After being in staffing for twenty years, Daphne Phalon couldn’t ignore a feeling that her employer at the time didn’t hold her same priorities for putting people first.

“I started to realize that what I liked most about staffing was missing from my current job,” she said. “It felt really transactional and all about filling a job, not about finding the right job for a candidate, and finding the right candidate for a company.”

That feeling - to put people first - inspired her to quit what Phalon noted was, “a perfectly good job” so that she could launch Ardent Staffing Solutions in Marlborough in March 2021, appropriately on International Women’s Day.

Within a few months, a new client in Holyoke necessitated the addition of a second office. That was the perfect opportunity for her to utilize space at Venture X Holyoke. Being able to move into the ready-to-go space meant she could focus immediately on the client.

“We were able to launch pretty quickly for that customer and start building the business around it,” Phalon said.

Moving on up

Initially Phalon rented a three-person office at Venture X Holyoke but soon discovered that the space was too small. With two dedicated employees in Holyoke, plus Phalon and a sales employee using the space part time, they needed something with more capacity.

The ink had barely dried on their initial Venture X Holyoke contract, yet staff quickly accommodated the request for a larger office and helped to navigate the transition.

“Midstream we were able to triple our space and move closer to the lobby with really no issues whatsoever,” Phalon said. “They’re very flexible to grow with you, and they want to. They’re investing in their long-term relationships here and the community here.”

Phalon touts many reasons that business owners should consider the co-working space, and frequently recommends those benefits to others.

“If you’re looking to move into [the Holyoke] market, this would be a great launching pad for that. There’s a great camaraderie,” she said.

From the location to the administrative support, and from the variety of tenants to the clean and welcoming space, Phalon believes there are plenty of perks for a business of any size.

A Special Touch

On a personal level, the advantages Venture X Holyoke has provided to her own business since day one is a significant reason for her support. 

“I really like the fact that, although we have a really small team here,… we always have someone to meet and greet our visitors and candidates so they feel welcomed,” she said.

Making her candidates feel important is a big part of what Ardent Staffing Solutions does. They work with skilled manufacturing, engineering, administrative and professional positions, for both direct hires and temporary to permanent opportunities.   

Launching Ardent Staffing Solutions was a big leap, but it’s what Phalon felt was the right thing to do.

“Why wouldn’t I just take everything that I’d learned over 20 years and create something better that brought all of that back, that put people back into the equation?” she asked.

It All Starts With a Tour

When your business needs to grow, why wait? With Venture X Holyoke it’s possible to get the space you need without waiting for a lease to end. Book a tour today!