Dan Kesic, 30, never expected to be where he is – partnered in a staffing company managing their Customer Relations
and Marketing departments.
It was Kesic’s strong work ethic and willingness to adapt that have paid off and put him in the top sales position as vice president and regional director for Staff Source, of which he is part owner. The Hammond-based staffing company provides more than 600 employees daily to over 100 businesses that range from light and heavy industrial to clerical and professional.
When Kesic graduated from Indiana University in 1997 his dreams revolved around criminal justice and a job with the United States Drug enforcement Agency (DEA). An opportunity to work for the U.S. Department of Defense in Bosnia took him there for a year where he provided translating and cultural consulting services.
“It was cool. I made good money. That’s where I grew up,” he says.
When his brother Milan Kesic and friend Mirko Marich asked him if he wanted to invest in a staffing venture, Kesic came on board, but saw himself only as an investor.
“I had my heart set on the DEA,” he says, “but when I recognized the magnitude of the opportunity that was presented to me, I eagerly switched gears.”
“I was totally clueless of this industry,”Kesic says, adding Marich, who worked in staffing, taught him and his brother the ins and outs of the business.
Starting in a small office in East Chicago, in 1998, the trio spent $80,000 to remodel the office and secured a $200,000 line of credit that would be used to front payroll expenses for the staffing business.
Dan Kesic, Staffing Company Owner and Partner
“At first, there was no salary. We couldn’t even pull a check for ourselves,” Kesic says. “We took a risk to quit the comfort of our lives to start something new. It’s the way I was raised. My dad came here from Europe with a suitcase. He has able to put us through college and live a good, middle class life. He always taught us to work hard. That’s where we got our drive.”
That drive is the force behind Staff Source’s climb to over $12 million in business in five years – an amount that has been increasing every year.
It was a demanding time as Kesic secured the Wrigley Field account for staff concession workers. That meant setting up a satellite office in Chicago and busing employees to the site.
Staff Source has brought on a new staff, Kesic says, and now employs seven people in addition to him, his brother and Marich. Kesic handles sales and customer service, while his brother manages the office and fills job orders. Marich heads up a Joint Venture called Contract Services Group, which is hired to perform complete components of work; providing facilities, tooling, processes, manpower, and management.
Buying the real estate and building at Staff Source’s current location at 2500 E. 165th St., Hammond, valued at $1.4 million, was a major step for the company.
“We’ve put a lot into this site. Our business runs like a well oiled machine, we wanted a facility which reflected that,” Kesic says.