The Alcott Group Marks Its 20th Year – Company Celebrates with Expansion of Its Corporate Headquarters

The Alcott Group (Farmingdale and Buffalo, NY), one of New York State's most prominent Professional Employer Organizations (PEO) with divisions on Long Island and in Buffalo, NY, is now marking its 20th anniversary. The company, founded in 1986 by President Louis Basso and Executive Vice President Barry Shorten, is celebrating its two decades of providing a comprehensive Human Resources (HR) outsourcing solution to growing businesses, by expanding its current headquarters at 71 Executive Boulevard in Farmingdale. The company will be adding an additional 3,300 square foot to its current Long Island offices which. Upon completion of the expansion, Alcott's office will be 10,000 square feet. Alcott also has a fully-staffed office in Buffalo, NY serving the Western New York market and headed by Western Division President Michael LaMancuso. The anniversary and expansion come at a period when HR outsourcing has hit its stride.

According to Alcott President Louis Basso, "There has long been a need on the part of small businesses for a reliable resource to manage their employee-related services. While outsourcing wasn't necessarily in vogue when we started the company, the need for businesses to hand off vital areas such as payroll, benefits and tax administration as well as regulatory compliance, has always existed. The owners of these companies are wearing many hats already and must focus on core revenue-producing functions to grow their businesses. They don't have HR departments, yet still recognize the need to offer competitive compensation and benefit packages, and comply with the myriad of regulations governing businesses. We provide the solution to this dilemma."

In fact, today, Alcott is providing the solution to over 350 affiliated companies with a total of 4,500 employees. This figure does not include the company's direct, in-house employees which number 32 in Farmingdale and 12 in Buffalo. Over the past several years, the company has steadily grown both its affiliate and employee base, consistently placing Alcott on such lists as "Long Island's Top 50 Privately-Owned Companies," "25 Fastest-Growing Private Companies" and the Crain's New York Business list of the "New York Area's Largest Privately-Held Employers."
 
Within the Professional Employer Organization field, Alcott is recognized as one of the PEO industry's success stories - not just for its growth, but for advancing the industry's move to higher standards. Specifically, Alcott was among the first PEOs in the nation to gain the prestigious Employers Services Assurance Corporation (ESAC) Certification, which is the equivalent of what FDIC is to the banking industry for the PEO industry. To achieve certification, a PEO must meet stringent financial, professional and ethical standards. In addition, the organization distinguished itself as one of the first PEOs in the state to gain important certifications from the Certification Institute, whose certification initiatives are supported by the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO) as a means to enhance the industry's credibility in key service areas.

In 2006, Alcott recorded annual revenues of approximately $200 million.