GWBC Radio: Laura Egelhoff with Carolinas Total Staffing Solutions

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s time for GWBC Radio’s Open for Business. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:18] Lee Kantor here in for Roz Lewis today. And I am so happy to be doing this GWBC Radio show. I got with me Laura Egelhoff. And she is with Carolinas Total Staffing Solutions. Welcome.

Laura Egelhoff: [00:00:34] Hello. It’s great to be here.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:37] Well, before we get too far into things, tell us about Carolinas Total Staffing Solutions. How are you serving folks?

Laura Egelhoff: [00:00:43] Yes. So, we are, right now, based in Greenville, South Carolina. We are all Georgia peaches. So, our outreach is basically all over the southeast right now. We are a staffing agency, and we specialize in manufacturing industries, as well as the warehouse and clerical positions as well. And we are a family company with over 30 years of experience. And we are, kind of, experts at the remote recruiting. We do a lot with very little resources. And I think one of our best attributes is that we’re a bilingual company. We’re certified by the WBENC. And and we’re super proud of it and proud of our background.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:36] So, now, how’d you get into the staffing business? You said it was family-owned. Was this several generations?

Laura Egelhoff: [00:01:44] My mom started the company. She’s been working on her own, basically, as a staffing industry leader since, I would say, the beginning of the 2000s. She’s worked for major staffing agencies in the past. And she’s basically been doing this since I was born. She moved to Atlanta, Georgia about late ’80s after she graduated high school. She got a job at the world of Coke. My grandmother actually worked for Coke at the time.

Laura Egelhoff: [00:02:20] And then, from there, she got a job with a nearby staffing agency. That’s how she kind of basically started. She started in an entry level position and fell in love with it. Fell in love with the fact that she can help people get gainful employment, and make ends meet, and find their goals, their career goals. And she was also able to communicate and really tap into the labor market for the Hispanic community, the growing Hispanic community at the time just because she was bilingual. So, she kind of bridged the gap with her company then.

Laura Egelhoff: [00:03:00] And from there, she found a passion. And I learned that from her. I run CTFS along with my sister. So, we all kind of learned through osmosis from my mother. And she’s still a consultant today. So, that’s where the majority of our experience comes from. We just come from a long line of entrepreneurs as well. After my grandmother left home, she opened her own tax firm. And then, from there, my aunt has her own tech firm today because my grandmother retired. And we still even work in tandem with each other. Like my aunt with our taxes and things like that. So, it’s like a whole family effort of what we do. And we find a passion in helping other families kind of find their own goals. And yeah.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:49] Well, that must be so rewarding to have your family that close and all working together for a common good. That must be wonderful.

Laura Egelhoff: [00:04:00] It definitely is. There’s some growing pains. Like sometimes, it feels like you really can’t leave the work mindset. But when it’s with your family and you’re able to kind of problem solve together and lean on each other, it makes it that much easier.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:20] Now, in your experience, what makes one staffing agency better than another? So, like, what’s the secret sauce of yours?

Laura Egelhoff: [00:04:30] Oh! I mean, I think one really that can be better than what the other, I think, is just about finding your niche. I believe the successful type of recruiting or finding people because, sometimes, recruiting can have a negative connotation. Like it’s kind of like you’re removed. It’s more about building powerhouse teams. And I think the more you understand the job that you are searching for good people, then the better you’re able to find a good match. I think making that match is what makes an agency possibly more successful than the other.

Laura Egelhoff: [00:05:10] And also retain great turnover rates, which I mean, that’s one of the best parts about us is that we’re able to maintain a great turnover rate just overall the industry. It’s we don’t staff for a whole bunch of different jobs. But right now, what’s in demand is a lot of manufacturing, and packing, and distributing, and getting from point A to point B. And I think that’s where we can really help in finding great people and making them stay there, basically.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:41] So, now, if your clients need more staff in that area, you’ve kind of specialized in this and have kind of cracked the code on how to identify and be a good matchmaker, make sure that the fit is right?

Laura Egelhoff: [00:05:56] Yes, yes. I think it’s about adding value to the employment experience. We have a lot of rewards and incentive program for staying on board. We have new hire kits that we give out. And we acknowledge birthdays. We try to make the experience personalized and not just cutting a paycheck, and going in, and packing up boxes, and you’re out. We do a lot of checking in, and we want to make sure that they’re taken care of and that they are satisfied with everything, all of their questions are answered, and that we’re also working to get them from an entry level role into other areas. It might be that they get hired on full time but, at least, if we can serve as a stepping stone, then I believe we’ve done our job well.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:51] Now, I would imagine when you take that much care that you might be able to get some referrals for them to tell their friends. And then, that might help you fill more positions.

Laura Egelhoff: [00:07:01] Yes, yes. And it’s funny that you say that’s actually exactly how we work. We have a lot of people that came in through referrals. And we actually do have a referral incentive that we added like $20 to their check if their contact has stayed on working with us throughout two weeks. Just little incentives like that. Because we’re a family-based company. We know that it can work. But as long as everything is good for the client and good for the employee, then we can really network that way.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:39] Well, let’s talk about GWBC for a second. Why was it important for you to get involved with that organization? And how has it worked out for you?

Laura Egelhoff: [00:07:49] Yes. So, one of my mentors, Sara Webb. She is the CEO of InTandem Promotions, I still work with InTandem as well. I worked with them right after college. And that’s where I got used to the organization itself and really acclimated with their mission and how they can help small businesses thrive. And so, I thought it was a great and happening community that I wanted to make sure that our family business was a part of as well and also take advantage of the connections and all the networking events that it can be a part of.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:33] And so far, has it been? Has it worked out?

Laura Egelhoff: [00:08:37] Oh, yes. Yes, most definitely. I had a baby not too long ago. So, I haven’t been able to take part of all the things that I want to make sure that we get involved in, but it’s definitely been a good first year, I think, of dipping our toes in everything. And so far, everything has been helpful, all the channels and avenues that I’ve explored thus far. It’s also helped us with government contracting because we are working with [indiscernible] manufacturing company right now and leading projects for the future, of course, not right now, at airports and things like that. And it’s really helped just having that purification has helped to leverage our pitch even further.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:23] Now, the name of the company, it has Carolinas in the name, but you’re from Georgia. What are all the states that you serve?

Laura Egelhoff: [00:09:33] We can serve any other state. So far, we have had services with, at least, eleven. We concentrate mostly on the southeast, but we’ve also done projects out in California, and Oregon, and Arizona. But we’re able to have satellite offices basically anywhere. Just think through our partnerships, and the people that we know, and our frequent flyer points as well. My mom has racked up a whole bunch. We can basically service anywhere.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:06] Now, during this corona crisis, are you able to still kind of stay open and serve your clients? Are you still able to kind of connect with potential talent for them and still do what you need to do?

Laura Egelhoff: [00:10:23] Absolutely. We’ve been fortunate enough to be very flexible and just kind of adapt to each of our client’s needs, whether dumbing the downsize, whether they need a whole lot of help just for one day, maybe just cleaning things out. It kind of has run the gamut, but we’re definitely still open for business. And the great thing about us is that we are just flexible, and we’re able to still service and do anything that we could do even if it was during normal times.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:58] Now, during the time you’ve been involved with Carolinas Total Staffing Solutions, is there any kind of memorable, maybe an employee story that you were able to help a person get involved with the company, and maybe they kind of grew, and then now they’re super successful? Or maybe you helped a company solve a big problem.

Laura Egelhoff: [00:11:22] Yes. Yes, we do. So, I believe it was a year and a half ago, we had a family friend. It’s basically a family friend’s son who had kind of fallen on hard times. We hired him on to kind of help us be like a handy man type of thing as he kind of transitioned back into society. And we just kind of watched him thrive and slowly grow into his own. And then, we gave him some tools and resources, like some sales seminars, some literature to kind of study a bond, kind of be moving into more of a business developing role. And he now, actually, works for a client of ours because he was also very—he was great at sales, and he helped us land about three local contracts. So, it really awesome for him.

Laura Egelhoff: [00:11:22] But we also noticed that he’s more of like the hands-on type. So, like maintenance-driven. So, we actually found a role that was perfect for him. And now, he’s like a lead operation installer for this client. And he has just really taken a whole 180 from where he was a year and a half ago to now. And today, he’s very clean cut, very well spoken, and you just wouldn’t even think that he had gone through those times before. And he kind of became our Be the Change model. And that’s our Be the Change Initiative that we call.

Laura Egelhoff: [00:13:17] Paul, that’s his name. And he’s our greatest success story. That’s what the story is about, but we always try to reach out to all of our employees, and just checking in, making sure they’re doing good, and to kind of see where their skills lie and try to advance those as much as possible, and keep an eye out for positions that we could recommend them to as well. So, it was a really rewarding thing, I think, experience him getting hired on full time and being a great asset to our client team. So, I think that’s our major success story. We hope to mold like a whole bunch of stories like this. He’s also just a great friend of ours too. So, it’s not just doing our job but it becomes part of you as well and a part of your life.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:14] Now, let’s talk about the Be the Change Initiative. That’s a great example of how you can help really change someone’s life and put them on a whole new trajectory by taking a risk and then giving them an opportunity, but, ultimately, they have to do the hard work, and show up, and be reliable, and thrive. So, talk about the Be the Change Initiative in terms of what you help it to become.

Laura Egelhoff: [00:14:42] Yes. So, when the mom had the crazy idea of going out on her own and everything, it was very close to the major recession that we remember from 2008-2009. And I remember a lot of people just thought that she might be a little crazy of thinking what good can come from starting a business or being self-employed right now during this uncertain time. And during that time, us, as a family, we weren’t doing that great either. We definitely know how it feels not really knowing where your next meal comes from, especially coming from a big family and having a lot of mouths to feed. So, we know that problem very intimately well.

Laura Egelhoff: [00:15:31] So, we always remember that struggle. And we remember that it was the kindness of other people that kind of helped us kind of move past that point and build to a brighter future. So, that’s what we want to do for families. And not only locally here in Atlanta, Georgia, or Greenville, South Carolina, but we do a lot of effort in the South American countries like Argentina, Dominican Republic. And we’re from Puerto Rico. And so, we also have a lot of relief and disaster effort happening in Puerto Rico as well, especially after the hurricane. In 2017, there was Hurricane Maria that ravaged the entire island. My family and my mother did a lot to make sure that a lot of our proceeds went to restoring houses and helping group homes with children and foster children, making sure that they had meals and everything worked out. It’s just every little bit of effort that we could do, we did and we still do to this day, especially in Argentina.

Laura Egelhoff: [00:16:43] So, that’s our Be the Change from the Mahatma Gandhi quote, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” That’s definitely how we model ourselves after. And we want our actions to speak, and we want to kind of step in the gaps for people who we help when we can.

Lee Kantor: [00:17:10] Well, Laura, amazing work that you’re doing and really being a role model to others about how to handle a crisis is be the change that you want to see in the world. Kudos to you for that. That is a wonderful example for others to follow. If somebody wanted to learn more about Carolinas Total Staffing Solutions, is there a website?

Laura Egelhoff: [00:17:34] Yes, you can visit carolinastsf.com And that’s Carolinas with an S at the end, TFS.com, which stand for Total Staffing Solutions. You can connect with on social media, CarolinasTFS.com. In Instagram, we’re on LinkedIn, and Twitter. We try to keep up with everything and be like the cool kids. But send us a message and we’ll definitely reply as soon as possible.

Lee Kantor: [00:18:03] Good stuff. Well, thank you so much for sharing your story today.

Laura Egelhoff: [00:18:07] Thank you. Thank you for definitely having me and the resources that you give to other women small businesses.

Lee Kantor: [00:18:15] Well, it’s our pleasure. This is Lee Kantor. We will see you all next time on GWBC Radio.