Battle Creek staffing agency hiring 10, opening second Grand Rapids office

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

Battle Creek-based EmploymentGroup continues to log consistent growth in a down industry. And that has prompted the company to investigate establishing two new offices in Indiana this year and a second office in Grand Rapids, and to add 10 full–time staff positions, four in West Michigan.

The commercial staffing agency expects to sign a lease for a downtown Grand Rapids location next week, but agency leaders declined to name an address. Two executives will use the office as home base, and on-the-road staffers will use it as a satellite office.

“We’re looking at creating a co-headquarters and executive office in Grand Rapids,” says Mark Lancaster, spokesperson. “Our expansions, no matter where they are, create jobs in West Michigan because all of our accounting, human resources and information technology are handled out of Battle Creek, and we need people to support our new hires across the board.”

The company’s first quarter earnings show a 32 percent growth, and while the commercial staffing industry overall suffers from a two percent decline, Lancaster says that all the growth for EmploymentGroup comes from the West and Central Michigan markets.

“We’ve done it in the worst Michigan economy ever by winning clients from our competitors,” Lancaster says. “West Michigan is the most vibrant marketplace in Michigan and it’s our biggest market in Michigan. We love Grand Rapids and want to be a part of it.”

Source: Mark Lancaster, EmploymentGroup; Amanda Passage, Lambert Edwards & Associates

Deborah Johnson Wood is the development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com.