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No. 4
Revenue growth FY 2021 to 2023: 162.7%
2023 revenue: $3.2 million
Brian Stewart credits what he says is a bit of “old-school mentality” for the recent success of the staffing agency he launched in 2020 with his business partner, Rich Milliner. They walk the floor of each manufacturer or distributor client. They check in on a placed worker’s first day on the job to see how things are going. They’re building what they hope becomes a long-term relationship, equally beneficial for the client and themselves. “I’ve actually gone out and helped clients run their job fairs,” Stewart says, “knowing that there’s nothing really in it for us.”
The pros and cons of a pandemic: Launching a business always is demanding. Launching a business amid a pandemic is, well … “You’re bringing in new employees during COVID and saying, ‘Hey, by the way, we’re a startup company—come join us in the middle of COVID,’ right? So there’s some trepidation by people.” Like many business owners, they needed to adjust on the fly and accommodate social-distancing needs, teleconferencing and the like. But, Stewart says, the pandemic helped in a way, too: It leveled the playing field because established agencies that offered skilled trade and industrial staffing services weren’t holding in-person meetings, either. Everyone had to work the phones.
Finding the right fit: Edge Industrial Staffing employs a twofold approach: work with the right kind of companies and hire the right kind of people. “We find ourselves, when we work with organizations—those are organizations that we want to put our own selves in,” Milliner said. “All of our children actually worked for clients that we’ve worked with.” Whether by walking the shop floor or other means, that specific attention to what kind of worker a company needs helps earn repeat business. “One of the things that we talk to our recruiters about is, it’s our job to say no,” Stewart says. “And sometimes we have to say no. It’s not the right candidate. And that’s OK.”
Hitting its stride: The use of staffing services is now commonplace. And the increased use of automation in industries such as distribution requires fewer employees. Both factors contribute to a competitive staffing industry. Word of mouth matters, Stewart says. On the first day a worker is placed, Edge Industrial Staffing reaches out to the worker to see how the day went. Was it what he or she was expecting? Another call comes at the end of the week. And the calls can keep coming until the employer offers that worker a permanent job. And even then, one more call: Congratulations!•
Check out more of IBJ’s ranking of Indy’s fastest-growing companies.
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