By Jenny Munro
BUSINESS WRITER
jmunro@greenvillenews.com
The Godshall family has been helping companies and job candidates find each other
for 40 years, and Godshall Staffing owner Julie Godshall Brown said she hopes
to continue that connection for the next 40 years and more.
"Our commitment has been to be the best recruiting firm in the Upstate," she
said, adding the company is one of the largest in the state.
Godshall Staffing serves 500 to 600 new candidates monthly, about half of them
referred by other clients, said Brown, president. In addition, they have a roster
of several hundred workers who are their employees but contracted to work at other
businesses. About 60 percent of those workers are in temp-to-permanent positions.
Last year, the company's 21 employees placed more than 1,500 candidates for temporary
or contract work and several hundred more direct-hires for permanent positions
with between 400 and 500 companies.
Most of their client companies are in the Upstate, she said, but they do some
national and international placement. Professional direct-hires are not bound
by geography, she said.
Brown is the second generation to own the privately held Godshall Staffing. She
and her husband, Drew, both work with the agency begun by her father, Wayne Godshall,
in 1968. Her father began with one employee plus himself. Her mother also worked
part-time in the agency and then later came in to head up the temporary employment
division.
"I grew up in a family business," Godshall said, referring to his father's grocery
store.
When he went out on his own, he said he followed the practice of hiring and training
an individual every six months. Recalling that he worked to 11 p.m. or midnight
nearly every night, he said, "I was willing to put in the time and effort."
Brown said, "Our hope is that we will survive this generation."
"I've always been involved. I knew when I was 12, I wanted this. I came down
and answered the phones. But it was never an obligation," she said. "I worked
with Dad for nine years before he retired" three years ago.
At that time, she bought the business and gained certification as a woman-owned
business enterprise by the Women's Business Enterprise.
"I'm very proud of Julie and the job she's done," said Godshall, who refused
to have an office at the company. "I had no doubt that she would improve the business
tremendously. She brought in new ideas. She is a people person."
Drew Brown said of his wife, "When Julie enters the room, the energy level goes
up."
Godshall Staffing's commitment is to the Greenville community, Julie Brown said.
"We are totally committed to this market. Our goal is to be immersed in it and
shape it," she said. "We try to really make an impact" with company and employee
participation in civic and business organizations, such as United Way, the Greater
Greenville Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, March of Dimes and more.
Godshall Staffing feels "the obligation to give back. Our success depends on
the strength of this business community," she said.
Describing the family business, Brown said, "We are a blended full-service agency."
Godshall provides both professional direct-hire services and temporary contract
service.
"We are not a niche firm," she said, adding the company specializes in five areas:
Accounting, financing, human resources and information technology
Legal, medical and insurance
Administrative, banking, sales and customer service
Technology and engineering
Textile and apparel cut and sew
"We will continue to grow in our specialty areas," she said.
When Godshall started the firm, textiles were the primary focus. The company
still works with textile and apparel companies, primarily the successful niche
companies that now represent the U.S. industry. For example, he said non-woven
material is an interesting segment of the industry.
Godshall Staffing has two clients -- companies that are the ones charged fees,
and job seekers looking for a job.
"The candidates don't pay us anything," said Drew Brown, the agency's vice president.
"They are important. They are our product."
Julie Brown said, "It's tough" at times to work equally for both the employer
and the prospective employee. But it's important to do just that, she said.
"We're not here for a quick buck. We're in it for the long-term," she said. "We've
got candidates who say, 'You placed my dad.' We're changing lives."
Staffing agencies in general have a depth of human resources experience, said
Dean Jones, administrator of Greenville County's Workforce Development office.
The agencies know a great deal about recruiting, hiring and training employees
for companies.
"They have a lot of experience to bring to the table," he said. "They have a
value in the job market."
Jones said candidates using staffing agencies need to understand the two-client
concept and determine whether a specific agency has contacts in their field of
interest. Candidates need to be aware of what they need from a job and then decide
if an agency can help them find that.
As the Upstate moves into a knowledge-based economy, certain sectors are strong
markets for Godshall's service, Brown said. The manufacturing that is in the Upstate
is becoming more high-tech.
Also, Drew Brown said "plastics has become very big in this area. That's because
of BMW."
In fact, Godshall officials give BMW Manufacturing Co. major credit for the region's
vibrant economy.
"BMW has created a huge ripple effect," he said.
Brown said the Upstate also has a large medical community and a good number of
local and regional banks that continually are looking for professionals. They
often are quite specific in their needs because they want the employees to meld
with the existing corporate culture.
She said she believes Clemson University's International Center for Automotive
Research will be a draw for the area and that it "will have a ripple effect" on
the economy and the generation of jobs. Ginny Beach, a manager at Godshall, said
that ICAR could attract more talent to the area because it will attract companies
that need the talent. It also is likely to increase Greenville's engineering presence.
"We will have a critical role in attracting talent to Greenville," Brown said.
"The continued success of our business is going to be dependent on attracting
highly qualified talent," she said.
As a way of adding to that, Godshall launched a new Web site -- www.sccareersearch.com -- that is aimed at attracting people to Greenville rather than selling the
Godshall agency itself, she said.
Staffing agencies are a leading economic indicator and "get a feeling when the
economy is getting soft before most businesses do," Godshall said.
"The pendulum swings between hard-to-find people and hard-to-find jobs," Brown
said.
"We're really better off when there's full employment and people try to upgrade
their skills and jobs," Godshall said.
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Godshall and Godshall Personnel Consultants is Greenville's most trusted source
for professional recruiting and placement, serving South Carolina industry since
1968. We are uniquely positioned to meet a full range of temporary, contract,
and direct hiring needs through our specialty divisions. In our second generation
of family ownership, we take pride in partnering with our client firms, candidates,
and community to ensure successful placements.
