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Celebrating 75 Years of Volt’s Journey:
A Legacy of Innovation, People, and Purpose

“There are so many things that make Volt special.
Jerry Shaw and Bill Shaw—two brothers with $13,
a dining room table, and a dream.”

The Beginning:
$13 and a Dream (1950)

The year was 1950. The United States was reeling from a postwar economic meltdown. On a hot Friday night in the month of June, Bill Shaw—recently unemployed but determined—told his brother, Jerry,

That night, at their mother’s dining room table, the Shaw Brothers pooled their savings—just $13. Their combined savings were barely enough to buy pens and paper. Yet, in that modest amount, they saw a ray of hope. With that, they decided to start a technical writing business.

Their first office? That same dining table.

Their first tools? Pens, paper, and determination.

Their first lesson? That resilience can ignite innovation.

To make their vision a reality, the next step was to give the new company a name, an identity. While flipping through the pages of their family’s paperback dictionary, the eyes of the Shaw Brothers locked on a word, Volt—a unit of potential. The word embodied the spirit and vision of the limitless future they aimed to create.

First Breakthrough:
From Small Jobs to the Space Race

As Senior Vice President for Volt Workforce Solutions, Matthew leads retail sales teams across the U.S. He joined Volt in 2008 on the advice of his father and has held several roles since including sales, national account management, program management, branch management, area director, and regional VP. In his role as regional VP, he provided sales and operational leadership to branches across Southern California. In 2021, he was named to Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) 40 Under 40 list. SIA’s 40 Under 40 recognizes professionals from companies operating in the US who stand out as industry leaders and elevate the ecosystem through their efforts. Matthew is motivated by the unpredictability of the staffing industry and thrives on it. He values adaptation, growth, positivity, and teamwork for success in this environment. Above all, Matthew’s passion if career development for his teams and fostering long-term client relationships.

From leadership to basic labor
– we find the people with the skills

Building total team solutions with skillsets including:

  • From Humble Beginnings to Big Breakthroughs In 1950, William and Jerome Shaw planted the seed that would eventually become Volt. What began as a small technical writing venture quickly took off. By the early ’60s, the Shaw Brothers had already made history—Volt became the first staffing company to enter the public equity markets, a courageous leap that underscored the company’s bold ambition.

  • Building Industry Leadership As America’s industries grew, so did Volt. The launch of Volt Instant Personnel redefined hiring speed. Soon after, they pioneered the staffing industry’s first Managed Services Program (MSP)—a model that would shape workforce solutions for decades to come. With unwavering determination, Volt crossed the $100 million mark in annual sales, establishing itself as an industry leader.

  • Innovation at Scale The ’90s ushered in a fresh momentum. Volt introduced ProcureStaff and VoltTrack, innovative workforce solutions that placed it at the forefront of innovation. Global recognition was followed by ISO certification. Volt also secured its position among the Fortune 1000 companies. By the end of the decade, the company had scaled beyond $2 billion in annual sales, demonstrating its vision and execution.

  • Global Expansion At the turn of the new millennium, Volt’s impact traversed boundaries. From ringing the NYSE Closing Bell on its 50th anniversary to expanding into Europe and Asia, Volt’s presence became global in the true sense. Once again, the company created industry history by introducing Six Sigma practices into staffing operations, establishing a new standard of precision and efficiency.

  • A New Era Recently, Volt has reinvented itself for the digital era. With a new ticker symbol—VOLT—the company rolled out innovative platforms like Bullhorn, Sense, and Able, integrating technology at every stage of the talent journey. In 2022, a new chapter began as Vega Consulting (an ACS affiliate) acquired Volt, ushering in fresh energy, global synergies, and a renewed vision for the future.
Built on Belief, Grown Through People With this bold vision, two brothers laid the foundation of what would become a global enterprise employing more than 32,000 people worldwide by 2011. Volt’s success was powered not just by contracts and clients, but by a commitment to its founding belief:

Quality Performance Has No Substitute.

The Legacy Continues

Seventy-five years later, Volt’s story is etched not only in milestones but also in the spirit that carried it forward.

It is a story of:

Innovation that redefined an industry.
People who carried the mission forward.

Purpose that turned setbacks into opportunities.

From a modest dining room in New York to boardrooms across the world, Volt’s story is a living example of what vision, resilience, and human talent can build.

Seventy-five years on, the current of Volt still runs strong.

Volt Today

Now part of Innova Solutions through acquisition by Vega Consulting, an ACS affiliate, Volt continues to build on its legacy while embracing the future. As a trusted partner to companies worldwide, we provide light industrial staffing solutions that empower businesses to scale efficiently. Over the years, Volt has earned numerous accolades for excellence in workforce solutions, underscoring our reputation for reliability, innovation, and performance.

SHARE YOUR
VOLT STORY

Were you part of Volt’s journey?
Your experience is our history.
Share your story and be featured in the ongoing celebration.