An Authentic Ally in Their Corner: How BBSI Helped HTG Break New Ground

Learn how BBSI helped Hendrickson Transportation Group resolve an onboarding crunch and free up manpower for more important tasks, all while building an authentic new relationship built on trust and mutual understanding.

About Hendrickson and Steven Beck >>

Challenges While Growing >>

The BBSI Approach >>

Results >>

Future Plans >>

Find a Trusted Partner in BBSI >>

Executive Summary

Hendrickson Transportation Group (HTG) is a transit management and consulting firm headquartered in Waco, Texas that specializes in small and mid-sized urban and rural transportation systems. HTG manages and operates transit systems around the country, and in July 2023, were presented with the opportunity to expand into North Carolina with the acquisition of the ARRIVE Wilson County Transportation system.

Before expanding into North Carolina, HTG’s business model involved managing pre-existing transportation staff on established HR and payroll systems. In accepting the contract with Wilson County, HTG was taking on a new challenge - full responsibility for an entire transit system, including direct management of daily operations, staff, HR, insurance, and payroll.

Two weeks before going live, HTG’s General Manager, Steven Beck needed to settle on a payroll system that would accommodate the demands of the contract. Big names like Kronos and ADP were far too expensive, and lower-cost methods like spreadsheets would be too time-consuming and error-prone.

That’s when their insurance broker recommended BBSI.

HTG immediately resonated with BBSI’s personal and authentic approach to business and were thoroughly impressed with the effort, assistance, and results they saw after choosing us as their partner.

HTG successfully onboarded all Wilson County Transportation employees within 10 days, thanks to BBSI’s quick response and diligent actions.
Steven achieved his goal of reducing time spent on HR and payroll tasks.
The entire team became CPR and first-aid certified, a requirement HTG wasn’t previously familiar with, thanks to BBSI’s genuine commitment to employee safety and to the client relationship.

About Hendrickson & Steven Beck

HTG is a wholly and proudly American-owned transportation firm with locations in Oklahoma, Texas, and North Carolina. They provide transportation solutions primarily to transit agencies and local governments. HTG is involved in projects of many shapes and sizes, including urban and rural transit systems, ADA paratransit services, route planning, grant administration, and more.

Steven Beck is a seasoned transit manager who began his career as a driver. Having experienced every level of the transportation industry, he was well-equipped to lead the Wilson County expansion for HTG. His skills and insights also meant he was in a unique position to assess the value BBSI brings to businesses in the industry.

HTG is a small team that prides itself on its direct and genuine approach to business partnerships. This approach helped them land the ARRIVE Wilson County contract in July 2023.

According to Steven, “We don’t bring the dog and pony show; we are the dog and pony show.”

Their streamlined team limits bureaucracy, and they value the personal relationships that can be formed via sustained interactions — an approach they saw reflected in BBSI.

"We were working with our insurance broker when he mentioned BBSI. So, we met with them, and I can say my life is a whole lot easier every day because I have BBSI’s support."

Challenges and Objectives

Being a small team is advantageous for HTG. They use their streamlined structure to give personal care and attention to all of their customers and build real relationships that drive mutual growth.

However, being a small team does come with a set of problems. Namely, not having extra time to handle HR and payroll tasks like onboarding or time management, which is where the first big challenge of the Wilson County expansion became apparent.

Too Many Tasks for One General Manager

One thing was certain from the start; payroll would need to be outsourced. Taxes, employee benefits, and time tracking were too time consuming for a single general manager to handle on his own.

In the past, HTG’s managers were able to rely on pre-existing, well-established HR and payroll systems. They were managing existing employees rather than running the entire operation.

That all changed with the ARRIVE program, for which HTG needed to supply their own staff and take direct control over things like vehicle maintenance, employee certifications, HR, payroll, and workers’ compensation insurance. Steven simply didn’t have enough time in the day to do it all.

An Onboarding Crunch

Onboarding brought more issues. Their existing onboarding process involved approximately 100 pages that needed to be read, signed, or initialed, and going over every page took about an hour per employee.

Despite the existing process, onboarding needed to happen quickly for the expansion. Steven was given less than two weeks to transition every employee from the previous contract holder. Unfortunately, the previous contract holder did not make things easy for him, leaving Steven stuck trying to complete onboarding tasks after hours.

With less than two weeks to decide on a payroll system and get every employee onboarded, Steven and HTG had a choice to make - go with the big and expensive names, or flex Steven’s Excel skills and keep time using a spreadsheet. Luckily, BBSI was presented to them as a third option.

The BBSI Approach

The key reason HTG chose to work with BBSI?

"They responded. They didn’t care that I was only going to be a 15 to 20-employee operation. They were genuinely concerned about what they could do for us.”

In the past, Steven was used to working with payroll companies that didn’t seem to value personal relationships — especially those with smaller companies. He was familiar with waiting 48 to 72 hours for responses, even for urgent matters like missing paychecks.

In this respect, BBSI was a breath of fresh air.

"It’s easy to speak with who you need to reach at any given time, and the faces you see at the beginning stay with you.”

In choosing BBSI, HTG didn’t just find a payroll and HR partner. They found a business partner who was genuinely interested in their long-term growth, solving problems, and keeping their employees safe, secure, and paid on time.

Freeing the Manager to Do Business

If Steven had been forced to handle onboarding, payroll, and all other HR tasks alone, the first few days of the new contract would have been an overwhelming challenge. Thanks to BBSI’s support, he had time to deal with more important aspects of running the business, like customer service, passenger relations, and employee management.

“I can actually get out there and do something instead of sitting behind a computer or desk worrying about, ‘Oh, did I do this? Did I do that?’”

Providing an HR Lifeline

Since outsourcing their HR to BBSI, Steven no longer worries about making a mistake in a field saturated with legal landmines.

“If I have an employee issue, I can actually email BBSI. I can even send them my letter that I’m going to give the employee for either a performance improvement plan or discipline, and they’ll edit it, revise it, and say, ‘Here you go.’ For me, that’s savings because I have somebody who’s in my corner, who is backing me up and making sure that I’m following all the laws.”

Solving the Onboarding Problem

BBSI was easily able to handle HTG’s onboarding challenges using our wealth of expertise and technology solutions. We onboarded every employee in time for the first paycheck, which was less than 10 days after the contract started.

Plus, BBSI digitized the entire onboarding process.

What was once an hour-long process requiring Steven to personally ensure every page was read and signed, is now a 15-minute online procedure that employees can do at home. All Steven has to do is approve the results.

Risk and Compliance

One of the contractual obligations for HTG was that all their employees must hold certifications in emergency medical response and life-saving techniques.

When Steven brought the problem to BBSI, our Risk and Safety Consultant stepped in to facilitate the necessary trainings and OSHA review of their facilities, pointing out safety concerns for Steven.

“It was almost like somebody you've [known] your entire life. A friend to just walk you through, ‘Hey, you may want to look at this.’”

Results

HTG’s relationship with BBSI had a strong start, and has only gotten stronger.

Steven now relies on BBSI for HR expertise on a regular basis, speaking with his dedicated BBSI team 1-2 times per week. He loves that payroll with BBSI is a 5-minute process, and that everything is easy to access online.

Thanks to outsourcing HR and payroll, he not only has more time in his day, but also has the peace of mind that comes with having a trusted friend to manage the critical functions of his business.

As companies go, HTG and BBSI are two peas in a pod. Both make personality and authenticity cornerstones of their business strategy. Both value streamlined and efficient structures that eliminate bureaucracy and make it easy to contact who you need when you need them. Finally, both companies understand that long-term relationships are the key to mutual growth.

“What I found with BBSI is, they’re aligned with us. There’s not a lot of bureaucracy. I can talk to Caroline, I can talk to Cindy, I can talk to Doug. They all answer my phone calls and emails in a timely fashion.”

Future Plans

Steven is confident that thanks to BBSI’s systems and assistance, future expansion will be extremely easy.

Not having to worry about payroll, taxes, or insurance is a huge relief and a serious time-saver. The support that comes with choosing BBSI as a partner has been more than worth it, and he’s looking forward to growing alongside BBSI and taking advantage of our predictable costs and immense benefits.

However, more than all this, he’s excited to work with a company that seems to understand and cherish the utility of real relationships.

Working with BBSI is like working with an old friend who you can trust to be there for you through every obstacle, helping you overcome challenges and achieve your true potential.

“HTG is proud to partner with BBSI, and I look forward to continuing our partnership and growth, and exploring the other avenues we have to grow alongside them.”

Ready to see the BBSI difference for yourself?

Find a Trusted Partner in BBSI

BBSI is proud to serve HTG and other small and medium-sized businesses just like it across the country.

If you find yourself overwhelmed by HR or payroll, or are looking for a consultant who can guide you on your path to growth, BBSI is here to walk with you through thick and thin.

Our teams of local experts are here to help you with everything from HR and payroll to benefits, staffing, workers’ compensation, technology, retirement, and compliance.

We have experience in a wide range of industries and operate in all 50 states.

Don’t waste another day on payroll. Find your local BBSI branch today and start building a relationship that will grow alongside your business.