HR professionals join forces for centralized service

photo Integrated Employer Services executives, from left, Rhonda Champion, Mike Steele, DeForest Spencer and Edward Adams talk about the product they can provide to small businesses that need payroll, legal and human resources services.

• Name: Integrated Employer Services

• Location: 401 Chestnut Street, Suite 200

• Contact information: Mike Steele, sales and marketing consultant: 423-432-0974

• Products/services: One-stop shop for businesses looking to outsource their human resources department

• Age: Less than three weeks

• Startup investment: Very small, according to Steele. Steele, a payroll specialist; DeForest Spencer, a benefits and insurance specialist; and Edward Adams, a human resources consultant, each had his own business and decided to share resources to streamline customer access to all three's services.

• Target market: Local businesses with 250 employees or fewer

• Biggest hurdle: Letting people know IES' services are needed before problems arise. Adams recently gained a client who came to him when he was sued by a fired employee. The client violated a government regulation he hadn't known about. "That's typical," Adams said. "So many employers don't know what they don't know."

• Biggest reward: Watching small businesses succeed. "The major reason small businesses fail is because of lack of knowledge," Steele said. "We've centralized the system so it's easier for the employer."

• Lesson learned: Life is more simple when you work together. Before forming IES, the three local professionals knew each other and were regularly calling one another for help. Eventually, they realized they should just start working together. "We were going, 'Yeah, we all have this expertise. Why aren't we doing it?'" Steele said. "It just really fit perfectly."

• Five-year goal: Expand to between 200 and 250 clients

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