A year ago, Strategic Staffing Solutions opened its Detroit Development Center based on the idea that it's more cost-effective to outsource IT work in Detroit than developing countries. Today, the downtown-based IT hub buzzes with the activity of 270 workers and is growing.
What is making this deal work is the overhead costs. Strategic Staffing Solutions is taking advantage of inexpensive real-estate prices, setting up shop in two floors of the Penobscott Building, and a talent pool hungry for work. Add in that its a domestic workforce with no language barriers and stable government, and the costs come inline with those in emerging economies like Brazil or India.
"We still have an excess talent pool of good workers in IT and engineering," says
Cindy Pasky, CEO of
Strategic Staffing Solutions. "We have a lot of office space in the city. We are well positioned to continue this for another 3-5 years."
Strategic Staffing Solutions' Detroit Development Center started with 57 employees on one floor of the Penobscott Building, handling IT work for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. Today it stands at 270 workers and will surpass 300 this year. Pasky is aiming for 400 workers by year's end. Making that happen are four more pending deals.
"I'm confident we will close at least two of those," Pasky says.
Source: Cindy Pasky, CEO of Strategic Staffing Solutions
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at
SEMichiganStartup.com.
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