All across the state, leaders are beginning to build a New Michigan. BLM companies are a vital component of these changes, making key investments and creating jobs in our core communities.
For example, Michigan-based Strategic Staffing Solutions (S3) has opened a Detroit Development Center (DDC) and Call Center that allows companies to “in-source” to Downtown Detroit, instead of shipping them to an offshore location. The DDC and Call Center operations have created more than 270 new jobs in the last year.
The DDC is the hub for S3’s Web and IT application development and maintenance services. The DDC also houses S3’s Call Center, which offers help desk and customer contact, testing, software development, and desktop support.
Of S3’s approximately 1,800 employees worldwide, 600 are now located in Michigan. The majority of these employees work in downtown Detroit.
“We feel S3 has an obligation to create jobs where we are headquartered,” said Cynthia J. Pasky, S3 President and CEO. “We create a lot of jobs all over the world, but I have a personal commitment to Detroit. It also makes good business sense for us; given the way we do business, we need to be near a robust transportation system. We can get anywhere, to any of our customers, in a day.”
What’s more, S3 benefits from Detroit’s strong pool of experienced, knowledgeable personnel.
“There is a tremendous amount of talent here,” said Pasky. “We knew these incredible IT people were here and they wanted jobs.”
S3 also used local vendors and contractors to carrying out its Detroit expansion.
“We use Michigan vendors – that is mandatory – and we look to Detroit vendors wherever we can,” Pasky says. “We are very fortunate in that these vendors are aligned with us in our thinking. They understand what we are trying to do, and they are willing to sharpen their pencils a little bit and help us accomplish our growth in Detroit.”
Pasky sees possibilities for additional growth in Michigan.
“Companies have to be willing to break their own rules and challenge their own thinking,” Pasky says. “Don’t assume that you can’t remove barriers and find talent – it’s here. Start with your customers; look at their needs and bring them on board. Our process was not always easy, but at the end of the day we created a lot of jobs.”
Strategic Staffing Solutions opened in Downtown Detroit in 1990 and has achieved more than 20 years of consecutive growth with 2010 sales hitting $205 million. The company has 23 branch locations in the U.S. and Europe that offer IT and business services including consulting and staff augmentation services, vendor management programs, executive search services, call center technology and an IT development center to financial institutions, energy companies, telecommunications, government agencies, retail and health care industries.