Staffing Company Turns 20

Published by the Columbia Missourian ~ Jacob Balakoohi                                                                October 29, 2002
           

Staffing Company Turns 20
Office-support service changes with technology.

When Caroline & Company opened 20 years ago in the fall of 1982, the office-support staffing service valued a person's ability to type fast.

"If you couldn't type 60 words per minute, your application would not even be looked at," said spokesperson Barbara Carman.

Today, the staffing company, located at 311 S. Providence, has changed with the ever-evolving business world. Less emphasis is now placed on typing speed, and more emphasis is focused on a worker's specialization in different computer software.

"We fulfill the needs of a more technically-orientated business community," said company founder Caroline J. Maher. "Caroline & Company has experienced the evolution of the fax, desktop computer, cell phone, and now, the Internet."

Caroline & Company places employees into temporary, temp-to-hire and direct-hire positions. Each year the business screens hundreds of employees eager to jump into a white-collar job market. The office is run by five employees who find jobs, check references, interview potential workers, give skill tests and run criminal background checks.

"Instead of placing a classified ad for a staff need and sorting through hundreds of applications, a client can come to us to save the hassle," said Carman. "We provide the client with a select group of applicants that have the requirements the client is looking for. Our business is a time-saving efficient tool."

Positions vary anywhere from payroll clerks to switchboard operators to receptionists.

Several businesses have hired workers from Caroline & Company through the years.

"Employees and employers are provided business opportunities without having to make a long-term commitment," said Tom Smith, president of the Columbia branch of the Callaway Bank. "A temporary need then can turn permanent. I've been using that type of personal, local service for 15 years."

While the company has grown during the last 20 years, the mission has remained the same.

In early September, it launched carolineandcompany.com, a community-friendly Web site with 30 local links and an event calendar.

"Our Web site allows a round-the-clock staffing service," said Carman. "A client can request a staff order past our operating hours, and we will work on it first thing in the morning."