Staffing 360 Solutions, Inc. (STAF): History, Ownership, Mission, How It Works & Makes Money

How does a staffing company with a stated goal of reaching $500 million in annual revenues navigate a year where its market capitalization dropped to just $5.36 million by early 2025 and its stock was delisted from Nasdaq? Staffing 360 Solutions, Inc. (STAF) is a classic case study in a buy-and-build strategy, generating operational scale-with trailing twelve-month revenue near $177 million-but struggling with critical balance sheet compliance, a near-term risk you defintely need to understand. We're going to look past the ticker's volatility, which saw its share price trade around $0.01 in November 2025, to dissect the core business model of temporary staffing, permanent placement, and its acquisition-driven mission. Can the company's strategy of consolidating firms in Professional and Commercial Staffing still deliver value, or is its current market position a death knell?

Staffing 360 Solutions, Inc. (STAF) History

You're looking for the origin story of Staffing 360 Solutions, Inc. (STAF), and honestly, it's less a traditional startup narrative and more a calculated financial maneuver. The company was purpose-built to consolidate the highly fragmented staffing industry through a 'buy-and-build' strategy, aiming to hit a large revenue target quickly.

This approach means the company's history is defined by its balance sheet and its acquisition pipeline, not just organic growth. It's a strategy that requires constant capital deployment, and it's what ultimately led to the major corporate action we saw in early 2025.

Given Company's Founding Timeline

Year established

The company was incorporated in 2009, initially under the name Golden Fork Corporation.

Original location

New York, New York, which remains its headquarters today.

Founding team members

Darren Minton is cited as a key co-founder, setting the initial direction. The company's long-term execution and identity were shaped by its current leadership, including Executive Chairman, President, and CEO Brendan Flood.

Initial capital/funding

The initial capital structure was designed to fuel an aggressive acquisition strategy. While the exact seed funding is not public, the company has since raised significant capital, including a Post-IPO round of $9.25 million in late 2021 to continue its growth-by-acquisition model.

Given Company's Evolution Milestones

Given Company's Transformative Moments

The biggest transformative moment for Staffing 360 Solutions was the decision to adopt the 'buy-integrate-build' strategy. This wasn't just a growth plan; it was the entire business model, and it defined their capital structure for over a decade. The initial goal was to reach a $500 million annual revenue run rate through accretive acquisitions.

The reality is that while they executed numerous deals-totaling nine acquisitions-the ultimate revenue target proved elusive. The current financial picture, based on the latest available data, shows Trailing Twelve Months (TTM) revenue ending September 2024 at $176.82 million. That's a solid business, but defintely short of the half-billion-dollar goal. The TTM Operating Income was a loss of -$12.43 million, showing the integration costs and market pressures were still weighing on profitability.

The most recent, and arguably most critical, transformative decision was the agreement in late 2024 to be acquired by Atlantic International. This move, which closed in early 2025, was a strategic pivot that effectively ended the independent, public 'buy-and-build' era. The company continues to operate under its brand but as a wholly owned subsidiary, shifting the focus from external growth to internal integration and performance under a new parent company. This transaction valued the company at approximately $25 million.

This new structure means the company's focus is now on operational efficiency and market specialization:

• Streamline US-based commercial and professional staffing segments.
• Maximize returns from existing brands like Headway Workforce Solutions.
• Focus resources on high-demand areas like IT staffing.

To understand what drives the company now, you need to look at its core values and long-term aims: Mission Statement, Vision, & Core Values of Staffing 360 Solutions, Inc. (STAF).

Staffing 360 Solutions, Inc. (STAF) Ownership Structure

As of November 2025, Staffing 360 Solutions, Inc. is a publicly traded company on the NASDAQ, but its long-term structure is transitioning following a definitive merger agreement with Atlantic International Corp. (Atlantic) announced in late 2024. The company's immediate governance is controlled by a mix of public shareholders, institutional funds, and its own leadership team, who maintain a significant insider stake.

Staffing 360 Solutions, Inc.'s Current Status

Staffing 360 Solutions, Inc. is a public entity, trading under the ticker STAF on the NASDAQ stock exchange. However, this status is evolving; the company entered a definitive merger agreement in November 2024 to be acquired by Atlantic International Corp.. The intention is for Staffing 360 Solutions to operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlantic, though it is expected to retain its current management and brand. This means that while the company is currently public, the ultimate control and strategic direction are now largely dictated by the terms of the merger, with Atlantic shareholders poised to own approximately 90% of the combined entity on a fully diluted basis.

For investors, this shift translates to a focus on the combined entity's performance, which is forecasting a strong 2025 with an estimated annual revenue of $387 million and a projected Earnings Per Share (EPS) of $0.21 for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025. Honestly, the near-term risk is less about operational execution and more about the finilzation of the merger itself.

Staffing 360 Solutions, Inc.'s Ownership Breakdown

The ownership structure is highly fragmented, with the majority of shares held by the public float, which is typical for a smaller-cap public company. The percentages below reflect the common stock ownership breakdown as of early 2025, prior to the full consolidation of the merger's impact on the share structure, but they show who holds the immediate voting power.

The low institutional ownership of 0.54% is a key data point, suggesting that large funds have not yet taken a significant position, which can lead to higher stock volatility. You can dig deeper into the specific buyers and sellers in Exploring Staffing 360 Solutions, Inc. (STAF) Investor Profile: Who's Buying and Why?

Staffing 360 Solutions, Inc.'s Leadership

The company is steered by an experienced management team, with an average tenure of 5.3 years. This stability is defintely a positive sign, especially during a transitional period like a merger. The leadership is responsible for the company's strategy of acquiring and integrating staffing organizations to drive revenue, which is forecasted to hit $387 million for the 2025 fiscal year.

Key members of the executive and board team as of November 2025 include:

• Brendan Flood: Executive Chairman of the Board, President, and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He is the central figure, appointed CEO in December 2017.
• Alicia Barker: Chief Operating Officer (COO), Executive Vice President, and Director. She manages the day-to-day operations.
• Joe Yelenic: Senior Vice President, Corporate Finance and Principal Financial Officer (PFO). His role is crucial for managing the merger's financial integration.
• Melanie Grossman: Senior Vice President, Controller and Principal Accounting Officer.

This leadership structure provides a clear chain of command, which is important for executing on the company's projected $21 million in annual EBITDA for 2025.

Staffing 360 Solutions, Inc. (STAF) Mission and Values

Staffing 360 Solutions, Inc.'s core purpose transcends simple placement; it is fundamentally an aggressive, financial strategy to consolidate the fragmented staffing industry, aiming for scale and efficiency. Their values, though not always formally codified in a list, center on accretive growth and building a platform that delivers value to both clients and the combined entity's shareholders.

You're looking beyond the stock ticker to the company's DNA, and for Staffing 360 Solutions, Inc., that DNA is all about strategic acquisition (a 'buy-integrate-build' model) and financial scale. This strategy is the true mission, especially as the company navigates its merger with Atlantic International Corp. and the financial complexities of its early 2025 NASDAQ delisting.

Given Company's Core Purpose

The company's core purpose is defined less by a philanthropic statement and more by a disciplined, capital-intensive business model: to execute a targeted consolidation strategy within the staffing sector. This is how they create value in a highly competitive market.

Official mission statement

While Staffing 360 Solutions, Inc. does not publish a traditional, concise mission statement, their operating philosophy has consistently been described as the 'buy-integrate-build' strategy.

• Buy: Acquire complementary domestic and international staffing organizations, primarily targeting high-growth professional and commercial segments like IT, Finance, and Engineering.
• Integrate: Consolidate back-office functions and leverage shared operational platforms to drive cost synergies.
• Build: Grow the combined entity organically by cross-selling services across the newly integrated customer base.

They have a proven track record, having completed 5 complementary acquisitions since 2020 with a reported 87% average integration success rate. That's a defintely strong operating metric.

Vision statement

The company's vision is clearly expressed in its financial growth targets, reflecting a focus on scale to become a national leader in human capital management (HCM) and workforce solutions. This vision is now centered on the merger with Atlantic International Corp.

• Achieve an annualized revenue run rate of approximately $620 million for the combined Staffing 360 Solutions/Atlantic International entity, a roughly 50% increase over Atlantic's prior revenue base.
• Build a multibillion-dollar diversified services company through a combination of organic growth and further mergers and acquisitions (M&A).
• Deliver enhanced levels of service to a growing number of companies across the United States.

The ultimate goal is to achieve greater scale and liquidity, which historically has led to premium valuations for larger human capital management firms. For more on the strategic rationale, you should check out Exploring Staffing 360 Solutions, Inc. (STAF) Investor Profile: Who's Buying and Why?

Given Company slogan/tagline

Staffing 360 Solutions, Inc. does not have a widely publicized, formal external tagline. However, their internal focus on human capital is best summarized by a clear directive from their past investor materials:

• ALWAYS invest. in our people. and relationships.

This simple mantra highlights the critical non-financial value driver in the staffing industry: the quality of the talent pool and the strength of client-side relationships. The business is built on people, so you have to prioritize them.

Staffing 360 Solutions, Inc. (STAF) How It Works

Staffing 360 Solutions, Inc. (STAF) operates as a US-focused staffing and workforce solutions company, connecting specialized talent with businesses through a mix of temporary, contract, and permanent placement services.

The company essentially acts as a consolidator, executing a 'buy-integrate-build' strategy to acquire smaller staffing firms and integrate their operations onto a common platform to drive scale and capture a forecasted annual revenue of $387 million for the 2025 fiscal year.

Given Company's Product/Service Portfolio

Given Company's Operational Framework

The company's operational framework is built on a targeted acquisition strategy, having pivoted in early 2024 to focus exclusively on the US staffing market after divesting its UK operations.

This model aims to generate value through three core processes:

• Buy: Acquire US-based staffing firms, such as Monroe Staffing Services and Headway Workforce Solutions, that specialize in high-growth niches like IT and finance.
• Integrate: Consolidate the back-office functions-like payroll, billing, and technology-of the acquired entities to realize cost efficiencies and streamline processes.
• Build: Grow the combined entity's market share and profitability by cross-selling the full service suite (Professional, Commercial, EOR) to the larger, diversified client base.

Here's the quick math: the operational goal has historically been to drive annual revenues to $500 million through accretive acquisitions. The current 2025 forecast of $387 million in annual revenue shows they still have ground to cover to hit that target.

Given Company's Strategic Advantages

Staffing 360 Solutions' strategic advantages are currently centered on its focused market position and its comprehensive service offering, though these advantages are overshadowed by significant near-term financial risks.

• US Market Focus: The strategic shift to focus solely on the US market allows for concentrated resources in the world's largest and most dynamic staffing sector, which is projected to grow by 12.7% between 2022 and 2030.
• Integrated Service Model: Offering both direct staffing and Mission Statement, Vision, & Core Values of Staffing 360 Solutions, Inc. (STAF). EOR services provides a full-service solution for managing both sourced and client-identified contingent labor, a defintely competitive edge in risk-averse markets.
• Consolidation Expertise: The repeatable 'buy-integrate-build' model, if executed successfully, allows for rapid, non-organic scaling and the realization of cost synergies that smaller, independent firms cannot achieve.

What this estimate hides: The company faces substantial headwinds, including a total debt of $41.32 million and a recent history of negative EBITDA of -$10.49 million in the twelve months leading up to February 2025. Plus, the stock was delisted from NASDAQ in February 2025 due to failing to maintain the minimum stockholders' equity of $2.5 million, which severely limits capital access.

Staffing 360 Solutions, Inc. (STAF) How It Makes Money

Staffing 360 Solutions, Inc. (STAF) primarily generates revenue by placing temporary and permanent staff with clients across the United States in two core segments: Commercial Staffing and Professional Staffing. The company operates on a margin-based model, where it bills clients a higher rate (the bill rate) than the wages and associated costs (pay rate plus burden) paid to the placed employee, with the difference forming its gross profit.

The company's financial structure is currently defined by its focus on the US market following the divestiture of its UK operations in early 2024, and its ongoing reorganization under a Chapter 11 filing made in May 2025.

Staffing 360 Solutions' Revenue Breakdown

As of the trailing twelve months (TTM) ending around November 2025, Staffing 360 Solutions, Inc.'s total revenue was approximately $176.82 million. The revenue split highlights the company's reliance on its higher-margin Professional segment. I'm using the latest structural data, which shows a clear divergence in performance between the two divisions.

Here's the quick math: Professional Staffing contributed about $97.08 million of the TTM revenue, while Commercial Staffing accounted for roughly $79.74 million. The Professional segment, which covers IT, finance, and engineering roles, is showing resilience with a recent quarterly growth of 4.3%, but the Commercial segment is facing a challenging environment, with revenue declining by 19.2% in the most recent quarter.

Business Economics

The economic engine of Staffing 360 Solutions is the 'markup pricing model,' which is standard in the industry. You pay the employee a set pay rate, add a burden rate (payroll taxes, worker's compensation, benefits), and then apply a markup to arrive at the client's bill rate.

• Markup Range: For W-2 temporary assignments in the US staffing market, the average markup over the employee's pay rate is typically between 50% and 60%.
• Direct Costs vs. Service Fee: The direct costs-the pay rate plus the burden-can consume 60% to 85% of the total bill rate. The remaining percentage is the service fee, which covers all recruiting, administrative overhead, and profit.
• Margin Pressure: The company notes that a higher proportion of lower-margin Employer of Record (EOR) services is narrowing its gross margins. This is a defintely critical factor to watch, as the industry's net profit margin is already thin, often ranging from just 1% to 5%.
• Key Driver: The core economic driver for the business is the volume of billable hours multiplied by the gross profit per hour (the difference between the bill rate and the direct costs).

Staffing 360 Solutions' Financial Performance

The company's financial health as of November 2025 reflects significant operational and structural challenges, including a Chapter 11 reorganization filing in May 2025. However, the announced definitive merger agreement with Atlantic International Corp. is the major near-term opportunity, projecting a combined annual revenue of approximately $620 million.

• Total TTM Revenue: Approximately $176.82 million.
• Gross Profit Margin: The TTM gross profit margin is thin at 13.37%, reflecting the high cost of revenue inherent in the staffing business.
• Net Loss: The company reported a TTM net loss of approximately -$23.42 million, indicating that operating expenses and debt service are significantly outpacing gross profit.
• Net Profit Margin: This translates to a TTM net profit margin of -13.25%, a clear sign the current structure is not generating a profit.
• Future EPS Forecast: Analysts are banking on the merger to deliver a turnaround, forecasting earnings per share (EPS) to jump to $0.38 per share next year, compared to an expected loss for the 2025 fiscal year.

To understand the strategic rationale behind this financial restructuring, you should review the company's long-term goals: Mission Statement, Vision, & Core Values of Staffing 360 Solutions, Inc. (STAF).

Staffing 360 Solutions, Inc. (STAF) Market Position & Future Outlook

Staffing 360 Solutions, Inc. is in a critical restructuring phase, having filed for Chapter 11 reorganization in May 2025, which fundamentally shifts its market position from an aggressive acquisition-focused firm to one focused on financial stabilization and operational efficiency. The company's future trajectory hinges entirely on its ability to successfully emerge from bankruptcy with a cleaner balance sheet, aiming to capture a small but profitable segment of the US and UK staffing markets.

Competitive Landscape

You need to understand that Staffing 360 Solutions operates in a highly fragmented industry, but it competes against giants with vastly superior scale and financial resources. Its market share is negligible compared to major global players like ManpowerGroup and Randstad.

Here's the quick math: ManpowerGroup's revenue is approximately $17.64 billion, while Staffing 360 Solutions' last reported annual revenue was around $176.82 million, showing a difference in scale of over 100 times. The company's core advantage was its 'buy-and-build' strategy-acquiring smaller, profitable staffing firms to grow revenue quickly-but that strategy is now on hold as it navigates financial distress.

Opportunities & Challenges

The company's opportunities are inseparable from its challenges right now. The biggest opportunity is simply surviving the Chapter 11 process, but the risks are defintely existential given the financial figures and recent delisting. For a deeper dive into the numbers, you should read Breaking Down Staffing 360 Solutions, Inc. (STAF) Financial Health: Key Insights for Investors.

Industry Position

Staffing 360 Solutions' industry standing has deteriorated significantly in 2025. The company was delisted from NASDAQ in February 2025, due to a failure to maintain the minimum stockholders' equity requirement, and subsequently filed for Chapter 11 reorganization in May 2025. This is a major headwind, but still, the underlying business segments-Commercial Staffing and Professional Staffing-operate in markets with consistent demand.

• Revenue Outlook: Analyst forecasts project annual revenue could reach $387 million for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025, and EBITDA of $21 million, but these figures are highly speculative given the Chapter 11 filing and are likely based on a scenario of successful restructuring.
• Financial Health: The company's total debt of $41.32 million and negative stockholders' equity remain a massive concern.
• Market Niche: The company still holds a position in the mid-market staffing sector, providing temporary contractors and permanent placements across two core segments: Commercial-US and Professional-US.

The reality is, the company is not currently competing on growth; it's competing on survival. A successful Chapter 11 exit is the only strategic initiative that matters right now, as it could potentially wipe out debt and allow the underlying profitable business units to operate without the crushing debt load.