Case Study
When you’re a family-run business like Stevens Integrated Solutions, your inclination is to keep everything in-house.
And yet, twenty years ago, the team at Stevens realized the endless demands of maintaining compliance for HR, payroll, and benefits were taking up far too much of the time they needed to fulfill orders for their growing print services.
They overcame their hesitancy over bringing a third-party partner onboard. Looking back, they now see how the relationship became key to their growth and, in one key moment, their survival.
About Stevens Integrated Systems
Stevens Integrated Solutions is a leader in print services in the Portland region. What began as a small, family business nearly 45 years ago has grown to more than $5 million in annual revenue and a team of nearly 30 employees.
Stevens IS has navigated the constant changes in technology to become a go-to source for digital print solutions as well as traditional print needs. They print nearly anything you can imagine for businesses and institutions throughout Oregon and beyond.
HR Without a Home
Twenty years ago, it became clear to Stevens IS that the endless demands of HR threatened to pull them away from the work of serving their clients. The sheer volume of compliance issues they needed to track began to overwhelm their team.
At the same time, the company’s CFO had been given the responsibility of managing HR. As the company grew, it was clearly impossible for one person to fulfill both roles, and HR had no clearly defined home within the organization.
There is no way we could afford to have somebody on staff who could do all the things Xenium does. I think every single thing I do now would suffer because I wouldn’t be able to focus on the things that help me be effective in my role.
– Linda Richey, CFO, Stevens IS
Concerns About Outsourcing HR
Even though the need for HR support was clear, it’s not always easy to let go and allow a third party to step in. Stevens IS had concerns on several fronts about committing to Xenium’s Complete HR + Payroll service.
Cost
At first, the Stevens IS team was concerned about the expense of hiring a third party.
If we had just considered the economic impact of bringing Xenium on board, we would’ve been shortsighted because the value that they bring is way more than what it costs to have them work with us, and we’ve earned that back so many times over.
Dave Stevens, Owner, Stevens IS
Control
The leadership at Stevens IS had understandable concerns about giving up control of a critical part of their infrastructure to outsiders, but they soon discovered the level of care and concern in their corner.
In a very short amount of time, we realized that we could be 100% hands off, that you were taking care of everything, keeping on top of everything.
Dave Stevens
Culture
Stevens IS prides itself on having a client-centric culture and a sense of family and community among their team. They wanted to see the same values demonstrated by a third-party partner.
Every time somebody from Xenium comes in, it’s like you’re greeting a friend again. I just feel like these are people that I could hang out with, and it’s really nice to have that kind of a relationship with a vendor.
Linda Richey
I just love that we get the opportunity to work with family run businesses and see the legacy they’re creating here in Portland. With Stevens, the family culture is present when you walk in the door, and that’s something that I’ve come to love.
Lacey Partipilo, Director of HR, Xenium
Xenium’s Complete HR + Payroll Service
The Complete HR + Payroll program was developed by Xenium to relieve small to mid-sized businesses of the burdens of HR. It provides a complete management solution for HR, payroll, and, if optioned, benefits administration.
Stevens IS now has an outsourced, dedicated team of specialists in their corner. They have a dedicated HR Business Partner to manage their overall program, and they also have a Payroll Specialist and Benefits Manager leading the charge for those areas. Whenever tough questions or urgent tasks come up, these three leaders are supported by Xenium’s full team of more than 80 specialists and experts.
HR Business Partner
HR
Xenium took over critical infrastructure like the employee handbook and now keeps it updated so Stevens IS remains compliant with the constant changes in regulations.
Xenium also digs in with Stevens IS on specific issues regarding workers compensation. We develop hiring and onboarding processes, and when urgent issues come up with personnel, their HR Business Partner is just a phone call away.
Payroll Specialist
Payroll
Stevens IS now has all of their HR and payroll functions united under Xenium’s software platform. The waterfalls of paperwork which accompany any change in an employee’s status are now automated and integrated across all HR and payroll functions.
Benefits Manager
Benefits Administration
The leadership team at Stevens IS is now free from the burden of benefits enrollment and managing changes in coverage for employees.
It’s really great to have everything under one roof. Each one of those things is enmeshed with the other, and you get a more comprehensive answer to questions. We could easily have six vendors instead of one who takes care of everything. It’s wonderful to take care of all that stuff with just one call.
Linda Richey, CFO, Stevens Integrated Solutions
Partners Through a Pandemic
Though no one could have seen the pandemic coming, Xenium builds long-term trusted partnerships with clients for exactly this kind of moment.
As shutdowns began, business at Stevens IS took an immediate downturn, dropping 40% in one month alone. Xenium immediately became much more than outsourced HR. Stevens IS had a partner to reach out to, bounce ideas off of, and strategize a path forward.
Essential Paperwork
In the early days of the pandemic, like most businesses, Stevens IS faced existential questions about their ability to survive. When hope arrived in the form of the Paycheck Protection Program, they leaned on Xenium’s support.
When the PPP was announced, the first thing we realized was we weren’t going to be able to get all this paperwork filled out and submit it to the SBA on our own. We turned to Xenium for accurate payroll information that was in compliance with what the SBA required. This gave us a professional, polished look to the numbers that we knew would quickly get through the system and get us approval. And we got what we needed. – Rich Stevens
Xenium also stepped in to help with further initiatives like Employee Retention Credits and helped Stevens IS to stay on top of rapidly-changing compliance issues regarding COVID-19.
Essential Human Care
At the same time, there were very human issues to address as well.
We had to lay some people off. That was very painful, and Xenium helped us get through, to find the way it needed to be done to do everything legally and in the kindest way possible. – Linda Richey
Trust earned over time and Xenium’s ability to flex up and use its deep resources to dig in were essential in guiding Stevens IS through one the most challenging moments it had ever faced.
Partners in Long-Term Growth
After 20 years, Stevens Integrated Systems views their relationship with Xenium as one of the best investments they’ve made and a key contributor to the company’s growth.
Genuine Care and Concern
The feeling I get when I talk to somebody at Xenium is that they care about me as a person, but also me as a person in this company. They care about the success of our company and the success of everything we do. I don’t think that Stevens IS could effectively grow without them.
Linda Richey
Pressure Relieved
After the first year, we knew that Xenium was a great decision for us. I can’t imagine not having them as part of our team. They took a lot of pressure off of us internally with their help with HR and payroll, and it’s just been a great partnership.
Dave Stevens
Freedom to Focus on Growth
If you want to be the master of your own ship, you may think that you can manage everything yourself, but you need to look at what your core business offers and what you need to do to take care of your clients and customers. You need to feel comfortable peeling off certain aspects of running your company to partners like Xenium so you can help your clients and grow your business.
Rich Stevens
The demands of HR and Payroll are endless. We provide a complete solution for both, so you can focus on what you do best – growing your business. Read More
