Adecco Group North America

Adecco Group North America is the North American professional-services and staffing organization formerly known as MPS Group Inc. The business traces its origins to 1982, when it was established in Jacksonville, Florida, as Accustaff Incorporated. It later changed its corporate name to J, Inc. in 2002 and subsequently operated as MPS Group before becoming part of the Swiss Adecco Group. The organization supplied recruitment, temporary staffing, permanent placement, consulting, and business-services capabilities to companies and government agencies. Its activities covered a broad range of professional disciplines, including accounting and finance, legal services, engineering, property-related work, health care, and technical workforce support. It also operated an information-technology services division focused on contract consultants, full-time recruitment, project-based delivery, supplier-management solutions, and on-site recruiting support. The business therefore combined conventional staffing with specialized professional recruitment and managed workforce services. The company developed a substantial operating footprint, serving clients through more than 200 offices at the time described in the available historical material. In 2008, it reported revenue of approximately US$2.2 billion. Its scale placed it among the large staffing and professional-services companies operating in North America, and it was listed as number 839 in the 2009 Fortune 1000. Later references identify the organization as part of Adecco Group North America and describe Adecco as using Jacksonville as a center for professional staffing in North America. A notable part of its public profile was sponsorship of the MPS Group Championships, a Women's Tennis Association tournament held in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, in 2009 and 2010. The event ended after the 2010 edition as a result of changes to the WTA Tour's spring-event schedule. On October 20, 2009, Adecco Group announced an agreement to acquire MPS Group for approximately US$1.3 billion in cash. The transaction was completed in the first quarter of 2010. Following the transaction, the former MPS Group operations were integrated into Adecco's North American professional staffing structure. The historical MPS Group identity is consequently best understood as the predecessor and former corporate identity of Adecco Group North America rather than as an independent current public company.

Adecco Group North America developed from a Jacksonville, Florida staffing business founded in 1982 as Accustaff Incorporated. The company was established to provide employment and workforce services and subsequently expanded beyond general staffing into professional recruitment, technical personnel placement, consulting, and business services. Its development reflected the broader growth of specialized staffing firms that supplied employers with temporary workers, permanent hires, contract professionals, and project-based expertise. In 2002, the company changed its name to J, Inc. It later adopted the MPS Group identity and operated as MPS Group Inc. Under that name, the organization built a diversified professional-services platform. Its professional services operations covered accounting and finance, law, engineering, property, and health care. The company supported both temporary and full-time hiring, including placements for attorneys, paralegals, legal administrators, legal secretaries, accountants, finance professionals, engineers, and other specialized personnel. MPS Group also maintained an information-technology services division. This division provided contract IT consultants for project support, recruitment for full-time technology positions, project-based solutions, supplier-management services, and on-site recruiting support. The combination of professional staffing and IT services enabled the company to serve clients needing both individual placements and broader workforce or delivery arrangements. The available historical account describes the business as serving commercial and governmental customers through more than 200 offices. The company reached significant scale before its acquisition. Historical material reports revenue of approximately US$2.2 billion in 2008 and places the company at number 839 on the 2009 Fortune 1000. These figures describe the former MPS Group business at that time and are not current financial data for a separately listed company. MPS Group also pursued brand visibility through sports sponsorship. It sponsored the MPS Group Championships, a Women's Tennis Association event held in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, in 2009 and 2010. The tournament was discontinued in 2011 because of scheduling changes affecting the WTA Tour's spring events. The decisive corporate turning point came on October 20, 2009, when Swiss staffing company Adecco Group announced that it had agreed to purchase MPS Group for approximately US$1.3 billion in cash. The transaction was completed in the first quarter of 2010. Adecco used Jacksonville as a center for professional staffing in North America, and the acquired operations became associated with Adecco Group North America. The former MPS Group name therefore represents an important predecessor identity in Adecco's North American professional-services network, while the current Wikipedia subject is Adecco Group North America.

1. 2011MPS Group Championships discontinued

   The sponsored WTA tournament was discontinued after scheduling changes to the tour's spring events.

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2. 2010Acquisition completed

   Adecco Group completed its acquisition of MPS Group during the first quarter of 2010.

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3. 2009Adecco announces acquisition

   Adecco Group announced a proposed all-cash acquisition of MPS Group valued at approximately US$1.3 billion.

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4. 2008Reported revenue of approximately US$2.2 billion

   Historical company information reported revenue of approximately US$2.2 billion for 2008.

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5. 2002Corporate name changed to J, Inc.

   The company changed its corporate name from Accustaff Incorporated to J, Inc.

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6. 1982Business founded as Accustaff Incorporated

   The Jacksonville, Florida staffing business that later became MPS Group and Adecco Group North America was founded as Accustaff Incorporated.

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A diversified professional staffing and workforce-solutions provider serving employers and government agencies across specialist disciplines, with capabilities spanning recruitment, temporary labor, permanent placement, consulting, and technology services.

• Professional services staffingStaffing and recruitment

  The professional services division recruited and placed temporary and permanent workers across accounting and finance, law, engineering, property, and health care. Its services included specialist workforce support and placement into professional, administrative, technical, and engineering roles for commercial and public-sector customers.

• Information-technology servicesIT staffing and consulting

  The IT division supplied contract consultants for project support and recruited full-time technology personnel. It also provided project-based solutions, supplier-management solutions, and on-site recruiting support connected with application development, systems integration, and enterprise application integration.

• Legal staffingProfessional recruitment

  The business placed attorneys, paralegals, legal administrators, and legal secretaries in temporary and full-time roles. Legal recruitment formed part of the company's broader professional-services offering.

• Accounting and finance staffingProfessional recruitment

  Accounting and finance recruitment served employers seeking temporary, contract, and permanent personnel. The offering was one of the principal specialist disciplines within the former MPS Group professional-services division.

• 2009MPS Group Championships sponsorship

  United States

  MPS Group sponsored a Women's Tennis Association tournament held in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, as a local and brand-visibility initiative.

  Outcome. The tournament was held in 2009 and 2010 and was discontinued in 2011 following WTA scheduling changes.

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• 2009Agree to Adecco Group acquisitionM&A

  MPS Group was an established professional staffing and IT-services provider with a broad office network and substantial reported revenue.

  What changed. Adecco Group announced an all-cash agreement to acquire MPS Group for approximately US$1.3 billion.

  Aftermath. The transaction closed in the first quarter of 2010. Jacksonville became Adecco's center for professional staffing in North America, and the former MPS Group operations became part of Adecco Group North America.

  Transaction value. Approximately US$1.3 billion cash consideration (Announced October 20, 2009; completed in the first quarter of 2010)

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• 2010MPS Group acquisition completed

  The acquisition of MPS Group by Adecco Group was completed during the first quarter of 2010, after which Jacksonville became Adecco's center for professional staffing in North America.

  M&A
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• 2010MPS Group Championships held for a second season

  The MPS Group-sponsored Women's Tennis Association tournament in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, was held for the final time in 2010.

  Campaign
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• 2009Adecco Group announces agreement to acquire MPS Group

  Adecco Group announced on October 20, 2009 that it would acquire MPS Group in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately US$1.3 billion.

  M&A
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1. Adecco Group North America