2015 Has Been Year of Growth, Opportunity for PEO with Nationwide Operations
September 1, 2015, Greenwood, IN – In September, Tilson celebrates 20 years as a leading provider of customized human resource and management solutions to companies nationwide. And while this anniversary is significant, it comes amid a flurry of growth driven by company expansion efforts.
Founded in 1995 by Brent Tilson, the company currently employs 75 Hoosiers with plans to create up to 245 new jobs by 2020. It has operations nationwide and plans to invest $1.55 million to expand its current headquarters at 1530 American Way in Greenwood while evaluating long-term sites if further accommodation is needed.
Tilson’s rapid growth resembles that of the professional employer organization (PEO) industry as a whole. Small to mid-size companies are increasingly turning to PEOs to provide payroll, health benefits and other employment-related services. And studies have shown the firms that use PEOs grow faster, with lower turnover and business failure rates.
“It’s hard to believe we’ve been in this business for 20 years,” said Tilson, president and chief executive officer of the company. “When we started, the PEO industry was in its infancy. Now Tilson is experiencing double-digit growth and projecting even more growth in the next 24 months.”
The Indiana Economic Development Corporation has offered Tilson up to $1,525,000 in conditional tax credits and up to $100,000 in training grants based on the company’s job creation plans. These tax credits are performance-based, meaning until Hoosiers are hired, the company is not eligible to claim incentives. The City of Greenwood will consider additional incentives.
Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers said Tilson has been a business leader and community champion. “Tilson has been a model business. Its reach and impact go far beyond Greenwood, though its roots extend deep in Johnson and Marion counties,” he said.
Brent Tilson knows the life of a small-business owner. He owned a small CPA firm and founded Tilson after his clients started to ask him to handle more diverse employee services. By 1999, the company was consistently ranked as one of Indiana’s and the nation’s fastest-growing companies, garnering recognition from Inc. magazine, the Indianapolis Business Journal and Ernst & Young. And it’s been growing ever since with its commitment to innovation and excellence, including enhanced technology and continually updated professional expertise, training and educational programming.
As head of Tilson, and as chairman of the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO), Brent Tilson sees the same bright future and high demand. Besides providing vital business services, PEOs are benefiting from the new Small Business Efficiency Act, which recognizes PEO services in the federal tax code.
“Businesses in all industries, of all sizes, are continually looking to increase efficiencies and productivity,” Tilson said. “Tilson, and PEOs like Tilson, enable companies to outsource administrative duties so that they can focus on their core competencies and business goals. It’s a win-win.”
