A local workforce staffing firm this week launched a new professional and executive search firm.

Express Employment Professionals of Grand Rapids said Monday that it launched Specialized Recruiting Group, which will focus on professional placement and executive search in West Michigan across a variety of industries and position types, including nonprofits, human resources, supply chain, operations, engineering and IT, accounting and finance, and sales and marketing.

“For 25 years, we have assisted companies and job seekers with executive search and professional placement services under the Express Employment Professionals banner. We’ve continued to see the needs in this area grow and expand as we serve more companies,” said Janis Petrini, owner of the Express Employment Professionals group of companies in Grand Rapids. “In 2021, we are excited to announce the launch of the Specialized Recruiting Group, which is specifically focused on executive search and professional placement. As we break out these services into a standalone company, our goal is to strategically tap into new talent pools and further increase our level of service for our clients and professional candidates.”

Specialized Recruiting Group will operate out of Express Pros’ office at 1760 44th St. SW, Suite 10, in Wyoming. Its specific focus is on serving companies located in the greater Grand Rapids area.

Heather Merrick, an Express employee since 2015, was selected as managing director of Specialized Recruiting Group.

“Heather brings over 15 years of human resources and professional recruiting experience to this new role, and we are excited to see continued success under her guidance,” Petrini said. “They currently have a team of professional recruiters in place and are actively seeking to hire and continue growing their recruiting team.”

Merrick added, “As a locally owned and operated small business, we’re directly impacted by the success of our community. We have a vested interest in doing our part to foster thriving local employment markets. Our key differentiator is 25 years of relationships we’ve developed in the West Michigan community, the added support and the stability of an international headquarters with nearly four decades of staffing, professional search and HR expertise. It’s the best of both worlds — small business flexibility backed by big company resources.”