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WSI Named a 2026 Network Impact Award Winner by Staffing Referrals

Recognition honors WSI's Best in Class performance in Light Industrial staffing, driven by the strength of its referral network

KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Workforce Strategies, Inc. (WSI), a Midwest-based staffing and recruiting firm, has been named a 2026 Network Impact Award winner by Staffing Referrals, earning Best in Class honors in the Light Industrial category.

The Network Impact Awards recognize staffing firms that most effectively grow their business through employee and candidate referrals, based on data collected through the Staffing Referrals platform. Winners are selected for placing a significant share of referred candidates into jobs — a direct reflection of the trust candidates and employees place in their experience with the firm.

This award was earned one referral at a time, by people who trusted this team enough to send them a friend.

David Folwell, President of Staffing Referrals

For WSI, the honor reflects a simple reality: the people it places are its best advocates. Across its offices, WSI connects job seekers with light industrial, manufacturing, skilled trades, and professional opportunities — and a growing share of those candidates come through referrals from people who’ve had a good experience with the WSI team.

Jeff O’Brien, WSI CEO said, “At WSI, we made a strategic decision to invest heavily in employee referrals because we believe the best recruiting networks are built on trust, not job-board traffic. Our experience has shown us that great employees tend to know other great employees, which is why our best employees are also our best recruiters. For our clients, that means access to a deeper network of proven, referred candidates who may never respond to a traditional job posting. This award validates the investment we’ve made in building that network and, more importantly, the competitive advantage it creates for the companies that partner with WSI.”

For businesses partnering with WSI, this recognition underscores what a strong referral network signals: candidates who are engaged, satisfied, and willing to put their own name behind the recommendation. That’s a pipeline built on trust — not just volume.

About WSI WSI is an award-winning staffing and recruiting agency specializing in light industrial, manufacturing, skilled trades, and professional placement throughout the Midwest. WSI connects job seekers with opportunity and helps businesses solve their toughest workforce challenges. Learn more at wsitalent.com.

About Staffing Referrals Staffing Referrals is a referral marketing platform built for the staffing industry, helping firms grow through the power of employee and candidate networks. The Network Impact Awards recognize the firms that do this best.

Google NotebookLM Unleashed! Webinar

A year ago, WSI showed our team, friends and clients why Google NotebookLM stands out: it stays grounded in the sources you trust, so your AI outputs are more reliable without AI hallucinations. Since then, NotebookLM has evolved from a “smart notebook” into a necessary and practical production tool for building client-ready media assets, training tools, and executive reports fast.

Join WSI’s Jade Johnson and Mark Keady on Wednesday, April 8 at 2:00 PM ET for a focused, one-hour workshop designed for hiring and operations leaders.

Live demos will include building slide decks and correcting them on the fly, creating illustrated infographics, turning a YouTube video into instructional graphics, drafting SOPs, producing explainer-style training content, building structures with mindmaps, and generating study guides and data tables that can be moved into tools like Google Sheets.

You will see how to use Google’s Gemini Gems alongside NotebookLM to standardize your outputs, reduce rework, and keep deliverables consistent across teams. We will also cover using Deep Research and built-in web search capabilities to build a strong source set quickly, so your summaries, recommendations, and training materials stay well-researched and on-message.

This is a free client webinar. RSVP is required to save your seat.

When: Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at 2:00 pm

What to Expect: Practical, ready-to-use AI techniques to work smarter.

This isn’t about becoming a developer. It’s about staying ahead of the curve, using AI as your creative partner to uncover the stories inside your data.

What you’ll get:

Leveraging resources to illuminate your presentations
Step-by-step guidance to build unique graphic materials to support your data
A new confidence with AI you didn’t think you’d have

Save your spot now — seats are limited.

AI and Recruitment AI development AI for HR Professionals webinar

AI Dashboard Magic Webinar

With our WSI AI Training Webinars this year, you’ve learned how to prompt. You’ve played with AI tools. Now it’s time to make them work for you.

Our next webinar, AI Dashboard Magic, shows HR professionals how to turn everyday data into interactive dashboards using tools you already have — Google Sheets, Looker Studio, and Microsoft Excel. No coding experience required.

Join Mark Keady, WSI AI Integrationist, on December 3 at 2 PM for a free, fast-moving webinar as we walk through how to add scripts in Google Sheets, preview how your data comes alive in Google Looker Studio, and explore the best and easiest ways to build dashboards in Excel. You’ll see how AI tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini can “vibe code” alongside you — writing scripts, automating updates, and visualizing your data in real time.

When: Wednesday, December 3rd, 2025, at 2:00 pm
What to Expect: Practical, ready-to-use AI techniques to work smarter.

This isn’t about becoming a developer. It’s about staying ahead of the curve, using AI as your creative partner to uncover the stories inside your data.

What you’ll get:

Live demo using real HR examples like payroll and retention
Step-by-step guidance to build your first dashboard
A new confidence with AI you didn’t think you’d have

Save your spot now — seats are limited.

AI and Recruitment AI development AI for HR Professionals webinar

Automate the Boring: Easily Build No-Code AI Assistants

Let’s face it — HR is filled with repetitive tasks that drain your time and energy. Résumé reviews, handbook questions, data entry, onboarding checklists… the list goes on. What if you could automate those instantly and get back to what matters most?

AI for HR Professionals AI in Hiring AI Webinar AI-Powered Decision Making AI-Powered HR Compliance Management Digital Transformation Employee Retention Employee Training Tools Future of HR Google Notebook LM Hiring Strategies HR Automation HR best practices HR Efficiency HR Innovation HR Technology Recruitment Strategies Talent Acquisition Workforce Management Workplace Productivity

It’s Official: WSI Earns This Award for The Tenth Time In a Row

man in a red shirt gets a high five in an office setting. He works for WSI and is holding a plaque for WSI winning the Best Companies in the Nation to work for.

We’re thrilled to share that WSI has been recognized once again as one of the Best & Brightest Companies to Work For – both in West Michigan and nationwide – for the 10th year in a row.

This recognition isn’t just about longevity. It’s about consistency, leadership, and the meaningful ways we invest in our people and our culture. Each year, the Best and Brightest program identifies organizations that go above and beyond in their employment practices, employee engagement, and commitment to community.

To be considered, companies are evaluated on key factors like:

Leadership, Strategy & Performance
Community Initiatives & Corporate Responsibility
Recruitment & Talent Development
Work-Life Blend & Employee Well-Being

This year, WSI achieved a 95% response rate on the employee engagement survey—a clear sign that our people are not just present, but actively invested in shaping who we are.

But what truly sets this recognition apart is its depth. The evaluation includes detailed benchmarking, comparative reports, and insight-sharing opportunities that allow companies to keep learning and growing. For us, it’s a validation of everything we believe in: strong teams, shared values, and meaningful work.

At WSI, our mission has always been to connect great people with great companies. This award reminds us that how we do that – through trust, care, and excellence – matters just as much as the results.

Here’s to 10 years of recognition, and many more of impact.

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WSI’s Involvement in AI Makes the News

Last week, WSI had an exciting opportunity to share our involvement in the ever-evolving AI landscape with Kirk Mason, the morning anchor at WWMT Newschannel 3. As AI continues to shape industries and redefine workflows, we were thrilled to showcase how WSI is not only embracing this technology but also actively dispelling common misconceptions about its impact on jobs.

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“That’s What The Money Is For!” – Except it’s not.

Paychecks matter, but true employee appreciation goes beyond money. This Employee Appreciation Day, show your team they’re valued every day.

Best Places to Work company culture Employee Appreciation employee benefits Employee Engagement Employee Motivation Employee Recognition Employee Retention Employee Value Leadership Appreciation Leadership Strategies Manufacturing Workforce Positive Work Environment recognition programs Team Acknowledgment Workplace Culture Workplace Morale Workplace Perks workplace well-being WorkTango

Wall Street Journal Recognizes WSI as Best and Brightest Company to Work For in the Nation

At Workforce Strategies Inc. (WSI), we believe that a workplace thrives when its people do. We are honored to be recognized in the Wall Street Journal on February 19, 2025, as one of the Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in the Nation.

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AI-Powered HR Webinar

Have you ever wondered what AI could actually do for you in your day-to-day? We hear about AI all the time, but the real value lies in knowing how to use it to make work easier, faster, and even a bit more creative. If you’re ready to explore AI’s true potential, join us for our upcoming session “AI-Powered HR: The Future of Hiring, Retention & Workforce Management”