Elite Staffing Solutions founder went from rags to riches

Chris Rickerson went from refinancing his van so he could pay for child care to having one of the fastest-growing companies in Wichita.

In 2013, Rickerson lost his job at another staffing company in Wichita and vowed to start a better one, Elite Staffing Solutions.

“I had three boys to raise,” he said. “I maxed out my credit card, sold a paid-off car and refinanced my 2003 Windstar to pay for day care so I could work.”

Apparently, he wasn’t crazy. By 2016, he said, the company had $2.9 million in yearly revenue, and is now debt-free.

The company provides construction, administrative and professional temps. He also offers direct hire and temp-to-permanent placements.

Sixty percent of his work is general labor. When his office opens at 5:15 a.m., there are usually about 20 people waiting, he said.

“I tried something new: I tell them bring boots, a good attitude and be here at 5:15, and we’ll put you to work,” he said. “We vet them as they go. We see who works and how they behave.”

Q: Best business advice you have received:

A: Not advice, but an experience: He opened an office in Indianapolis with a partner. He no longer has the office or the partner. “I learned more from that than I would have in college, and it was a lot cheaper.”

Q: Best business advice you wish you’d taken:

A: Again, an experience: “I wish I’d been able to have mentors to get valuable advice.”

Q: What sets your company apart?

A: “I’m building people up instead of holding them down in an industry that can be oppressive.”

Q: Why do you prefer to run your own business as opposed to working for someone else?

A: “I always wanted to be successful. I could never have had the opportunity in life if I continued to work for somebody else.”

Q: What’s your company’s next goal?

A: “I’m hoping to do $3.5 (million) this year; that is a very attainable goal. And I would like to open another location — and it won’t be halfway across the country.”

This story was originally published April 19, 2017 at 4:44 PM with the headline "Elite Staffing Solutions founder went from rags to riches."