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BKD Indiana Excellence Award Winner Staff Source / Contract Services Group
Staff Source / Contract Services Group won the BKD Indiana Excellence Award in the Service Category for their innovative site AvailableCandidateList.com. The site markets some of their top candidates to their clients. Other Related Media Press Release Indiana Business Article Video of the Awards	BKD Indiana Excellence Awards: From left to right - Mirko Marich, Chris Recupido, Dan Kesic
Small Business Person of the Year Mirko Marich and Milan Kesic Staff Source Inc.
More than 1,000 unemployed Northwest Indiana residents landed jobs last year because of the guidance provided by Staff Source Inc. in Hammond. Whether blue-collar, white-collar, skilled or unskilled–the needs are the same from industries across the region: bring us workers. But for all the work Mirko Marich and Milan Kesic have put into finding work for others in the last nine years, they're also expanding their business ventures to include managed services, such as assembly and parts work through Contract Services Group. "They play a vital role in assisting with the economy of Northwest Indiana," says Brian Rusin of People's Bank, who nominated Staff Source. "Through some of those jobs they help create, filling short-term needs for companies, a lot of companies are obtaining great benefits because of the service they are able to provide."	Small Business Persons of the Year: More than a thousand unemployed Northwest Indiana residents landed jobs last year through Staff Source, Inc., founded by Mirko Marich (right) and Milan Kesic.
About 40 percent of all of those coming through Staff Source's doors go from temporary to permanent jobs, Marich says. Those who can't land a permanent job, he says, go through additional training to make them more marketable. The firm has also expanded to become a head-hunter for corporations in need of managerial help. We do customized searches for materials managers or maintenance mechanics, whatever they need," says Marich. "Whatever it is, we have people on call 24/7 and have a readily available pool of people looking to work or we’ll find the right person."
Hard Work and Desire Make Dreams Reality for Dan Kesic
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.