PNC Survey Indicates the Most Promising Small Business Plans Since 2012

According to the PNC Economic Outlooks, small and mid-sized businesses show a lot of promise in terms of growth and hiring. The most since 2012, actually.

26% of owners are planning to hire more full-time employees in the next six months. In additions, 42% of owners expect to increase employees’ pay, which is higher than spring projections and the highest since 2007. However, these same small and mid-sized businesses are finding it harder and harder to find and hire qualified workers. 11% of those owners who are not hiring are doing so because they cannot find workers with the right skills.

Overall, 87% of employers are optimistic about the future sales and profits. 70% of business owner plan on making a net profit this year.

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James

Senior Accounts Payable Specialist

Five years ago, James was laid off from his position as a degreed accountant. He had loved working in the accounting field and needed to find a new job quickly. James was hoping for an entry point into a good, stable company where he could start small and work his way back up to the kind of accounting role he liked best.

James connected with Primary Services and spoke to one of our recruiters with a high degree of specialization in Finance and Accounting. James’ attitude, enthusiasm, and qualifications were quite impressive. After interviewing him to understand his immediate career goals, our recruiter found a position within a company that she knew would be exactly the right environment for James.

With Primary’s help, James secured an AP position. Although our client was initially concerned that James may be overqualified, our recruiter reached out to make sure the hiring managers understood James’ personality and goals, rather than just the skills on his resume. The hiring manager decided to hire James and found that, as promised, he was the perfect fit for the job. James became a permanent employee in short order and still works with our client today.

Meg

Team Lead, Business Process Analysis

Meg wanted more opportunity to rise up in her company and effect lasting change. Although her previous experience interested her and made good use of her technologically savvy “big picture” approach, Meg decided she was ready to make a career move that would enable her to help plan and implement higher-profile initiatives.

A little uncertain how to start, Meg applied to a writing position advertised by Primary Services. After reviewing Meg’s application, one of our experienced recruiters interviewed Meg to better assess and understand Meg’s career path and goals. Getting to the core of what would make Meg truly happy, the recruiter was able to find an excellent opportunity at a company who was interested in both Meg’s desire to write and her interest in business analysis.

Meg was hired permanently after three months, and now she is a Team Lead training the newest recruits. Her work is more challenging, more satisfying, and definitely more in line with what she wanted and was unable to find on her own.

Brittany

Customer Service Professional

Brittany moved from Louisiana to Houston to create a better opportunity for herself and her children. Her passion was to continue working in Customer Care, but the first job she found in Houston was canceled. So, Brittany turned to Primary Services for help.

Our Customer Service recruiting teams worked closely with Brittany, helping her find temporary jobs while continuing to search for more permanent positions. After a few short weeks, a company that interested Brittany had a new opening in its HR department. Because Primary’s recruiters had close relationships with our client, Brittany knew that this opportunity would get her foot in the door and move into the Customer Service job she wanted.

Within a few months, she was hired as a permanent employee in our client’s Customer Service division, making a higher salary than ever before in her life. Primary Services’ connections within the Houston market helped Brittany to find a stable, fulfilling position that she sees herself staying in for a long time to come, making a difference for her and her family.

Edgar

Regional Manager, Fred Loya Insurance

Our client was poised for exponential growth. Their goals for this growth entailed opening numerous locations in the city and in other states. They had everything they needed save for one obstacle: attrition. Their rate of growth was dampened due to the level of turnover within their operations and thus their employment brand was suffering. Their current strategy to bringing in employees at large volumes to fill vacancies was merely treating the symptom.

Our client reached out to Primary Services to provide insight into achieving their goals. Initially, they wanted primary to merely supply them with the number of candidates needed. Primary, however, knew we had more to offer our client. We took a sincere interest, and became invested creating a long-term partnership with our client. We collaborated with them to not only customize the candidate profile and recruiting methods, but to create improved processes for onboarding and training employees. As a result, within two months, our client saw their Houston locations staffed more quickly than ever before.

With the help of Primary Services, our client’s attrition dropped by at almost 40%. Of the candidates Primary found and placed in our client’s locations, many were identified as potentials to take on managerial roles within the first few months of their tenure. Ultimately, with Primary, our client shifted their business in an entirely new direction with locations launched in two new cities and a new state in less than two months.

Sean Flannigan

Accounting Manager

Sean Flannigan provides robust accounting, payroll and back-office service as Accounting Manager. Sean joined Primary Services more than 25 years ago as a payroll assistant while attending University of Houston-Downtown. After ensuring accurate weekly payroll delivery and bill processing, he was quickly promoted to Payroll Manager to oversee back-office operations, collections, and credit applications. Sean currently services as Accounting Manager and is responsible for all collections, accounts payable, and accounts receivable. With an eye for detail, Sean manages Primary Services’ accounting books and monthly and quarterly state and federal taxes while supporting business development. After coaching youth sports for 15 years, he served as President of Greater Houston Youth Lacrosse Association Kingwood, Vice President of Kingwood Girls Lacrosse, and currently serves on the board of directors for Kingwood Ladies Lacrosse.

Kimberly Pena

Senior HR & Compliance Manager

Kim shares a wealth of experience managing processes and people as Senior Operations & HR Compliance Manager. Developing leadership skills while working three jobs throughout college, Kim joined Primary Services as an administrative assistant in 2015. She then supported payroll operations as a business analyst processing payments and auditing time sheets and accounting submissions. With a vigor for system efficiency, Kim transitioned to compliance and operations and currently leads the human resources team in strategic planning and process implementation while managing talent acquisition, employee relations, performance management, compensation, and benefits. Outside of work, Kim enjoys volunteering in the community, traveling, and cooking with her husband.

Kim holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Houston.

Kelli McBee

Corporate Communications Director

Kelli McBee brings extensive agency and in-house marketing and communications experience to manage the reputation and branding of Primary Services. Kelli began her career in public and media relations at Edelman. She then developed consumer promotions as a marketing associate at Landry’s, Inc. before becoming Communications Director for 44 Farms. During grad school, she joined Kellogg’s as a sales rep and Senior Customer Analyst for the West Region assessing product performance and pricing strategies. Kelli joined Primary Services as Corporate Communications Director in 2022 and oversees all marketing initiatives and internal and external communications. She enjoys competitive country western dancing and volunteering as President of Altrusa International of Houston-Central, TX. 

Kelli holds a Bachelor of Arts from Boston College, Master of Business Administration from University of Houston, and Master of Hospitality Management from University of Houston.

Jason Kaspar

Director of IT

Jason Kaspar is a skilled software developer and IT expert. When he was 16 years old, Jason founded a company focused on assembling, repairing, and supporting computers and related products. While attending Texas A&M University, he gained a strong foundation in computer programming and began his career as a programmer at Universal Computer Systems for C++ software and micro application development. Jason joined Primary Services in 2000 as a software developer, implementing a 401K system for a dBase HRIS system, then converting that proprietary software to Java. He then began running payroll, HR, onboarding, and IT system infrastructure before being promoted to Director of IT. As Director of IT, he now oversees nationwide payroll, database management, and technical system support. Jason ensures accurate timekeeping and management of HR systems with productivity software and cloud-based services. In his free time, Jason enjoys playing sports, especially basketball.

Heather Mellinger

VP of Strategy & Business Development

Heather brings more than 10 years of experience in strategic vision and implementation as Vice President of Strategy and Business Development. Heather began her career at Primary Services in 2011 as a business development manager and served in a variety of positions leading process improvement, software implementation, and strategic account development roles. She then diversified her strategy and deal advisory acumen at KPMG as a Summer Senior Associate before joining Boston Consulting Group as a consultant and project leader. Skilled at identifying and solving complex business situations, Heather uses data-driven insights to develop strategic plans for new business opportunities and analyze market trends. Outside the office, Heather enjoys spending time with her family and newborn baby.

Heather holds a Bachelor of Arts from University of Pennsylvania and Master of Business Administration from Rice University.

Colin Mellinger

Team Lead Business Development

Colin is the Senior Director of Recruiting Strategy, leading strategic planning and account management. With a deep understanding of the recruiting industry, Colin provides expert counsel to clients and manages a high-performing recruiting team. He began his career at Primary Services as a technical recruiter, identifying and attracting top talent, and quickly rose to become Recruiting Team Lead. Leveraging his expertise in the talent market, he then became Sales Manager, driving new business development and fostering partnerships. Now, as head of the recruiting strategy division, Colin seeks new opportunities to innovate and improve. When he’s not at work, Colin can be found on the golf course or taking care of his rescue dog, Max, who is also the Primary Services mascot.

Colin holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business from Arizona State University.

Casi Contreras

Director of Strategic Planning

Director of Strategic Planning Casimira Contreras leads the customer service recruiting team to drive results for energy accounts. Casi brings a breadth of diverse experience beginning with customer service at Fingers Furniture in Houston before she entered the hospitality industry to run her own business after college. With an interest in operations, she shifted her career to become a customer service technician for AT&T. When an overseas opportunity was presented, she joined DynCorp as a logistics coordinator in Khandhar, Afghanistan. When her year was complete, she returned to AT&T overseeing a team in the field as a network operations manager. Casi joined Primary Services in 2020 as an on-site manager and currently manages a recruiting and performance management team while building relationships and servicing multiple clients. In her spare time, Casi enjoys time with her family swimming, traveling and home renovation projects.

Casi holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from University of Houston. 

Attiya Han

HR Care & Compliance Manager

Attiya shares her lifelong compassionate heart for people as a former homemaker who decided to pursue a career in the corporate world. After years of managing her household and raising children, Attiya realized that she had a passion for helping others find their dream jobs and became a testing proctor for Lloyd’s Register in 2016 before transitioning into the recruiting industry. She joined Primary Services in 2017. With strong communication skills and attention to detail, Attiya became Human Resources Care and Compliance Manager, and currently connects talented individuals with the right companies, helps employees achieve career goals, and onboards new employees. In her spare time, Attiya enjoys gardening, traveling to the beach, and teaching her children to cook new dishes. 

Antonio Calvo

Account Director

Tony oversees recruiting success bringing more than 10 years of people management experience. The Houston native began his career teaching high school geometry at KIPP Sunnyside High School. He then joined Cristo Rey Jesuit College Preparatory as an administrative assistant and quickly rose to become Manager of Enrollment. Diversifying his skillset, he then completed an internship at retail electric company Infuse Energy to learn sales, operations, customer service, and to perform legal Spanish translations. Tony joined Primary Services in 2017 running logistics as a project recruiter. As Director of Operations, he currently provides training and development, process improvement, business development, and overall recruitment support to the team. Outside the office, Tony enjoys working out, playing with his dog, and reading sci-fi and leadership books.

Tony holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and an Associates in Spanish Language from St. Edward’s University.

Bert Mellinger

Chief Financial Officer

Albert serves as the CFO and leader of back-office teams at Primary Services, overseeing IT, HR, payroll, accounting, contracts, and process improvement personnel. With a background in computer programming and software development across various industries, including retail, healthcare, and oil and gas, Albert has kept Primary Services debt-free and 100% financially compliant since the company’s inception. He designed and developed an industry-leading contractor payroll, invoicing, and benefits administration software that integrates with clients’ systems to streamline processes and allows Primary to smoothly and efficiently pay contractors. Albert specializes in developing back-office software for essential functions, including accounting, inventory management, and consignment tracking. He has served on the board for Post Oak Little League and currently serves on the finance committee for Post Oak School.

Albert holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Duke University.

Regina Mellinger

Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Regina is President and CEO of Primary Services. With a vision to impact peoples’ lives and the world, she founded Primary Services in 1988 and has built an award-winning company based on strong partnerships, innovative business solutions, and commitment to service excellence for many Fortune 100 clients. Regina drives the formulation and execution of strategic direction, heads the senior leadership team, and partners with an extensive portfolio of customers at the executive level to advise on cutting-edge talent delivery and program enhancement solutions. Regina currently serves on the Women’s Business Enterprise Alliance board guiding other women owned business leaders and the ANSERTEAM board aiding in professional development. Focused on providing quality of life-changing programs, she advises Civic Heart (formerly known as Change Happens!) with professional insights and resources to help empower people. In her spare time, Regina enjoys yoga and meditation, reading leadership books, and relishing in watching her grandson grow.

Regina holds a Bachelor of Arts from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania.