Austin's Growing Job Market Sparks HT Staffing Transformation into The HT Group

AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- As Austin continues to lead U.S. cities in job growth, one of the city's leading staffing firms has changed its name to stay on top of the pace. The founders of HT Staffing today announce the company has rebranded as The HT Group to better reflect its human capital solutions beyond traditional staffing. With the new name comes the official addition of HT Search to its current HT Staffing, HT Professional and HT Technical divisions. The company--which started as a consultancy of one that has grown into a business with 27 full-time staff, two locations (Austin and Beaumont, Texas), and $15 million in annual revenue--is expanding its offices in Northwest Austin to accommodate the change.

Growing with Austin

The HT Group was founded as HT Staffing in 2001 to meet the region's needs for traditional temporary staffing in administrative, light industrial, manufacturing and similar fields. As Austin grew and evolved, so did The HT Group.

"Everything we've done has evolved because of our client's needs," said CEO/Founder Mark Turpin. "It wasn't long after we were first established our clients--who were already happy with our staffing support--asked for additional help with direct hiring for managers and other permanent positions. So, in 2006, the HT Professional division was born."

The new division began with one manager and one recruiter serving the Austin area. Today, the HT Professional division now includes more than 10 recruiters and staff members providing clients with direct hire and executive search nationwide in finance and accounting, manufacturing and operations, sales and marketing, among other industries.

"When HT Professional was added to HT Staffing's arsenal, it was a great fit because it meant we could serve our clients across the board," adds Turpin.

As time went on, The HT Group's clients began showing an increased need for specialized technical recruiters, which prompted yet another point of growth for the company three years ago: the addition of the HT Technical division.

"Our technical branch was a natural progression of where we had evolved as a staffing firm. It was also a strong reflection of how Austin's business landscape was changing," said The HT Group Managing Partner Nad Elias, who oversees both HT Professional and HT Technical divisions. "Since its inception three years ago, HT Technical has grown from one dedicated employee to seven. It was during this time we started asking ourselves: Does the name 'HT Staffing' truly reflect who we are now?"

HT Search Division Is Born

While already considering a rebrand, it became apparent that a fourth division was emerging--one that directly addresses the dire need to attract more creative-class professionals such as software developers to Austin. With the recent addition of Managing Director Jay Long, The HT Group solidified its decision to rename the company and added the HT Search division to its key areas of focus.

While most HT Search clients are looking for technical talent, this newly formed division differs from its HT Technical counterpart because it provides intensive and exclusively dedicated recruiting for hard-to-fill positions.

"We all know that Austin is experiencing a huge deficit in high-level tech talent. Simply posting an ad or even recruiting from within the city limits doesn't cut it," explained Long. "What we're doing through HT Search is focusing on attracting fresh, top talent away from the major players in the popular tech centers like the Silicon Valley and toward our clients who are mostly based in Austin. This type of recruiting is done exclusively for each client, who may not otherwise have the manpower or the know-how to attract these notoriously difficult-to-impress candidates."

Full Steam Ahead

With these changes also comes a planned 3,100 square-foot expansion to its home office in Northwest Austin, where the company plans on keeping its roots.

"We always intended to open offices in other major metros like Houston and Dallas, but the substantial growth we have experienced in Austin has demanded much of our attention as of late. Plans still include expansion to other markets," said Turpin. "Since 2009, we've grown between 20 to 30 percent each year just from serving our current markets."

According to The HT Group Chairman/Founder Jim Gilliam, the new name illustrates this strong community connection.

"Austin isn't the same city it was 13 years ago and, for that reason, we're not the same either," Gilliam said. "Thanks to the communities we serve, we now do so much more than staffing.  But our purpose remains centered around one cause: To help our clients find and retain talent--whether it's temporary, direct hire, executive or hard-to-find talent. Our services now run the gamut."

About The HT Group

Locally owned The HT Group provides Texas companies with human capital solutions through four specialized divisions -- Staffing, Professional, Technical and Search. Top-ranked by the Austin Business Journal since 2004, The HT Group has a trusted track record as a staffing, direct hire and search partner that delivers on its promises. The firm serves Central Texas through its Austin offices and the Golden Triangle area through its Beaumont office. For more information, please visit www.thehtgroup.com.

PRLog ID: www.prlog.org/12359252

SOURCE The HT Group