Company History

1940s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s 1946 1966 1966 1966 1966 1967 1971 1977 1979 1981 1985 1987 1991 1992 1994 1994 1996 1999

Dawson is founded by John and Josephine Dawson to help soldiers find

work as they return home from World War II.

Joseph DeCapua purchases Dawson for $3,050. Joseph DeCapua hires Phil Freeman, the first employee. Dedicated Office division is officially established. Operating sales reach $3,125, with 41 people placed.

Dawson introduces employer-paid fees, which become an industry standard.

Selective Secretaries is started to compete with Dawson, where the newest employees are trained. The Temporary Office division, Dawson Girls, is established.

New Headquarters is purchased at 383 East Broad Street.

Sales exceed $1 million. Major Milestone: After 39 years, Dawson has helped a total of 50,000 people find jobs.

Chris DeCapua joins Dawson.

Sales top $4 million. Light Industrial division is established (now called the Warehouse & Distribution division). David DeCapua joins Dawson. Accounting & Finance division is established. Major Milestone: After 50 years, Dawson has helped a total of 100,000 people find jobs. Chris and David DeCapua purchase Dawson from their father.

2000s

2010s 2000 2001 2002 2003

2005

2009

Sales exceed $16 million.

IT division is established.

Healthcare division is established.

Vendor Management Services begins in partnership with leading local healthcare systems.

Dawson acquires Accountants on Call and their business at premier Client BMW Financial Services.

Marketing & Creative division is established.

2010 2011

2013

2016

2017

2018

2019

2019

TalentRooster, an online video interviewing platform, is launched.

The Dawson Bus, our mobile recruitment center, puts its wheels in motion and sales top $51 million.

Major Milestone: A new corporate office opens at 1114 Dublin Road and Dawson has helped more than 250,000 people find jobs.

Dawson acquires Atrium Holdings, adding offices and staff in Heath, Mount Vernon, and Strasburg.

The Dawson Community Champions Foundation has raised more than $35,000 and Dawson Colleagues volunteered more than 1,000 hours in their communities.

The Employment Experts is introduced as Dawson’s new tagline, and congruent ad campaign better defines its complete service offerings – Job Placements, HR Management Solutions, and Community Workforce Programs.

Building on updated branding, Dawson launches the new dawsoncareers.com with a completely redesigned user experience to make the job search and application look and feel more comfortable and modern like a mobile app.

Dawson presents first ever Central Ohio Workforce Summit in conjunction with The Columbus Chamber of Commerce and Central Ohio Workforce Development Board, hosting HR executives and partners from premier Central Ohio employers and educational institutions.

2020 – Growth is the goal at Dawson, and a new Reynoldsburg hiring office and Warehouse Training Center is scheduled to open as a secondary headquarters for Dawson’s Job Placements business.