffing Consultant; Jeanette Flint, Staffing Consultant; Dana R. Both, Business Development; Anne Marie Parent, Staffing Consultant; Bill Sofio, Owner. Not pictured: Gina Sofio, Owner
simply. “Every day we make a difference. It is extremely gratifying.” The Sofios say their goal is not to just place people in jobs; it is to form business partnerships. They try to understand their business clients so well that they know an organization’s goals and challenges and understand its culture. “It’s easy to find people with the right skills,’’ Bill says, “It’s much harder to find people who will fit the client’s culture. When we make the perfect match, it is so gratifying to see the enthusiasm of the person getting the job and of the client who is getting an employee who fits cleanly into the organization.” Janis Mire, HR manager for several local interconnected firms, told Bill and Gina when she first met them that “she never used placement firms.” However, they stayed in contact, sending her interesting articles and invitations to seminars, and a year later she called them to fill a position for her. “They really listened to what I wanted and sent me terrific candidates, one of which I hired,” says Mire. “The fact that I got exactly what I needed right away was because they understood exactly what I wanted.” Now Mire has asked Express to fill a parttime vacancy for her as she doesn’t have the time to do the legwork herself.
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“I was very impressed with their depth of knowledge of the business of placement,” Mire adds to her glowing review of Express. Staffing at Its Best According to the American Staffing Association, the staffing industry generates more than $97 billion in sales in the U.S. annually. Nearly 2.6 million people are employed by staffing companies every business day. And U.S. firms hire 9.7 million temporary and contract employees each year. In fact, 25 percent of companies use staffing firms. A decade ago, a job seeker could whip up a resume, send it off to prospective employers, job boards and websites, sit on the couch and wait for the phone to ring. Those days disappeared with the recession. Today a business receives hundreds of applications for an open position and, for many companies, reviewing all those applications can be a time-consuming addition to an already overloaded workforce. For companies needing assistance, Express Employment Professionals can provide the answer. “Because many companies have already cut staffs to the bare bones, their employees are overloaded,” says Gina. “They don’t have the resources available to do a thorough search when they decide to hire. What’s more, many employers aren’t