Spherion

Spherion[1] is a North American temporary work agency headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, that operates under a variety of brand names.

History

Spherion was first known as City Car Unloaders, a Chicago[2][3] company created by Leroy Dettman and Joseph Perfetto in 1946.[4][5] They initially placed manual laborers in temporary jobs loading cargo. Filling temporary clerk jobs was a service the company only later added. [6]

The company relocated from Chicago to Fort Lauderdale in 1969.[5]

By 1978, the firm was doing business as Personnel Pool of America, Inc, and was acquired by H&R Block.[5] In 1991, H&R Block acquired Interim Systems Corporation and combined it with Personnel Pool, creating a larger staffing services firm.

In 1992, the company changed its name to Interim Services Inc., and was spun off by H&R Block in 1994. Interim [7] acquired a number of other companies over the next few years.

The company, which changed its name to Spherion in 2000,[8] was acquired by Randstad NV in July 2011.[9][10]

Brands

Spherion has done business under a variety of brand names. The following brands are more or less current: Emerging Workforce, The Mergis Group,[11][12] SFN Group, Sourceright Solutions,[13] Spherion, Spherion Recruitment Process Outsourcing,[14] Spherion Staffing Services,[15] Tatum,[15][16] Technisource[15][17] Victor Temporary Services,[5] Professional Nurses Bureau,[5] and Today's Office Professionals.[18][15]

Leadership

Cinda Hallman, a member of Spherion's board of directors beginning in early 1995,[19] replaced Raymond Marcy as chief executive officer in 2001, a role that Marcy had held for over a decade.[20] Rebecca Rogers Tijerino became the CEO of Spherion in January 2019. Rogers Tijerino left the company and was replaced by Kathy George in February 2024.[21]

Acquisitions and spinoffs

An "acquisition spree" that began in 1994[22] led to Spherion's 1999 acquiring of an Atlanta-based rival, Norrell Corp. Part of Fort Lauderdale-based Spherion's board of directors wanted to move corporate headquarters to Atlanta, a conflict that ended when Marcy was replaced by Hallman in 2001.[20]

In 2001 Spherion made an initial public offering (IPO) of its London-based Michael Page Group, which it acquired in 1997. [23]

Spherion sold its Saratoga Institute to PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2003.[24]

References

  1. Spherion Corporation The New York Times^
  2. Laurie Pasiuk. Vault Guide to the Top Business Services Employers 2006^
  3. Consultis 4401 N Federal Hwy Boca Raton, FL Employment ...^
  4. Barbara "DragonFISH" Fleming^
  5. H&R Block plans to merge unit with Personnel Pool Sun-Sentinel, December 18, 1990^
  6. History: Spherion: A Pioneer in Staffing & Workforce Management Spherion Official Site^
  7. and successor-named Spherion^
  8. Joanne Gordan. Desperate Times Forbes^
  9. Michael J. de la Merced. Randstad to Buy SFN for $710 Million The New York Times, July 20, 2011^
  10. Randstad Official Site History retrieved July 9, 2013^
  11. Staffing and Recruiting Excellence SFN Group: Staffing and Recruiting Excellence The Mergis Group Official Site^
  12. [https://archive.today/20130201055942/http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS152089+21-Apr-2008+PRN20080421 Survey by the Mergis Group Shows Decline in Overall Confidence for Accounting and... | Reuters]^
  13. SFN Group: Industry Leaders for 60 Years Sourceright Official Site^
  14. Marcia Heroux Pounds. Spherion to tap Outsourcing Sun-Sentinel^
  15. About Us: Spherion: Recruiting & Staffing Excellence Spherion Official Site^
  16. Tatum & SFN Group: Tatum is a division of SFN Group, Inc. Tatum Official Site^
  17. SFN Group: Built On A Foundation Of Strength; About SFN Group Technisource Official Site^
  18. SFN: Profile for SPHERION CORP - SGN Group Inc Yahoo! FINANCE^
  19. Spherion Announces Dupont Executive to Be New President and CEO Bloomberg News, April 10, 2001^
  20. Joan Fleischer Tamen. Spherion replaces CEO amid an earnings slide Sun-Sentinel, April 11, 2001^
  21. Spherion Staffing and Recruiting Names Kathy George President www.spherion.com, retrieved 2024-09-24^
  22. 26 firms, 1994-2001^
  23. Spherion will take its London subsidiary public The New York Times, January 20, 2001^
  24. Spherion Unit Is Acquired The New York Times, March 5, 2003^