“We change people’s lives by connecting the right person to the right position. Our long-term relationships with the companies we serve, and with the employees we place in them enables us to create enduring matches.,” explains Debby Abel, president of Abel Personnel.
This year the staffing firm celebrates 55 years of providing “Abel People” to small businesses, Fortune 500 corporations, state and federal government agencies, legal and accounting firms, medical facilities and statewide trade, professional associations and educational institutions. We focus on providing professional staff including the fields of Accounting, Information Technology, Management, Administrative Office Support, Customer Service and Sales. The business was founded in 1969 by Franklin and Dorothy Abel, Debby’s parents.
Debby Abel joined the team as marketing manager in 1990. “At that time, we were a local firm serving clients in our region. We’ve grown and now we serve clients in several states. Often established clients ask us to help identify staff in other locations where their companies operate. They recognize the success we have in Central Pennsylvania and ask us to help with their recruiting needs in other states,” she continues.
What hasn’t changed is the personal attention to both client companies and candidates to find the best match of people with positions, and our commitment to customers’ success. “We really serve two clients—the businesses that have recruiting needs, and candidates who are seeking positions,” Abel says.
Candidates who work with Abel Personnel are not charged a fee. Abel says she and her staff receive a lot of questions about this concern. “Charging candidates in recruiting and staffing is really a thing of the distant past.”
Most of the positions Abel Personnel fills are long- term positions rather than temporary or “temp” positions. Abel says those long-term career positions can be one of three types. Direct Hire placements are where the client company immediately hires the candidate, Temp to Hire placements where the employee works for Abel for a period of time before becoming a direct employee of the company. Contract placement is where the employee is on ongoing client assignment, but an employee of Abel, which can provide secure employment for years.
“We recommend our client businesses to consider multiple options so they can find the best person for their position. Some candidates are not receptive to the tempto- hire option, especially if they are currently employed.
Being open gives our client companies the widest choice of candidates.” Abel explains.
She says Abel Personnel takes a “whole person” approach—interviewing each candidate to understand their goals, interests and skills; working with them to find what works best for them as well as client companies.
Abel says some of the firm’s placements are for a number of years with the same company. “It’s very rewarding to see those long-term employees we’ve placed thrive and grow. We see so many of our people who started in entry level positions being promoted to trainers, supervisors or managers — when they show their value and work hard, it is recognized,” Abel says. This milestone 55th anniversary year also brings a change to Abel Personnel itself.
The staffing firm has relocated from its two long-term locations—one in Lemoyne and one in the Scottsdale Plaza on Paxton Street, Harrisburg—and is now located at a new location at 2300 Vartan Way, Suite 110, Harrisburg.
“We were at both locations for 24 years, so there are a lot of memories, and as I packed, my eyes teared up. A key memory is the years of walking into my office, adjacent to my father’s, and thinking how I was privileged to see and interact with him every day. It was a joy and honor to work with him and learn from his example as a smart, kind, ethical businessman. As I head to a new site where I can’t visualize his presence, I know that he and my mom were proud of how I shepherded the business over the years—maintaining the level of personal service and integrity,” she wrote in a recent website post.
Abel reports that today the staffing firm, like some of its client businesses, conducts business in a different way— with many staff members working in a hybrid model that combines working in the office with working remotely.
“There is something to be said for office camaraderie, and off-the-cuff collaboration. We considered whether we required the same amount of space since our staff work a hybrid schedule. Plus, both leases were ending at about the same time,” she explains.
The new office has space for each recruiter to have their own office, but accommodations to allow offices to be shared if necessary. And like its relationships with client businesses and candidates, Abel Personnel has many long-time team members—most of whom have been with the firm 10 to 20 years. “We have a great and talented team devoted to hard work and incredible service,” Abel concludes.