Words by Terrell Manasco | Images by Ryan McGill

Some people associate the number 13 with bad luck. For some Walker County residents, it just might prove to be the opposite. 

Personnel Staffing, Inc. (PSI), is a Gadsden-based staffing agency with branches in Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, and Texas. On September 1, 2021, PSI officially opened their 13th office, located at 611 Highway 78 West in Jasper. 

“We've seen growth opportunity in the Jasper area,” says PSI Regional Vice President Stacey Rains. “There’s not another brick-and-mortar staffing service here. We've realized that a lot of people are traveling outside of Jasper to work. We'd like to turn that around.”

Founded in 1981 by Tina Gregerson, Personnel Staffing, Inc. is owned and operated by Brigitte Vezertzis and has been certified by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council and the state of Alabama as a Woman-Owned Business. 

The company specializes in a variety of industries, including clerical, manufacturing, warehousing, machine shops, and administrative support. 

“PSI is always recruiting, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,” says Stacey, a Gadsden native and a 28 year-veteran of the company. “We're always taking applications of all different types of skills, from heavy-light industrial, clerical, warehouse, forklift drivers, etc. Clients contact us and say, 'We need people to come work for us. This is what we do, these are the skill requirements.’ We go through our database and provide those employees.”

Brooke Cruz moved from Montgomery to her fiancé’s hometown of Jasper four years ago. Now a recruiter in the Jasper office, Brooke is one of the company’s newest team members. “I’ve been with PSI for three months; I’m still a puppy,” she laughs. 

The 40-year-old company has achieved a successful track record by uniting their clients with the employees they need. Their goal is to work with communities and help them grow. “We have a slogan: strengthening communities, one employee, one job at a time,” Stacey says. 

“That's basically what we want to do in Walker County,” Brooke adds. “We want to build the workforce and become a part of the community. We want to be a permanent fixture here.”

In a time when it seems jobs are available, yet many businesses are short-staffed, hopefully the launching of PSI’s 13th location will bring good luck to Walker County and Jasper. Stacey says they are excited and looking forward to the opportunities ahead.

“We're glad to be here; we're looking for partnerships and networking opportunities,” she says. “We just want to be a part of the community.” 78