Founded in 1998, Advance Partners drives growth in staffing firms through payroll funding and other services. The Ohio-based specialist is part of the global HR corporation Paychex, Inc., enabling it to offer unlimited funding at competitive rates alongside a range of strategic services and back-office support.
Advance Partners has delivered more than $30 billion in funding since its inception and has supported talent acquisition companies headquartered in the U.S., Canada and the UK, with exceptionally high rates of client retention. With the company’s resources and vast levels of support, staffing firms are able to grow rapidly – and at a scale that entirely suits their needs. The company continues to be ambitious and aims to be the top provider of working capital to businesses in the recruitment sector.
“Our goal is always to be the best at what we do – which is to help staffing firms grow and succeed. We strive for excellence in every aspect of our business. And of course, going above and beyond in terms of customer service for our clients is at the top of the list. We succeed when our clients grow, so we’re going to do everything we can to make that happen,” says Jeremy Bilsky, General Manager of Advance Partners.
In 2015, Advance Partners was acquired by global payroll and HR solutions giant, Paychex, Inc. Advance Partners is unique in the boutique funding industry by being the only company backed not by a bank, but by a Fortune 1000 corporation. This allows complete financial flexibility in taking on clients, where other funders are limited by bank restrictions. Advance and Paychex staffing clients also benefit from the partnership by receiving preferred rates on many services like funding, payroll, HR services, 401K, and much more.
“I spent 17 years at Paychex before joining Advance Partners as the Director of Sales,” says Mike Brew. “The opportunities for partnership only help our clients, and we are able to offer rates and services like no other funding company in this space because of that backing. We like to say we are a funding partner with the heart of a start-up and the resources of a multibillion dollar corporation. It’s a true partnership where everyone benefits.”
Along with funding, Advance Partners also offers a “Full Service” funding option that includes a world-class team of back-office professionals to oversee payroll processing, payroll tax administration, invoicing, and software solutions for all clients that choose that route. Full-service clients include staffing enterprises of all sizes and specialties nationwide. Every Advance Partners client also has access to strategic services such as business development consulting, diversity certification expertise, M&A partnership and consulting, and Vendor Management Systems (VMS) consulting.
Over the last several years, the funding specialist has made it a point to become experts in VMS – software that helps facilitate the procurement of staffing services between staffing companies and their end clients. This includes finding applicants, assigning talent and managing roles, and it’s a platform that’s becoming a necessity in the talent acquisition sector. Advance Partners now offers VMS consulting services to its clients – offering its own expertise alongside financial resources to ensure that even smaller companies have the opportunity to attract large recruitment contracts. The organization has further developed a team of VMS experts by investing in specific training and gaining certification – showcasing a dedication to keeping itself and its clients up to speed with the latest innovations.
“VMS is vitally important to staffing right now, and we want to stay at the forefront of that by offering expertise and guidance. So we have developed a full team here to do exactly that, to help our clients succeed with this crucial element,” says Tiffany Steppenbacker, Senior Manager of Strategic Relationships at Advance.
Advance Partners has always had a strong internal culture, founded on principles of respect, innovation, partnership, accountability, and service. Charitable giving is also a large part of the culture, with employees taking part in many company-sponsored charities and service opportunities over the years. For instance, Advance employees have contributed over $200,000 over the span of many years to a local cancer charity called The Gathering Place through an annual “Race for the Place” fundraiser.
But the key to Advance Partners success over 25 years comes back to payroll funding, which enables its clients to avoid restrictive methods of sourcing capital. Bank loans and credit lines often come with plenty of red tape, and Advance Partners offers the exact level of funding that staffing companies require – enabling them to fund their payroll and grow their business. Furthermore, the finance provider’s rates are highly competitive and are supplemented by contracts that offer genuine flexibility. The service is perfect for staffing businesses of almost any size, from start-ups to leaders in the staffing sector, as Advance Partners’ creative solutions and financial capabilities can offer brand-new ways for staffing businesses to advance.
“It all comes back to our core competency, and that is funding for staffing firms to help them grow,” says Bilsky. “Staffing tends to be a niche industry, and we know it through and through – better than any bank or competitors in our space. We just celebrated 25 years in business this year, and the goal is to do 25 more. With an excellent internal team and the backing of Paychex, the sky really is the limit.”
Company Profile:
Advance Partners champions next-level staffing firm growth through payroll funding, back office solutions and strategic business coaching. A company 100% dedicated to the talent acquisition industry, they are proud to support businesses that put millions of people to work every day. They were founded to serve as a growth partner to the go-getters of the talent acquisition industry and that remains essential to their core. They’ve shaped our close-range approach to customer care and funding to give staffing firms the trust and confidence to say yes to game-changing opportunities.
