The process of moving into the future is somewhat of a mystery these days. Will we be jumping back into the pre-2020 normal?  Will facemasks be a thing of the past or will they become incorporated into the new normal for years to come? How long will it be before we are able to attend a baseball game or a concert? There are so many questions that we all have regarding the future of normalcy within our society.

Although thinking about the future can be somewhat daunting, it is also a wonderful opportunity to get creative in the way we do business. Safety measures that were never taken before are now essential and habitual. Families are able to spend more time together, traffic and pollution have been reduced. Businesses are thinking about the wellbeing of the individual more than ever. Positivity through this trying time has prevailed and our resilience as not only humans but as a community is something we can all truly be proud of.

Why did we choose Andy?

Given that the current pandemic affects each of us in different ways, we wanted to showcase a positive light in the Downtown Works community; Andy Free.

Because of the work, Andy is doing to ensure safety within the workplace and to help businesses stay open, we wanted to hear what he had to say about remaining viable and creating a positive impact in the midst of crisis.

You operate two different businesses/entities; what are they and how have they changed since the pandemic? 

The parent company is Employnet, which is headquartered in Monterey, California. Employnet is a traditional staffing agency. Underneath Employnet, there are two entities: Gigomy and Clinistic Medical Staffing.

Gigomy

Gigomy, short for “Gig Economy,” is a 3rd party payrolling company where we take temporary contract workers, that our clients would source internally, and put them on our payroll.

That eliminates all legal and administrative burden for their contingent, or temporary workforce of our clients: things like health care benefits, unemployment, workers compensation, and employers’ tax, all that comes to us.

A company would want to do this because they utilize their own recruiters and save money by not paying staffing agency markups.

Clinistic Medical Staffing

Currently, Clinistic Medical Staffing is where our primary focus is. With everything that’s going on right now, we’ve seen a major increase in the need for certified medical personnel.

We’ve rolled out a temperature screening program in conjunction with a COVID-19 testing program where we will go to client sites with medical personnel we’ve sourced. We have 14 offices to support this program nationwide.

We show up with all the PPE medical equipment necessary and set up a screening station to make sure that employees’ temperatures are where they need to be. And if the client is interested, the same medical personnel will also administer COVID-19 testing on the employees. Clients range from the Fortune 100 to local golf courses. We’re in the warehouses/distribution centers for Dollar General, Clorox, Western Digital, Del Monte to name a few. We also are in more ‘white-collar’ settings helping companies open up their offices.

Can you tell us more about your current position within the company?

I’m the senior director of business development. It is my job to go out, to find new clients and introduce our programs. I’m not on the recruiting side. I’m not involved in screening candidates, looking at resumes, etc.

Once I have identified a client that is interested in our program, and we worked out all the details of the program, I’ll send it over to our recruitment team among the 14 offices nationwide.

We’ll ascertain if it’s a local branch that will take a lead of it. We also have our national recruitment center at the headquarters. They are working nationwide and covers areas where our local branches don’t.

Have you recently implemented the medical staffing branch, or was it in place before the pandemic?

Clinistic Medical Staffing has been around for about five years. The parent company, Employnet, which is a more traditional staffing company, has been in business for 25 years. So, the medical staffing, while newer, is not something that is new for us. The nice thing about the program is that we source talents from furloughed medical personnel across the country.

We are able to place the people that have medical training but are out of work, on our client sites to help them earn a paycheck and allow companies to reopen their doors, or stay open, to provide some sort of program to try and prevent the spread at the same time.

How has your experience at Downtown Works been? Would you say it is a good environment for companies and entrepreneurs to transition into?

I’m the only person that works in the company here in San Diego. Everyone else is spread throughout the country, around our physical offices in the country. I was recruited to work for this company, and I wasn’t really able to relocate. My company has been very flexible, and my transition has been smooth.

I looked at a handful of coworking spaces across San Diego. I really like the team that I met here at Downtown Works, as well as the amenities. There are lots of great options within walking distance. Whether it’s my bank, or restaurants for lunch, it’s near. It’s also near public transportation. It’s a nice space.

I got to meet other entrepreneurs and companies that have a footprint here. It’s a good networking opportunity here.

How can those who are interested get in touch with you, and why should they choose your company? 

Anyone requesting information can reach out to me via my email address: afree@clinistic.com.  My work number is (619) 780 – 6490.

In regard to why you should choose us, we have a nationwide footprint. Clinistic has 14 offices and we have experience in the medical staffing space. We can roll a program out about 36 hours after receiving an executed agreement and have a strong set of procedures in place with our medical personnel as well as our clients. Our goal is to make certain the site managers just as comfortable as those in corporate are.

We also supply our own PPE equipment. So, our clients don’t have to worry about securing thermometers, masks, gloves, etc.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?