No matter how well you do your due diligence before the march to the altar, it’s only human to have a bit of apprehension about what you’ll discover once the ink dries on the wedding contract and the celebrations are over. I’ve watched some clients go through mergers, only to find that promises made before the marriage proved empty. Even though I know we’re still in the honeymoon phase, that’s clearly not the case in our situation.

I am pleased to report that the integration of The Ayers Group with Kelly Services is progressing very smoothly. Far from unpleasant surprises, we’re finding continuous affirmation that we made the right choice. Our new partners are smart, creative, and real team players. Their values and attitudes toward clients are in sync with ours. There is real alignment.

One of the most important things being affirmed is the tremendous synergy among the business-unit leaders and managers of the Kelly organization and Ayers. Two weeks after the deal was completed, there was a gathering of the worldwide leadership of the Staffing Alternatives segment of Kelly’s Professional, Technical and Staffing Alternatives (PTSA) Group, of which Ayers is the newest part. It was an opportunity for bonding and leadership training. But most important, it was a chance to learn about the other units in our segment—HR First, Kelly Vendor Management Services (KVMS), and Kelly Management Services (KMS)—and for them to learn who we are and what we do.

We are investing a great deal of time in education about our new partners and the specifics of how the relationship will provide added value for our clients. Kelly’s training initiatives have tapped everyone at Ayers in regard to developing our knowledge of the services Kelly provides and every aspect of the organization. We have been meeting the key leaders of the other divisions, getting a feel for each other’s capabilities.

One of the most important success factors in this merger is the fact that Ayers complements, rather than duplicates, Kelly’s businesses. Our addition to the PTSA strengthens the organization’s service portfolio, making it possible to provide a broader, more integrated human resources solution for Kelly’s clients and address their needs throughout all phases of the economic cycle.

Ayers’ clients will benefit from the combination of the two organizations’ strengths and expertise—not to mention our 90+ collective years of experience. And although our ongoing partnership in Career Partners International provides us with a global footprint, we are expanding that further as part of the Kelly organization. We are now in a position to open the door to services we could never provide before, including specialized recruiting capabilities in law, science, engineering, healthcare, and accounting/tax, as well as non-core business functions (e.g., call-center management, light assembly, warehouse, office services).

Joan Caruso is spearheading an Integration Sales Task Force comprising key members of sales management from all Kelly businesses. A major focus of this effort will be identifying all the services Kelly provides that might be of value to our clients and how best to communicate and provide those services.

So often when there’s a merger or acquisition, there is redundancy and people are asked to leave. Because that’s not the case here, you are going to continue to see the same faces and work with the same people. The integration is recreating Ayers as a public firm with broadened capabilities and global reach that retains a small-company approach: high-quality, customized service and partnering with clients. We look forward to putting our new capabilities to work for you.

“The acquisition of The Ayers Group is a central component of our strategy to provide comprehensive talent-management solutions to our global customers. We are very excited about the completion of this acquisition and welcome the talented management team and employees of The Ayers Group to the Kelly organization.” Carl Camden President and CEO Kelly Services