Even with the industry down 35 percent and struggling in the undertow of the lingering recession, human capital management firm McGrath Systems has managed to grow, placing direct-hire and contract employees at a variety of firms, including major regional employers like Lockheed Martin and Sunoco.
With 25 percent more revenues this year and 20 percent more expected in the next year, McGrath’s amazing stand against the recession earned it the 2010 Emerging Business Award by the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce.
“The challenges are finding the customers that are still hiring,” says th Blue Bell company’s founder and CEO Mike Wiley. “You’re also competing with people sending out their own resumes.”
Wiley started the company in January 2005 out of his parents’ house after spending a decade in the staffing and recruiting world–his last post was as a regional VP for one of the industry’s largest firms–and realizing he needed to explore his entrepreneurial side.
The company now employs 25 at its main office, as well as 200 full-time contractors and consultants throughout the Mid-Atlantic and into other far-off locales like Texas and Alaska.
“It’s been a whirlwind. We’ve been very fortunate to partner with the right organizations,” says Wiley.
McGrath has kept pace with a diverse revenue stream–no more than 10 percent from any one customer–across multiple industries. After an early focus on engineering and manufacturing placements, McGrath added IT, accounting and finance and administrative placements to the company’s arsenal.
Wiley says much of the company’s profits have been put back into the business for technology and infrastructure upgrades. With vendors anxious to do any kind of business, McGrath has been able to get better technology than it might otherwise be able to afford, including its applicant tracking system that’s fully integrated into its website. Recent upgrades, including payroll and timekeeping modules, are expected to be rolled out in earnest by early 2010.
“We have the best technology out there,” Wiley says.
Source: Mike Wiley, McGrath Systems
Writer: Joe Petrucci