Express Employment Professionals Opens 650th Location and Reports a Record High of 3.25 Million Temporary Staff Hours Worked in One Week

OKLAHOMA CITY, Sept. 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Express Employment Professionals, the nation's largest, privately held staffing company, recently reached two growth milestones when they opened their 650th location this week and set a record number of temporary associate hours worked at 3.25 million. The strong performance comes during the staffing company's "30K for 30" campaign, in which new franchises are awarded $30,000 in working capital to launch their new businesses in honor of the company's 30^th anniversary. The campaign has significantly boosted new openings, though the company has seen a longer growth trend.

Express growth at nearly 6% year-to-date continues to outpace the growth of the staffing industry, which was reportedly up 4.4% year-to-date according to the American Staffing Association. "Sales have increased rapidly during the last several years, 125% since the 2009 recession, and that's attracting a lot of attention from hopeful business owners," said Bob Funk CEO and chairman of the board for Express. "They look at us and realize we represent one of the highest rates of return in all of franchising, and people want to be part of that."

Funk credits this high rate of investment return, as well as the company's firmly established brand presence across North America, for the rapid growth they have seen in 2013. With a typical investment of less than $140,000, mature Express franchisees see an average of $5.16 million in sales per year.

"Startup offices average more than $1 million in sales in just their first 12 months," said David Lewis, vice president of franchising. "This isn't the story of our high flyers; we're talking about what the middle-of-the-road guy does."

To date, Express has added 55 new locations and re-sold 11 existing locations this year. The company expects to add another 30 units before the end of 2013. With more than 300 available territories in 45 states, Express is targeting the right operating partner rather than specific markets.

"We want to open locations in any community we can serve. The missing component is finding the right owner who can leverage our strong brand presence in his or her community," Lewis said.

Due to its significant growth, Express has moved from the 11^th largest staffing firm in North America to the 7^th, according to Staffing Industry Analysts.

Much of the company's growth also comes from a unique franchise development team, led by Lewis. After working under the leadership of CEO, chairman and franchisee Bob Funk for 10 years, Lewis was promoted to executive director of franchising in 2011. Earlier this year, the young executive was promoted to vice president of franchising. Since he's joined the team, growth has skyrocketed.

"Express has seen a steady incline since the 2009 great recession," Lewis said. "We saw a dramatic increase from 13 new offices in 2010, to 23 offices in 2011 and 40 in 2012. We are on track to be nearing 700 locations worldwide by the end of this year."

Express Employment Professionals is on a mission to put a million people to work annually and helped more than 367,000 people find jobs in 2012. With franchises in the U.S., Canada and South Africa, Express provides expertise in evaluation hire, temporary staffing, professional search and human resources. For information about purchasing an Express franchise, visit ExpressFranchising.com or visit ExpressPros.com for more information about Express and its services.

SOURCE Express Employment Professionals