Strategic Staffing Solutions Expands Detroit Development Center
Detroit-based Strategic Staffing Solutions Inc., Detroit's largest information technology and business services company, marked the one year anniversary of its Detroit Development Center with the opening of a second floor of operations in the Penobscot Building.
The DDC now occupies the 25th and 26th floors to accommodate increased business with current customers and new demand by customers nationally.
"What started with a commitment from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan to keep their business in Detroit has developed into a national commitment to creating new, high-tech jobs in the U.S.," said Cynthia J. Pasky, S3 president and CEO. "We are thrilled to service five customers nationally from the DDC in the Penobscot Building and we have four more customers who will soon be serviced by us in Detroit."
The DDC opened in spring 2010 to serve its first anchor customer, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, which made the strategic decision to honor its commitment to core cities and keep jobs in Detroit instead of outsourcing services to an offshore location. The center started with 57 IT specialists and, in one year, has expanded to more than 270 professionals serving five customers.
BCBSM helped drive the growth of the center by exceeding its target participation level in 2010. BCBSM now has 234 active resources dedicated to the DDC, with more than 100 of these people working on-site at the Penobscot Building.
"BCBSM is committed to the economic health and vitality of Michigan and its great core cities. As we continue to demonstrate that commitment to Detroit, we are finding avenues to increase our work with Detroit-based companies, such as S3," said Daniel J. Loepp, BCBSM President and CEO. "I'm very proud to know that one year after we began as the lead customer in the center, we are keeping jobs at home and investing in something that really is growing jobs here in Detroit."
The DDC is the hub for S3's managed services software business process outsourcing, ERP integration, Web and application development and maintenance services. The DDC also houses S3's call center, which offers help desk and customer contact, testing, software development, and desktop support.
Since the DDC opened, S3 has been able to sell its services nationally and has brought on three new customers. In addition to BCBSM, the DDC is serving a Michigan-based health care provider that S3 didn't name. The Call Center, which started with Wayne County as its anchor customer, has added DTE Energy and a major health care insurance provider in Louisiana that S3 didn't name.
The DDC posted revenues of $10.5 million in 2010 and is on track to hit $26 million in 2011. The DDC also is on track to achieve S3's commitment to hire 400 IT specialists in four years. The increase in sales is primarily the result BCBSM growing its business with S3 by 147 percent since 2009.
S3 provides consulting and staff augmentation services, vendor management programs, executive search services, call center technology and an IT development center to financial institutions, energy companies, telecommunications, government agencies, retail and health care industries.
Its United States locations are Detroit, Atlanta, Ga., Boston, Mass., Los Angeles and San Francisco, Calif., Charlotte, N.C., Denver, Colo., Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., New Orleans, La. New York City, Philadelphia, Pa., Richmond, Va., Phoenix, Ariz., St. Louis, Mo., and Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin, Texas. International locations include Vilnius, Lithuania and London and Cheshire, England.
More at www.strategicstaff.com.
