Company appoints Adam Roston as CEO and opens new Chicago headquarters
BlueCrew, an on-demand platform for flexible W-2 work that connects motivated workers with sustainable employment, announced plans for its platform to be live across 30 markets nationwide this year, with expansion to Chicago, Detroit, Miami, Minneapolis, and Phoenix among others. The company’s market expansion follows a year that saw revenue triple thanks to accelerated adoption from employers. On the heels of this growth, BlueCrew has appointed IAC executive Adam Roston as CEO, while founder Gino Rooney will resume his prior role as CTO overseeing all product and technology for the company. Today also marks the opening of BlueCrew’s new headquarters in downtown Chicago’s theMART (formerly Merchandise Mart), which will house more than 100 new hires across engineering, product, sales, and operations.
BlueCrew is disrupting traditional staffing – a total addressable market worth more than $130 billion in the U.S. and $400 billion globally – with a platform that instantly connects quality workers with open jobs using proprietary data and algorithms to identify the best matches in real time. BlueCrew’s platform fills over 90 percent of employer jobs, many times within minutes, compared to traditional staffing agencies that fill 60-70 percent over several weeks.
Unlike gig economy apps that are heavily fueled by contractor workforces, BlueCrew’s platform exclusively features W-2 jobs. BlueCrew Crew Members receive employee protections including overtime, minimum wage, sick pay, workers’ compensation insurance, and health benefits while being able to choose the jobs and hours that best fit their schedules through BlueCrew’s mobile application.
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“BlueCrew solves pain points for both sides of its marketplace – employers can confidently scale a top quality workforce up or down while Crew Members enjoy the flexibility of a mobile app-based hiring experience that delivers the protections they deserve,” said Adam Roston, CEO of BlueCrew. “I couldn’t be more excited to join a team that’s so passionate about making work more accessible. We have a massive opportunity in front of us and I’m more convinced than ever of the power of the disruptive platform Gino and the BlueCrew team have built.”
For employers – particularly those in warehousing, logistics, events, delivery, and hospitality – BlueCrew provides flexible access to top quality workers on demand, all of whom are interviewed in person and receive background checks. Employers also get access to unique data and insights, such as feedback from Crew Members on why certain positions are declined or the best geographic areas to source employees for specific positions.
“As we continue to rapidly expand, we needed a hiring model that wouldn’t hinder our ability to scale,” said Phil Moon, VP of Business Operations at Grove Collaborative, a BlueCrew employer. “BlueCrew has been a fantastic partner, helping us staff up efficiently and cost-effectively, often in real time. The team has been very responsive and reliable; we always know we’re getting dependable and capable workers.”
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Prior to his appointment as BlueCrew’s CEO, Roston was CEO of IAC Publishing, a former segment of IAC which housed IAC’s digital media properties. During his tenure, IAC Publishing went from losing money to generating $70 million in Adjusted EBITDA and revenue growth of 60 percent in 2018. Formerly the head of M&A at IAC, Roston also played an instrumental role in IAC’s February 2018 acquisition of BlueCrew and has worked closely with the company ever since.
Gino Rooney, founder and CTO, said, “Adam and I have worked closely together over the past year and we’re all excited to have him join our team full time. Last year was a transformational one for the company: we saw great adoption by employers, helped more people than ever find work, and were able to expand our product nationwide. I can’t wait to accelerate our growth further with product enhancements that will wow both Crew Members and employers.”
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