Back in 1995, Bob Oyler, owner of Life Style Staffing, a Madison-based provider of temporary staffing services, noticed many of the companies he worked with needed assistance managing their human resources responsibilities. In response, Oyler started The Employer Group, a separate business that 25 years later bills itself a “Human Resource Resource,” providing HR services, consulting services, and payroll processing for more than 500 clients across 25 states.
In 2007, Oyler sold The Employer Group to longtime employee Angie Heim, who relocated the professional employer organization (PEO) to Verona and focused on establishing a large Dane County presence. In the beginning, Heim invested in radio and other advertising, as well as high-profile signage at Camp Randall Stadium and the Kohl Center to generate name recognition and business development.
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Top to bottom: Bob Oyler (former owner) and Angie Heim; staffers Ashley Aschliman, Luke Hallett, and Justina Schmitz; The Employer Group team in the lounge. |
The big break came when The Employer Group began providing HR assistance to independent agents of a Wisconsin-based insurance firm. Today, the company’s 21 employees work with a large local and national client base to ensure payroll and HR compliance and best practices.
The Employer Group’s new Verona office is housed in a 16,000-square-foot building that Heim designed and furnished to reflect the evolving workplace culture. It offers collaborative workspaces, standing desks, a fitness center, and a lounge equipped with TVs and a large bar.
The road to success and longevity was paved with a solid strategy that still pays dividends today. “Over 18 months from 2004 to 2006, The Employer Group experienced revenue growth of 48 percent,” Heim says. “We did this simply by listening to clients’ challenges and finding solutions. We were able to use those solutions to help other clients in later years. We want to be viewed as a partner, not just a vendor.”
Heim also emphasizes that The Employer Group offers a service, not a system, which means that no solution is a “template.” Staff members take time to understand a client’s needs and culture before developing a customized strategy.
After a company contracts with The Employer Group, the firm becomes a “co-employer” of that company’s staff and is involved in such tasks as remitting wages/withholdings, managing employment taxes, and performing other HR duties. The benefits of partnering with a PEO such as The Employer Group include gaining the ability to negotiate workers’ compensation and other benefits with a larger pool of employees, resulting in greater overall cost savings.
“In this business, it’s important to make sure you provide value,” Heim says. “And we’re very good at that.”
The Employer Group’s services became even more valuable during the recession, when companies that previously employed human resources professionals laid off people in those positions. Additionally, The Employer Group benefits from a strong referral business and a straightforward reputation that has helped it remain fiercely independent while similar companies are being purchased by larger ones.
“Our model has been successful for us and our clients. I would not want to sell The Employer Group to people who are going to tell me we have to change how we do things,” Heim says. “We are regular people trying to help other regular people, which is why I always tell clients they can find me in the grocery store, doing my own shopping. That’s why it’s so important to me and our staff that we provide the best service with every interaction we have with our clients.”
