Danielle Haluska (left) CEO/Director of Precious Life, received donations of diapers and wipes from Alex Sekerak, administrative assistant at Advantage Resource Group, during ARG’s “40 Years of Service, 40 Acts of Kindness.”
Courtesy photo
Advantage Resource Group has come a long way since opening in October 1985 on Lexington Avenue.
The business, founded by Bobbie Miller, has grown from a small staffing agency in Altoona to a HR service provider with three locations throughout central Pennsylvania.
To mark its 40th anniversary, Advantage Resource Group, 1600 Valley View Blvd., Altoona, is running a campaign called “40 Years of Service, 40 Acts of Kindness” throughout the month of November.
“Over the next month we’ll be focusing on client appreciation, donations to local charities and nonprofits, outreach at assisted living facilities and more. We wanted to focus more on giving back to the community that helped build us to what we are today rather than throwing some big party,” said general manager Jamie Stumph, Miller’s daughter.
Each week of November has a different theme.
During the first week, Nov. 2-8, the focus was on client appreciation, past and present. Various clients received small gifts for partnering with the company over the years.
Greenwood Pools and Spas has been doing business with Advantage Resource Group for 14 years. ARG facilitates their safety committee and the scheduling and filing of all necessary paperwork for recertification, said Sylvia Colyer, secretary/treasurer.
“They offer advice when asked on any employee-related concerns. Advantage Resource created our employee manual, which took a lot of weight off our shoulders and was a huge timesaver for us. We also count on them to provide temporary staffing when needed during our peak season. We’ve also used them for our random drug testing policy,” Colyer said. “They are like family to us.”
Week 2, Nov. 9-15, was set aside for schools and education. Staff members talked to various schools and provided some with supplies, helped pay off some school lunch balances and donated some teacher gift baskets.
Week 3, Nov. 16-22, is geared toward charities with donations to organizations such as the Humane Society, Nehemiah Project, Precious Life and “a wide variety of nonprofits that we support,” Stumph said.
Precious Life will be receiving diapers and wipes, said Danielle Haluska, Altoona office CEO and director.
“It was very sweet of them. They saw that we had a need, (as) we are 100% donation-based. We are super grateful that they are giving back to the community and we appreciate that,” Haluska said.
Nov. 23-29 is dedicated to senior care outreach, working with assisted living and nursing homes. “We will have written cards to deliver, flower arrangements, games and puzzles for residents and spend some time talking with residents,” Stumph said.
Graystone Manor Bellmeade is among those which will be visited during week four.
“This is very kind of them to think of seniors, they may have family in that age group. They asked what things we could use and what they like to do. I gave them a list to review, I think this is really a great idea,” said Activities Director Sheila Clowes.
Stumph said when the business started, her mother was the lone employee before adding Bobbi Dixon.
The early focus of the business was what she called “headhunting.”
Unlike traditional recruiting that relies on job applicants, headhunting identifies specific individuals based on their skills, experience and potential, according to online sources.
Today, Advantage Resource Group is a full-service HR company with four divisions: staffing, employee screening, payroll processing and HR consulting.
The busiest divisions are staffing and employee screening.
“We manage drug testing nationwide. We manage programs for anyone who falls within the Department of Transportation regulations, such as trucking companies, or companies dealing with pipelines, such as gas companies,” Stumph said. “We wouldn’t be who we are without our clients. A lot of the services we offer grew from the needs of our clients.”
Advantage Resource Group has offices in Altoona, Johnstown and State College and employs 14 people.
Each office is different, Stumph said.
“In Altoona, lots of people associate us with staffing, a big part is employee screening. State College is very heavy with employee screening and Johnstown is leading with employee screening and we have a strong staffing presence as well,” Stumph said.
The company has survived and grown due to its commitment to its clients.
“The main thing being a small and locally owned business we try to be as flexible as we can and be more of a partner than a vendor,” Stumph said. “We are hoping to expand into more offices and expand our services. We see a good amount of growth coming in 2026.”
Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 814-946-7467.
