Hiten Patel, CEO

The top large staffing firm to work each year since 2012, Collabera is not one to rest on its laurels. It’s a continuous process to keep improving, says co-founder and Chairman Hiten Patel.

A main areas of focus is on employee development, with each new hire getting a mentor, Patel says. In fact, Collabera strives to hire from within for management positions. “We are not looking to do lateral hires anymore, we want to promote people from the inside,” Patel says.

To that end, the company brought in an assessment company to give a two-day workshop an how to identify employees with a high potential for management and how to mentor and grow them.

Collabera has also been growing its international business, allowing people the opportunity to work outside the country. US clients are being added as well. Employees know they have room to grow at Collabera.

Of course, Collabera shows employees it cares in other ways, Patel says. For example, , when an employee’s car broke down, the company made sure the worker had rides for a week. Another time, the company hired a newly hired college graduate move to New Jersey from Virginia, and helped him get a new driver’s license, find a home and more.

Recently the company lost a beloved colleague, Raj Parthasarathy, who worked at Collabera for more than 10 years. The company started the Raj Parthasarathy Foundation first to assist his family, but it quickly grew into a bigger vision of helping Collabera employees and the larger community. Collabera, along with Parthasarathy’s family, created a foundation that aims to help deserving employees and their dependents with education and medical needs.

Collabera’s strategy is working. Internal employees are sticking with the company. “I can count at least 20 to 30 people, minimum, who have been here eight to 10 years,” Patel says.