2017 Economic Impact Awards 16-29 Years in Operation Winner: Penmac Staffing Services Inc.

“We place people first” is more than just a motto for Penmac Staffing Services Inc. – it’s a way of life.

The longtime Springfield professional staffing agency is literally in the people business, serving two distinct segments of the public.

“We serve both the business owners and the individuals looking for work,” says CEO Tim Massey. “We use a lot of different resources to identify those individuals that those businesses don’t necessarily have at their disposal.”

On the individual side, Massey says agencies such as Penmac Staffing can be a haven for those who have been laid off or unable to find a job on their own.

During a typical week, roughly 4,300 to 4,500 are employed or temporarily employed through Penmac.

“Maybe they’re coming back into the workforce, or maybe they don’t have the means for clothing,” Massey says.

On the business side, the agency currently is expanding into education, having just taken on providing substitutes for Springfield Public Schools.

“One of the segments that had really started to get some play and traction among professionals was education staffing,” Massey says, noting while other area staffing agencies also have taken on substitutes, he believes Penmac offers something special. “We have a full-blown training program. It’s unbelievable the response we’ve received.

“We see it as one of the main drivers for Penmac’s future.”

Bringing in $114.7 million in revenue last year, Penmac has come a long way since its humble beginnings. When founded in 1988, the company had three staff members and 13 clients. Today, the agency has 33 offices in seven states and has served over 900 clients last year. And it’s not stopping there.

“We’re starting to look at the bigger, urban areas, like Memphis, Tennessee,” Massey says. “Memphis would be pretty close to the amount of business we have in Springfield. And we’re looking at other staffing firms for acquisitions.”

The company looks for strategies to meet employer needs.

“When we learned employers wanted more employees with high school diplomas, we began GED classes and paid GED fees for job seekers who needed a diploma,” Massey says.

Even more, when the company learned reliable transportation was a barrier to employment for many, Penmac began offering its associates transportation from home directly to the workplace for a small fee. And when employers became frustrated that their new employees’ skills didn’t live up to their resumes, it began offering pre-employment assessments to ensure associates were truly qualified.

Penmac’s people-first motto also extends to charitable causes.

With a special focus on supporting women and children, Penmac is involved in projects such as Suit Yourself, by the Female Leaders in Philanthropy.