Personal Touch Helps Medway Resident Thrive
in Staffing Business
The Milford Times
May, 2007
Medway resident
and local businessman Paul Rojee knew he had a major decision to make
in the fall of 2002. After 18 successful years as a director at Boston-based
temporary staffing firm TAC Worldwide, he was recruited by Microtech
Staffing Group President Joseph Donahue to open a new staffing agency
in his hometown that he would own and operate under the auspices of
industry leader Microtech Staffing Group.
After much deliberation,
the desire to own his own business won out over the comfort of job
security and he accepted the offer, opening KPB Staffing of Medway
in November of 2002.
Less than four
years later, his gamble has paid impressive dividends as KPB Staffing
is projected to reach $4.8 million in annual sales, including a 21%
increase in sales so far this fiscal year
Working with a
close-knit group of four employees that includes his wife Joanne as
the accountant and bookkeeper, Rojee has succeeded in making his firm
one of the most successful staffing agencies in the Metro West/Route
495 beltway, attracting a variety of clients ranging from the high
tech to the distribution services industry, and providing them with
talented temporary help to meet their short and long term employment
demands.
“My business
philosophy is to not try to be everything to everyone,” says
Rojee. “We focus on our core strengths and getting skilled workers
for companies that don’t have the time or resources to do their
own recruiting. We do not sell what we can not deliver.”
Delivering services
is a Rojee family trademark that goes back several generations to
Joseph Rojee, Paul’s grandfather, who started Rojee Decorating
in Medway in the 1930’s. One of New England’s largest
and best known parade float companies, Rojee Decorating supplies floats
for an assortment of the region’s parades, serving as both a
family business and enjoyable hobby for the extended Rojee family.
The Rojee family has a strong local connection to the town of Medway.
In addition to his grandfather, his parents, Mickey and Nancy, and
four out of five of his siblings still call Medway home. Hi father
is Medway’s assistant fire chief, and Rojee himself graduated
from Medway High School in 1980 before graduating from North Adams
State College in 1984. He is actively involved in Medway youth sports
programs including Little League baseball and Pop Warner football
through his three children Kaitlyn, Paul and Brian. He also currently
serves as the president of the Medway Mustang Gridiron Club.
Rojee cites his
knowledge of the local community, coupled with his focus on customer
service, as a key ingredient in his professional success. “The
success of our company is based on building long-term relationships,”
he says. “We started this firm from ground zero and we built
it into what it is today by developing and nurturing customer relationships.
We are not interested in a hit and run relationship. To me, the ultimate
compliment is when a client gives us the opportunity to service their
needs again and again. “In this business, quality companies
have the best jobs, and if you have quality companies as your clients,
the best temporary workers will want to work for you.”
It is a strategy
that business owners embrace. “Paul Rojee is a super guy to
work with,” said Bill Elder, director of operations at Brine
in Milford. “He is always reasonable to deal with and keeps
his word on all matters. There is nothing false about him, and that
is why we use KPB for our staffing needs.”
One indication
of the quality of his temp pool, is that approximately one out of
five of KPB’s temporary staffers is eventually hired fulltime
by clients. In addition, approximately five per cent of Rojee’s
overall business is dedicated to finding permanent placements for
workers looking to rejoin the workforce. Microtech Staffing Group,
under which it does business, has annual revenues of approximately
$36 million, making it the second-largest privately owned staffing
group in New England. Nationally, the staffing industry does more
than $65 billion in annual sales, employing an estimated 12 million
temporary and contract employees annually. It remains one of the fastest
growing sectors of the American economy.
“We have
a diverse client base in the Metro West area along the 495 Beltway
from Hudson to Taunton, and a workforce that resides in areas from
Worcester, Framingham and Milford to Rhode Island.” says Rojee
“We are experiencing steady growth and our industry will be
in the forefront as the economy improves and skilled workers in manufacturing,
engineering and professional services are needed to meet client demands.
With an excellent pool of temporary workers and a strong management
team, I think the future looks very bright for KPB Staffing and for
Microtech.”
One issue that
Rojee says will continue to affect Massachusetts businesses in the
year to come is the state’s high workers’ compensation
costs along with the new mandatory health care bill. “The cost
of doing business in Massachusetts is definitely a burden for companies
of all sizes, and the new health care mandate is going to cause financial
hardship to many businesses,” says Rojee. “We as staffing
providers can be a valuable asset to companies by employing temps
for a trial or probation period to assure that they will fit into
the company’s culture and work environment. It is one of many
reasons why staffing firms can make a difference as a cost-effective
alternative for local businesses.”
