By Jessica LaGrossa

IONEX Research Corporation is an engineering and quality assurance based company that designs and manufactures high-performance process filtration and treatment equipment used in environmental and personnel working atmosphere systems. In other words, explained Tiffiny Pergola, human resources administrator, IONEX creates filtration units that become the barrier that protects between nuclear waste and the public.

What began over 35 years ago as a company creating absorbent chemicals for radioactive commercial power plants developed into the premiere manufacturer of air borne waste treatment systems when power plants began to contact IONEX to make air filtration units because of the company’s unique understanding of the chemicals involved in nuclear power. “All of that nuclear waste needs to be contained when nuclear plants close down,” said Pergola.

Based in Lafayette, CO, IONEX also works closely with government agencies in developing and testing technologies used in the treatment and destruction of chemical warfare agents and nuclear fission products.

When it comes to being a highly specialized, unique company, IONEX fits the bill. Therefore, it takes a highly specialized, unique temp agency to fill IONEX’s employment needs. So they turned to Employment Solutions in 2015 and haven’t looked back.

“When I first came on, my boss, the director of HR, had been using other temp agencies to fill the skilled positions,” shared Pergola. “But the quality of hires just weren’t what we needed.”

When an ES recruiter showed up on the scene, Pergola instantly connected with her energy and what ES offered. “For a little while, we used both agencies,” she said. “But we found that the quality of employee that we got from ES was better.”

Pergola solely took over IONEX’s HR department this past January. “I’m a one man show now,” she said. “And now that I am the only person in HR, I feel it is best to only work with ES—it is such a time saver and I know that they are handling everything in the on boarding process.”

From interviewing to pre-employment drug testing, Pergola can count on ES taking care of it all.      “I just know that the people ES sends over are going to have strong work ethics and will pass those tests, and ES handles it all,” she said. “It frees up a lot of my time and I can focus on the actual employees and ensure that everyone is working well and is happy.”

And it is important to Pergola to have the ability to focus on her employees. IONEX handles large government contracts and often needs to hire for special projects. While there are currently about 40 full time employees on staff, that number will change soon as they begin yet another large project which will require several temp employees.

IONEX basically does everything—from design to creation—in-house. “Not only do we employ a group of very specialized engineers, but we also have our own manufacturing department and we build everything from the ground up,” explained Pergola. “After the engineers complete their designs, they are sent over to our manufacturing building right next door.”

Typically, Pergola seeks all levels of welders, material handlers, punch operators, and machinists. And she hires for these positions almost exclusively through ES now because of the high work ethic of the employees sourced through ES.

“I know it can be difficult to be an employee working with a temp agency,” explained Pergola. “But I feel like our temp employees just seem very happy and well taken care of. They speak so highly of their relationship with ES and have so much respect for their recruiters and the company.”

Pergola’s own allegiance to ES also has deep roots in her experience with the ES recruiters. “My personal preference to use ES has a lot to do with the relationships that I have built with the recruiters I work with,” she explained. “They give us personal attention as a company and are very accessible. They truly are partners with us, which we have never had before and I can’t imagine not having it that way after having experienced it.”