Mekel Summers and Karon Fowler open staffing firm to help ex-offenders get their second chance
Karon Fowler and Mekel Summers are co-founders of Seventy Times Seven Staffing Firm, a startup staffing firm that offers job placement services to ex-offenders. Here, Fowler shares the organization’s mission and how it uses Christianity to empower job seekers.
What is Seventy Time Seven Staffing’s mission?
Our mission is to provide superior service to our valued clients and employees through transitional staffing service. Seventy Times Seven Staffing is more than a business. It is our passion and our desire to give back to the community by providing a second chance to those who are nonviolent ex-offenders that have been incarcerated and desire to change. We strongly believe everyone deserves a second chance and our objective is to support and develop productive, working citizens.
Who are your clients?
Seventy Time Seven Staffing will identify partnering with businesses in the following sectors: Office (administrative) support, hospitals, food industries, warehouse, janitorial, manufacturing, construction, service industry, hotels, barbershops/hair salons and landscaping.
How do you market?
Word of mouth, meetings and social networks.
What sets your business a part from the competition?
Seventy Times Seven Staffing is a diverse staffing firm, with a vision to encourage, empower, and uplift each ex-offender through four fundamental values: love, acceptance, self-worth and Forgiveness. We feel these values were evident in the life of Jesus Christ and we want it to be prominent in each individual life we touch. Our skill development services consist of spiritual teaching, counseling, discipleship, life coach, job training, workshops, clinics, financial, wellness, health, mental health, exercising, nutrition, work ethics, resume writing, interviewing and training.
What is your professional background?
Human resources, staffing, equal opportunity employment, affirmative action, compliance and customer service.
Why did you launch this business?
We want to make an impact in our community. We know that ex-offenders have limited opportunity to become productive citizens.
What did you find was missing from the industry that inspired you to launch your business?
We believe as a society, it is our responsibility to provide a second chance to everyone. Peter came to Jesus and said, “Lord, how many times may my brother sin against me and I forgive him, up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I tell you, not seven times but seventy times seven (Matthew 18:22). For those who want a second chance on a new life, we are here to provide the tools for them to succeed.
For more information, please visit Seventy Times Seven Staffing Firm at www.stsstaff.com. Find them on Twitter: @STSStafffirm.
