Express Employment

Professionals Bellevue, WA

STAFFING INDUSTRY HISTORY

In 1941, when large numbers of American men went to war,
many American women went to work outside their homes for
the first time in their lives. They worked at newly created jobs
brought about by the need to support the war effort, as well as
existing jobs suddenly vacated by departing servicemen.
When the war ended, American businesses were faced with a
set of unprecedented realities: (1) many servicemen delayed
their return to work, opting instead for college or other training
programs using the GI Bill, (2) a new group of workers had been
created who liked the concept of employment for a limited
duration, and (3) employers found it made good business sense
to staff for peak workloads or special-need situations without
the lifetime obligation incurred with full-time employees.
Seizing the opportunity to satisfy the markets need for
temporary workers and the desire for short-term employment
commitments, the first temporary help staffing services opened
shortly after the end of World War II.
During the first two decades of the staffing industrys existence,
most employers sought temporary help almost exclusively to fill
in for workers who were ill or on vacation, or to perform manual
labor assignments of short duration. Then, in the late 1960s,

more and more businesses began to recognize the bottom-line

benefits that could be gained from expanding and contracting
their workforce to meet the organizational needs at a given
time. Employers found that not only were they relieved of
personnel overhead costs such as fringe benefits,
unemployment insurance, and workers compensation, but
temporary employees also proved more productive than their
full-time counterparts.
Therefore, it is easy to understand why American industry found
temporary staffing services an excellent opportunity, why the
field has grown by quantum leaps over the years, and why,
according to the Small Business Administration, staffing services
remain one of the fastest-growing industries in the United
States and abroad. The industry that was previously known as
temporary help services has expanded and evolved to reflect
a wide range of services including, but not limited to, temporary
help. Therefore, the industry is now referred to as staffing
services.
According to American Staffing Association (ASA), the number of
people working as staffing services employees on any given day
is more than 2.3 million. ASA further states:

"Without temporary help and staffing services, labor costs are

generally inflexible and cannot easily be adjusted to changes in
demand, production levels, or swings in the economy. It is this
factor assisting business organizations in making employment
costs a variable, versus a fixed, cost that is a major factor in
the growth of the temporary help and staffing services industry.
In this way, businesses avoid over staffing which, in turn, helps
keep prices more consistent with external demand. At the same
time, by providing transitional jobs to millions of workers
seeking full-time employment, temporary services are helping
to keep the current unemployment levels low, which
contributes to the overall health of the economy.
EXPRESS SERVICES, INC. HISTORY
Express Services, Inc. founders Robert A. Funk, William H.
Stoller, and James R. Gray began their personnel careers with
Acme International Personnel Services. When Acmes president
died in 1983, the three elected to combine their individually
owned offices in Oklahoma, Oregon, and Colorado, respectively,
to form a new company.
The three brought a diversity of individual specialization:
Stollers specialty was in full-time placement and executive
search, Grays focus was in temporary services and Funk had
operated a full-service company covering all areas. Gray left

Express in 1989. Today, Chairman of the Board Funk and Vice

Chairman Stoller remain in active leadership positions at the
international level while each maintains successful staffing
offices of his own.
In a short time, talented people, explosive sales and franchising
successes transformed a small company headquartered in
Oklahoma City into a genuine American success story. Founded
in 1983 on the principles of integrity and professional marketing
concepts, Express began with 13 offices, generating first-year
gross revenues of $2 million. Five years later, the company was
ranked among the top personnel firms in the nation and was
acknowledged by the business press as the fastest-growing
organization of its kind in the country.
The rapid growth of Express Services, Inc. can be attributed in
part to a 1985 decision by its founders to become a franchisor of
personnel offices. Initially, new franchisees begin their Express
careers by providing temporary employees to client companies.
Evaluation Hire, the tool for moving from temporary to fulltime, and full-time placement services may also be offered.
Offices may elect to begin as Professional Staffing offices, or add
Professional Staffing to their menu of services.

By decades end, Express produced more than $155 million in

revenues, with franchising efforts expanding the Express name
to 128 markets. In 1992, Express expanded internationally, and
in 1996 celebrated its 300th office opening. Express
international offices include multiple Franchises in Canada and
South Africa. The Express family now consists of more than 400
offices.
EXPRESS PROFESSIONAL STAFFING
Robert Williams James & Associates (RWJ) was founded in 1983
at the same time as its parent corporation, Express Services, Inc.
Originally RWJ focused totally on Executive Search services. In
1995, RWJs management recognized the need for both core or
full-time employees and contract temporaries at the
professional level.
The development required to change RWJ culminated in 1996
with the roll out of RWJ Contract Staffing/Professional Search
Services. In 2000, the name was changed to Express Professional
Staffing to more closely align with Express Services, Inc, and
Express Professional Staffing was integrated as a service line of
Express Personnel Services in 2001. Express Professional Staffing
markets its services in specialty business niches. The primary
niche businesses are:

Accounting/Financial
Information Technology
Engineering/Manufacturing/Technical
Health Care
Human Resources
Sales/Marketing
Scientific

Express Employment Professionals

Bellevue, WA

3055 112th Ave NE Suite 200

Bellevue, WA 98004
(425) 324-3925

https://www.expresspros.com/BellevueWA