Blue Signal Ranks No. 1750 on the 2021 Inc. 5000

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Blue Signal Ranks No. 1750 on the 2021 Inc. 5000,

With Three-Year Revenue Growth of 261 Percent

Inc. Magazine Reveals Annual List of

America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies—the Inc. 5000

 

Inc. magazine today revealed that Blue Signal Search is No. 1750 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy’s most dynamic segment—its independent small businesses. Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000. Blue Signal stands out as one of only 117 Arizona companies that made the list this year.

"We are proud and humbled to be on the Inc. 5000 list alongside many of our partners and clients," says Blue Signal CEO, Matt Walsh. "This recognition is a testament to our clients, candidates, and team. We are thankful for the opportunities to help build and grow many Inc. 5000 clients and appreciate the opportunity to be among them."

Not only have the companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but this year’s list also proved especially resilient and flexible given 2020’s unprecedented challenges. Among the 5,000, the average median three-year growth rate soared to 543 percent, and median revenue reached $11.1 million. Together, those companies added more than 610,000 jobs over the past three years.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000. The top 500 companies are featured in the September issue of Inc., which will be available on newsstands on August 20.

“The 2021 Inc. 5000 list feels like one of the most important rosters of companies ever compiled,” says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. “Building one of the fastest-growing companies in America in any year is a remarkable achievement. Building one in the crisis we’ve lived through is just plain amazing. This kind of accomplishment comes with hard work, smart pivots, great leadership, and the help of a whole lot of people.”

 

More about Blue Signal

Having successfully completed over 1,400 search projects, it’s no surprise that Blue Signal has the experience, relationships, and tools to achieve this massive growth. Our deep industry knowledge – from 245 combined years of recruiting experience – and streamlined processes help clients to secure high caliber talent within tight timeframes. As a top executive search firm, we have been a driving force in our clients’ professional successes. At Blue Signal, we immerse ourselves in our client’s businesses and our candidate’s careers to fully understand top priorities and the best direction of both parties. Our reputation is built on our ability to consistently incorporate these priorities into all of our searches to make long term, impactful connections.

Blue Signal’s success has gained the attention within the industry for our client services and candidate processes. We are proud to have won awards such as Inc. Magazine’s Best Workplaces 2021, #2 Executive Search Firm in Arizona for 3 consecutive years, #4 Technical Placement Firm 2021, Largest Direct Hire-Permanent Placement Firms for the Phoenix Business Journal 2021, Forbes America’s Best Temporary Staffing Firm 2020, the Best of Arizona Business 2019, Best Wireless & Telecom Workforce Recruitment Agency – USA 2019, Top Recruiter – Best of Tempe 2021 & 2019, and #2 Best Places to Work in Arizona. Among our leadership, Matt Walsh has joined the Pinnacle Society and was recognized as one of the 30 Most Inspiring Business Leaders in 2019.

 

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000

Methodology

Companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2017 to 2020. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2017. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies—as of December 31, 2020. (Since then, some on the list may have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2017 is $100,000; the minimum for 2020 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Growth rates used to determine company rankings were calculated to three decimal places. There was one tie on this year’s Inc. 5000.  Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.’s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.

About Inc. Media

The world’s most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including web sites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Vision Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

For more information on the Inc. 5000 Vision Conference, visit http://conference.inc.com/.

2020-2021 Blue Signal Virtual Summit Awards

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In 2020, Blue Signal expanded its recruiting team to 24 full-time recruiters, brought on an additional 3 operations team members, and awarded several promotions to some of its senior team members. We placed over 300 qualified candidates in exciting new roles, and despite the difficult circumstances brought on by Covid-19, we were able to exceed our annual revenue from 2019. This year our annual Blue Signal Summit looked a little different as it was held virtually, rather than in-person in Scottsdale, Arizona. None the less, we were elated to come together to review our record-breaking 2020 awards and discuss big plans for 2021 and beyond.

If it weren’t for our incredible leadership, we would not be where we are today. At the Summit, Blue Signal Owner and Executive Vice President, Matt Walsh, announced several awards to recognize some of our top performers and exemplary mentors.

Top Cash In & Top Billings 2020 - Ryan Walsh

Top Cash In & Top Billings 2020 - Ryan Walsh

Within his first two years in the industry, Ryan Walsh has achieved the awards for Top Cash-In and Top Billings two years in a row - a feat unheard of in recruiting. This past year he was promoted to Senior Recruiting Manager for his diligence and eagerness to share knowledge with junior members of the team. While accepting his award, Ryan took the time to thank his team and the fellow recruiters that worked together on split placements that all contributed to securing these milestones. He also gave a special shoutout to our Project Manager Kimberly Sjurson, who was brought on just six months ago and has truly made a huge impact at Blue Signal through her hard work and dedication. 

MVP Award 2020 - Lacey Walters

MVP Award 2020 - Lacey Walters

As the “lifeblood of Blue Signal,” Lacey Walters was recognized as the three-time recipient of the MVP, Top Contributor award. During his speech, Matt mentioned that without Lacey’s daily, behind-the-scenes work, none of what we do at Blue Signal would be possible. Over the years, Lacey has been able to grow her team, and by building an incredible support system she leads the execution of all marketing aspects for Blue Signal with ease. She is truly the company’s MVP and has proven it time and time again as she contributes to the company’s overall success and earns this acknowledgment.

Record-Breaking 2020 Awards - Jonathan Lee

Excellence Award 2020 - Jonathan Lee

In his announcement, Matt congratulated Jonathan Lee with the nickname “Jonny Excellence,” as this award was created specifically with him in mind. Matt voiced his appreciation of all Jonathan’s support, as he is always there to help with the most positive attitude and continues to put in the extra mile in all he does. As the first recipient of the Best Support Award at last year’s summit, it comes with no surprise that Jonathan is yet again acknowledged for his hard work. Jonathan is constantly focused on excellence for himself and the team and is truly a beacon of the word. We’re extremely grateful to have Jonathan as part of the team!

Record-Breaking 2020 Awards - Kelsey Campion

Top Contractor Billings 2020 - Kelsey Campion

With over $100K in contractor billings, Kelsey Campion secured the award for the Top Contractor Billings in 2020. Matt said it best when he described Kelsey as an “absolute machine” when it comes to contract roles. He mentioned her extreme dedication and work ethic as she is always making herself available by working nights, weekends, and holidays to secure her roles and keep pushing for more. Kelsey’s efforts this year played a huge part in Blue Signal being recognized as part of Forbes’ annual list of America’s Best Temporary Staffing Firms for 2020. We don’t know how she does it, but she continues to improve and outperform her personal records on a regular basis.

Record-Breaking 2020 Awards - Brent Stokes

First Year Top Billings 2020 - Brent Stokes

In order to recognize Brent Stokes’ mind-blowing performance, this award was newly created to recognize his achievements as a new member of the Blue Signal team. With almost 4 years of recruiting experience behind him, Brent joined Blue Signal in February of 2020 and was able to secure over $300K in total billings in the remaining 10 months of the year. In his speech, Matt congratulated Brent on all he has accomplished and shared his appreciation for Brent’s dedication to learning, and for serving as a role model for others to learn from. We hope to replicate this kind of success and drive in future recruiters to come.

These 5 individuals embody Blue Signal’s core values of excellence, transparency, integrity, commitment, and respect. They put clients and candidates first, no matter the circumstance; and drive the culture of the organization through leading by example. These standout team members earned their prestigious recognition, and we are all excited to see what success 2021 will bring them, and the company as a whole.

Blue Signal Core Values

Blue Signal Gives Back 2018

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In November 2018, Blue Signal launched its first ever Blue Signal Gives Back initiative. In an effort to give back to our community, we implemented a program where the entire team worked together to raise money for a charitable organization of their choosing.

Blue Signal’s company culture is unique in many ways. While we do have four brick and mortar offices – two in Illinois, and two in Arizona including our new HQ – we also find our workplace all across the US in the homes of our remote workers! Because of this, it has been important for us to remain a close-knit company in many creative ways. The Blue Signal Gives Back Initiative allowed us to work as a team to accomplish one major goal – giving back. And we learned a lot about one another along the way!

Here’s how it worked: The program ran for 6 weeks from November through the end of December 2018. All recruiters chose a nonprofit charitable organization that was important to them, and teamed up with members of the support staff. Each team was able to earn money through Send-Outs, Placements, and various metric benchmarks and company trivia. Every week a progress report was sent out to the company, keeping track of which team was in the lead. At the end of the year, the points were added up and the team with the most cash won! The best part? Blue Signal took all the money earned from ALL teams, and donated it to the charity chosen by the winner – placing the donation in their honor. That meant that every send out, every placement, regardless of the winner, translated to a win for one lucky charitable organization.  Each employee’s hard work directly benefited the winning organization.

Blue Signal Gives Back Results

At our year-end holiday party, the Blue Signal Summit – Ryan Walsh was announced the winner. His efforts put him and his organization, the American Parkinson Disease Association, in the lead. Ryan and the entire Blue Signal team was able to raise $1,632.50 to donate to the cause. We are so proud to have had this opportunity to work together as a company to give back to our community!

 

More about the American Parkinson Disease Association – The APDA is the largest grassroots network dedicated to fighting Parkinson’s disease (PD) and works tirelessly to assist the more than 1 million Americans with PD live life to the fullest in the face of this chronic, neurological disorder. Founded in 1961, APDA has raised and invested more than $177 million to provide outstanding patient services and educational programs, elevate public awareness about the disease, and support research designed to unlock the mysteries of PD and ultimately put an end to this disease.