Cover Story

Identity crisis

By Carolyn LaWell

The Kohnke File

Even without the economic downturn, Frederick L. Kohnke knew 2009 would not be a record year.

His company, Staffmark, formerly CBS Personnel, had been piling up acquisitions since 2004 and the commercial staffing firm was operating under three names. Clients and employees had questions about the brands, leading to distractions, longer processes and an inefficient use of time.

“Progressive companies have great strategies, they’ve got great people, and they’re able to tactically get things done very decisively and quickly,” says Kohnke, president and CEO. “Speed wins in our business. Multiple brands definitely at this stage in the game would have slowed us down in terms of where we’re ultimately headed.”

From a growth standpoint, Kohnke knew he had to give the $1 billion company and its 1,000 employees, who are spread across more than 300 locations, a single company identity. So Kohnke, along with an appointed team, set out to unify the three brands — CBS Personnel, Staffmark and Venturi Staffing — under a unified vision, mission, values and name. What ensued was a nine-month planning process that included employee and customer buy-in from the beginning.

“The key thing is, No. 1, engaging a cross section of all stakeholders,” Kohnke says. “I think there needs to be an explanation, which is the process we went through (with) our employees and customers, as to why we were going through this process and what the benefits would be to them, to all stakeholders, before going through the process and making the decision.”

The early buy-in paid off when Staffmark rolled out the new brand in 2009. Now, nearly a year after the announcement, Kohnke’s focus is moving the company higher on the top 10 list of staffing companies.

“I would like to think we’re well beyond the buying-in side of it,” he says. “We don’t even look at what was. We look at what is and what will be as a company.”