April 1 came and went quietly. It may have brought with it a few practical jokes for some. However, for most people, it was just another Friday and we at Work First celebrated our tenth anniversary.  The past ten years of expansion and innovation have brought us from the spark of an idea to being licensed in more than 40 states. No joke.

It was ten years ago that we wrote our very first insurance policy, which was really the culmination of more than twenty years of work in building a world class workers’ compensation program for temporary staffing.

The backstory to our creation begins in 1985. We were simply a small, Oregon-based staffing company. Our temporary employees were sustaining injuries that were causing our insurance rates for workers’ compensation to skyrocket. If we didn’t figure out how to get those rates under control, we would be out of business.

We took drastic action and became a self-insured employer. Yes, it was a stretch. Yes, it was risky. Yes, it was worth it.

Over the years we grew from a handful of offices to more than 130 offices covering 25 states and one Canadian province – and have reached nearly $400 million in annual sales.

We knew that the program we created and refined through the years could make an impact on other staffing firms facing the same situation. We’ve seen and lived the struggles temporary staffing companies are managing on a daily basis. This was the idea that sparked the creation of Work First.

None of this growth would have been possible without you, our brokers and customers. Because of you, we grown to cover the vast majority of the country and provide guaranteed cost, medium deductible and large deductible policies for staffing and healthcare companies.

We have both amazing brokers and loyal customers who will also be celebrating their tenth anniversaries with us this year.  That kind of loyalty is not the norm in this industry, and we are incredibly grateful for such wonderful partners.

Only 23 percent of companies survive ten years. With your support and faithfulness, we have beaten the odds. Thank you for your confidence in Work First.

We’ve always believed that insurance is simply a vehicle. Our real business is delivering solutions designed to improve the operations of our insureds. We are looking forward to an exciting future with all of our partners, helping each and every one of them reach their highest level of success.