“In these unprecedented times” is a line we hope to never read in another email. It’s no secret the staffing industry was pummeled by the pandemic. Couple the economic downturn with a slew of legislative and socio-political changes and you have a recipe for disaster. After years of positive growth, the latest reports estimate staffing industry revenues to be down 15+% year over year.
Like many WNY businesses, we were forced to implement radical changes in our operations overnight. What was once a bustling office with a steady stream of in person interviews became a masked environment with a no visitation policy. Shutting our doors was not an option, as many of our clientele were considered essential industries, and their businesses needed quality talent now more than ever.
Anyone who has ever worked for a staffing firm or executive search agency will tell you it’s not for the faint of heart. It’s a demanding role that requires poise and resiliency. Having been operating for 15+ years, Selective Staffing Solutions is no stranger to adversity. As such our team is one of, if not the most resilient teams out there. We were determined to persevere, and we did!
Today, we stand proud of what we accomplished in 2020 and firmly believe 2021 could be one of our best years yet. Here is a look back at what we accomplished in 2020:
Four New Additions to The Team
We were proud to welcome Molly Hayden and Melissa Whitney to the SSS family as HR Assistants. Molly and Melissa have been an integral part of the group, handling our temp / temp-to-hire recruiting and onboarding.
In August, SSS welcomed our newest Executive Recruiter – Thom Jennings. Thom brought a wealth of knowledge and experience in executive recruitment and hit the ground running providing direct hire and retained search options for our clientele.
We also welcomed Justina Darlak as a Recruiter. Justina is an industry veteran who has been an amazing resource for our clientele and the candidates we serve.
Kaci Szczygiel
Executive Recruiter
Kaci joined the Selective Staffing Solutions recruiting team in 2021. Today she partners with WNY employers to match top candidates for a wide variety of positions, in addition to a host of other tasks that contribute to the successful operation of
… Read MoreGabby Szczygiel
Greeter / Chief Pawperations Officer
Gabby is the newest member of the Selective Staffing team! She brings nothing but spunk into the office. She is so excited to be here, and we are so happy to have her a part of the team!
When Gabby isn’t in the office,
… Read MoreNicole Burgio
Recruiting Director
Nicole joined the Selective Staffing Solutions team in 2022. Today she partners with WNY employers to match top candidates for a wide variety of positions in addition to leading our staffing division. As a certified personal trainer for over
… Read MoreStefanie Buckland
Sr. Executive Recruiter
Stefanie began with Selective Staffing Solutions in 2005 as a temporary Receptionist. Now as the Senior Recruiter, Stefanie possesses a breadth of knowledge in all aspects of staffing. Growing with the company has allowed her to hone her
… Read MoreMichelle Alberts
President
Michelle Alberts is the President and Founder of Selective Staffing Solutions and Alberts Executive Search. She has been honored as one of the top Western New York Women Owned Businesses for consecutive years in Buffalo’s Business
… Read MoreRevitalizing Albert’s Executive Search
The additions to our executive search team allowed us to renew our focus on serving our clients above and beyond temporary staffing. Some of our favorite executive placements from 2020:
- Director of Customer Accounts – Distribution Company
- Paralegal – Buffalo area defense firm
- Law Librarian – Major Defense Firm
- Executive Administrator – Booming Medical Device Company
- Quality Manager – A local manufacturer serving the automotive and aerospace industries
- Accountant – A growing commercial developer
- Litigation Legal Assistant – A key position for a managing partner of a 100 person law firm
Going Digital
To protect our staff members we went 100% virtual in March. Our team quickly converted to virtual interviews and learned that the change actually allowed us to better serve our clients. Because our interviewing / onboarding has been conducted via phone / online platforms we have been able to increase our volume and consequently deliver more candidates for our clientele.
Additionally we are excited to launch a new platform in 2021 that will further streamline our onboarding process and provide a higher quality of experience for our candidates.
New Partnerships
We were fortunate to form a number of new partnerships with outstanding organizations. Some of our favorite additions to our client base this year include:
- A global, multi billion dollar automotive manufacturer
- Bustling law practice with 100+ local attorneys
- Medical device manufacturer that is projecting rapid growth heading into the new year!
- Global foods manufacturer
- Major Healthcare network with 5+ locations in the Buffalo/Niagara region.
- A rapidly expanding distribution and logistics company with multiple locations in the area
- One of the busiest outpatient medical centers in the area
New Solutions
It’s no secret our team has long been considered experts in production and warehouse staffing. However, 2020 brought the opportunity for our team to showcase our expertise in other areas. We were called upon by several organizations to quickly mobilize temperature screeners and personnel to monitor incoming traffic to their locations at the height of the pandemic.
Our team was busy meeting the demands for healthcare, whilst working with our manufacturing and warehousing clientele to maintain headcount and meet increasing demand for essential goods. In some areas we were busier than ever before!
Quantity and Speed
When we ask our staffing clients when they would like to see candidates, the answer is almost always “yesterday”. However, now more than ever before our clientele needed quick solutions. Our medical clients were seeing increasing patients and fatigued staff. It was a banner year for ecommerce sales and warehouses were struggling to meet demands. Manufacturers of essential goods faced similar challenges.
Our staffing team rose to the occasion and streamlined our processes to deliver quality candidates quickly. Some of staffing teams top successes of 2020:
- In a few short weeks we mobilized 50+ workers for a bustling ecommerce operation
- Staffing temperature screeners for 24/7 monitoring at 5+ area hospitals
- Working with a global logistics company we quickly provided dozens of candidates to staff a growing call center
- A rapidly expanding distribution company tapped our staffing team to staff dozens of employees in a wide variety of positions across three locations
Putting WNY Back to Work
Above all, we are proud to have worked with outstanding candidates and do our part to put Western New Yorkers back to work.
This year, as in years past we are grateful for our clients, candidates and our teammates and we look forward to the years ahead.