FirstSource Staffing was founded at the end of 1998 as a collaborative effort of the Fifth Avenue Committee, Good Shepherd Services, and the ICA group. The Fifth Avenue Committee is a non profit focused on affordable housing development and job creation in the South Brooklyn areas of  Redhook, Gowanus, and Sunset Park. Good Shepherd Services is a non-sectarian social service and youth development agency with a deep commitment to South Brooklyn. And the ICA group is a national non-profit that provides assistance to employee and community owned enterprises. ICA has also launched community owned staffing companies in Boston, Washington, and Newark.

 

In 2002, FirstSource was featured in a report by Seedco entitled, “When Good Work Makes Good Sense: Social Purpose Business Case Studies.”  The report concluded, “With the right management team, effective marketing, and a cooperative economy, FirstSource is positioned to take off.” See www.seedco.org/about/pub/index.html for the complete case study. 

 

FirstSource Staffing achieved sustained profitability in 2003 and 2004, a rare feat for a social-purpose business. In May of 2005 FirstSource Staffing was profiled in City Limits magazine. The article emphasized the business savvy and employer-focused nature of FirstSource Staffing: “The delicate touch works well. Clients say they’re highly satisfied with the service…In [the past] 18 months the revenue of FirstSource Staffing has grown 30 percent.”

 

In the Fall of 2005, FirstSource Staffing was chosen from among alternative staffing companies nationwide to participate in the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation’s Alternative Staffing Demonstration. As part of the demonstration, the foundation gave FirstSource Staffing a two-year, $200,000 grant, to accelerate the company’s growth, enabling us to provide better services to clients, and better opportunities to job seekers.

 

As of December 2007, FirstSource Staffing has placed more than 1,200 candidates who have worked more than 300,000 hours for more than 300 employers. We are looking forward to even more rapid growth in the years to come.