Richard Brewer, who is still president of Career Quest, was the founder of Mid-Michigan Rehabilitation Associates, Inc. (MMRA), with his wife, Ruth, in 1981. With a staff of counselors, nurses, and occupational and physical therapists, the Brewers worked with injured people, helping them return to employment. According to Career Quest, hundreds of individuals were able to return to work because of these services. But it also became evident to Brewer that there was a general need for employment services in the Lansing market and for human resource management.

In 1992, he added Career Quest, Inc. as the job placement arm of MMRA and later launched Career Quest Learning Centers and Career Quest PEO in 1995. Coming from Detroit, Valentino took over in 1999, increasing sales from $750,000 to $6 million while reducing the staff by three people.

“We do mostly office temporary work, and most temporary companies do industrial work and manufacturing, which has all left,” said Valentino. “We’re the primary vendor for the State of Michigan, and that’s been a real blessing for us.”

Career Quest has a contract with the Michigan Department of Corrections to supply nursing staff in the Detroit area and has been bidding on new projects, including one recently for the Lansing Board of Water & Light.

According to the company, Career Quest focuses not only on the objective, technical requirements for a position but also on making sure there is the right fit between an employee and a position. As for the learning center, it has become nationally accredited, participates in federal financial aid programs, and is currently expanding into the medical field as the area’s employment needs shift from manufacturing to healthcare. During the past five years, Career Quest has focused on developing more contract business, including becoming a vendor of choice for the State, and intends to continue to grow.

Originally a teacher, Valentino was previously a manager for Manpower, sold advertising, and owned his own temporary agency for three years. He currently serves on the local Junior Achievement board and was nominated for the Entrepreneurial Award by Larry Richardson, JA’s president.

“We just take care of people and let everything else take care of itself,” said Valentino. “If there is a paycheck that is wrong for some reason, we will print it right there in our office, and I will personally take it to the person to make sure they have their check that day. We like to do extra things—like if it’s somebody’s birthday, we give them a gift certificate for $10. We’ve had more calls on that than anything else. We’ve just now added health insurance for the temporaries, and it’s been overwhelming how many people have taken it. We are always looking at ways to make their lives better.”