Talbert Investments
Talbert Investments began its banking and mortgage business in December 2006 in Reisterstown, MD with the aggressive goal of opening multiple franchises, nationwide, in a relatively short amount of time.  The organization needed to put a solid human resource infrastructure in place in order to expand at the desired rate.  In order to cut costs and get up and running as soon as possible, the executive team decided to outsource all human resource functions.   

Talbert Investments hired Astra HR, a full-service human resource outsourcing company that offers personalized consulting services and cutting-edge technologies that create customized business process solutions that deliver bottom-line results for its clients.    Talbert Investments felt that Astra HR’s wide-range of innovative solutions and high-level of personalized care from industry-specific experts was what the company needed to launch the business and provide it with the hr support needed to quickly open franchisees across the nation.  Astra HR recommended that Talbert Investments use the PEO model – it was perfect for Talbert in that it would handle all HR services under one roof, almost like having an in-house HR department.

A Fresh Approach to HR: Comprehensive Solutions and Personalized Service
Astra HR was able to quickly create and implement recruitment, payroll and benefits solutions so Talbert Investments could concentrate on growing its business from day one. In order to execute the franchise expansion, Talbert Investments needed to recruit a large number of qualified employees coast to coast to operate each franchise. Astra HR implemented its recruitment service offering to streamline this process. As a result, Talbert Investments was able to complete 31 employee background checks in just two weeks. Additionally, Agility provided Talbert with its compensation planning solution and was able to quickly determine appropriate compensation for each employee across the country. Astra HR’s employee recruiting services allowed Talbert Investments to hire enough talent and open 28 branches in just three months.

In addition to employee recruitment and compensation services, Talbert utilized Astra HR’s comprehensive, paperless solution to effectively manage payroll administration for its growing franchises. Astra HR also provided Talbert with access to its network of licensed insurance advisors who created and executed an employee benefits plan for employees across the nation that followed federal employee tax laws. The consultants identified alternatives, recommend plan design, negotiated carrier costs and provided superior customer service. Astra HR was so responsive to the needs of Talbert, that payroll and benefits processing solutions were up and running just 10 days after Talbert Investments opened it doors.

Creating Bottom Line Results: Talbert Investments Expands Nationally
Currently, Talbert Investments has 28 franchises across the nation and continues to expand at an average of one to two branches a week. Astra HR is the sole provider of human resource services for every branch of Talbert Investments. Astra HR’s customized solutions has been a major contributing factor to the success of Talbert Investments. Throughout the experience, Talbert Investments has been able to seamlessly interact with Astra HR and implement services that manage every aspect of its human resources.