All About the Experience

Creating an encouraging and supportive environment

When asked what makes their organization a great place to work, the employees of healthcare staffing firm Cell Staff have a common answer: “It’s all about the experience.” And certainly, Cell Staff — a healthcare staffing provider that specializes in nursing, allied, correctional and government contracts — has earned its reputation as a vibrant, energetic place to work.

The firm was founded in 2014 by Dan Gutierrez, Mac Lomax and Rami Isa, who set their eyes on healthcare staffing with an early goal of establishing their own niche, staffing local, state and federal correctional facilities. This gave Cell Staff a chance to develop service in a previously underserved market, contributing to tremendous growth and continual success.

Palpable Energy

While the Tampa, Florida-based organization originally made its name serving correctional facilities, its employees know it more as a fun and positive place to work from their first day. Once interviewees get in the door, the positivity and energy are palpable — something Quality Assurance Manager Hannah Crucet knows firsthand.

She had never worked in staffing before, she relates, but when she walked in the office a little over five years ago “and felt that energy … I needed to be a part of it.” The working mom says she’s experienced nothing but flexibility, support and understanding from her coworkers and the leadership team at Cell Staff — not to mention the intangible benefits like a hybrid remote schedule and floating holidays to ensure that time off can be taken when needed. “It feels like a giant family,” agrees Blake Mandelman, who joined Cell Staff in 2020 and today serves as a client development manager. Employees are on equal footing, he adds, and leadership helps set everyone up for success. Cell Staff’s values of care and understanding are evident to employees, as team members are given the support and guidance they need to succeed on their terms as they push towards meaningful new goals, take on new roles or grow professionally and personally.

Even though Cell Staff is part of a hyper-competitive industry, the organization’s goal is to share success as a team. Employees are given yearly and monthly goals and the chance to win quarterly rewards, but there are office goals that push employees to encourage and cheer each other on as well.

These quarterly rewards aren’t the only way Cell Staff continually inspires and encourages employees. Eric Parker, director of staffing solutions, feels particularly valued and motivated by extra rewards of technology prizes, weekend getaways, team building exercises and producer trips. Cell Staff leadership is even known to host impromptu happy hour events to show appreciation as a “just because” to the team. These awards and great culture create an environment of motivation and drive, Parker explains, adding proudly that Cell Staff executives truly believe in investing in the people within the organization by providing the people, tools and resources needed to see positive growth. He states, “It’s exciting to see this reinvestment that allows for continual growth and positivity.”

Caring for Candidates

Because they are so motivated in their jobs, Cell Staff employees are passionate about producing great results: connecting people with the right jobs and opportunities. Anyone who has gone through a recruitment process knows it can be frustrating and confusing, but Cell Staff recruiters treat their candidates to what they call their “white glove service.” They stay in frequent contact with their candidates every step of the way, making themselves available to talk through issues and answer questions at any time, nurturing relationships with them rather than treating them like faceless résumés. In order to ensure the white glove service is the experience of all candidates, Crucet shares that the organization’s overall goal is to provide seamless onboarding for candidates along with a high level of care and customer service. Because they understand starting a new job can be stressful, Cell Staff employees make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible for all candidates, from providing candidates with easy access to the required screening, physicals and immunizations prior to starting a position to a welcome gift package to help them feel like part of the team. On top of all this, Cell Staff’s famous white glove service goes above and beyond by offering a weekly payroll, ensuring that any issues with a contingent worker’s pay are handled immediately, even if it means issuing a paycheck off-cycle.

With all this growth and success, what’s next for Cell Staff? The company’s focus will always remain on the employee experience, Parker shares. “We will center the future around continuing to hire top-tier industry talent,” he explains. “There’s endless potential for growth in healthcare staffing. Our team will continue to expand to create an experience that is next to none.”