Two Michigan-based companies, Axios HR in Grand Rapids and PMP Personnel in Petoskey announced Monday they had merged to expand service offerings and networks across Michigan.

Combined, the companies will have 72 employees and 11 offices across the state. The merger process began in spring 2021 and the companies have spent the past year working to finalize the merge.

Axios HR has offices in Holland, Ionia, Muskegon, Grand Rapids and Traverse City and helps businesses attract and retain employees, as well as handling HR outsourcing for companies. PMP Personnel Services is an employment agency with offices in Auburn, Gaylord, Gladwin, Sparta, Traverse City and Petoskey; they help businesses find employees and help workers find jobs.

Although both companies will keep their brands, they will be marketed together as PMP Personnel Services Powered by Axios HR. By combining, both companies have expanded their reach and their services offered.

Kellie Haines is the CEO of Axios HR and will serve as CEO for the combined company. She said the merger is mutually beneficial as PMP offers services that Axios didn’t such as headhunting and permanent placement in the financial industry. Axios offers HR outsourcing for small businesses, which PMP didn’t have before.

“We have a desire to grow our footprint within the Midwest and particularly in Michigan,”  Haines said. “We have offices currently in the southern part of Michigan, so it was natural for us to go up into the northern Michigan market and we were looking for a company that was in the same type of business that we have,” Haines said.

Another benefit of the merger is the expansion of both company’s networks. With the current labor shortage, finding and pairing the right employee with the right company has become even more challenging and this merger will expand the reach of both companies.

“Axios has a solid footing in West Michigan and PMP’s core strength is serving Northern Michigan. We both wanted to expand our reach, so this just felt like a natural progression,” PMP founder Gilbert Mosher said in Monday’s news release. “Our business is based on relationships and Axios HR is equally committed to providing the best counsel and services to our clients, so I’m very excited at what we can do together to serve Michigan.”

Contact reporter Tess Ware at tware@petoskeynews.com. Follow her on Twitter, @Tess_Petoskey 

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Michigan based companies merge to expand reach across Michigan