John Elwood’s company bears his name—Elwood Staffing Services. It’s a family business, but Elwood didn’t always plan to follow in his family’s footsteps. While still in college, he decided that
a sales career would be a good fit for him. However,
the lure of the staffing industry—which often is best
known only by staffing professionals themselves—did
eventually grab hold of Elwood. Now John Elwood
is president of the company founded by his father,
David Elwood, nearly 35 years ago.
Elwood runs the family business alongside his two
brothers, Mark and Michael, and their father continues to serve as chairman of the board. Based in
Columbus, IN, Elwood Staffing Services today has
220 locations in 33 states and parts of Canada, and
employs nearly 1,000 corporate associates.
In October, John Elwood was elected chairman of
the ASA board of directors. Staffing Success magazine
recently reached out to the new chairman to ask
him to reflect on his career—as well as look toward
the future of the industry.
SS: Do you credit your father and brothers
with pointing you toward a career in the staffing
and recruiting industry?
Elwood: It wasn’t a direct path. The family business was only nascent when I was growing up. It
By Jennifer Silber, CAE
ASA chairman John Elwood says that the way forward for the industry is service—to clients,
candidates, and corporate staff. He thinks it’s the way forward for the association, too.
Sold on
Staffing
wasn’t until later, when I was in high school and
then college, that my father and my brother Mark
really committed to growing the family business.
Even before I graduated from Indiana University, with a bachelor’s degree in business, something
happened that changed my trajectory in life. I was
recruited by a company to sell educational books
door-to-door for only the commission. I worked an
average of 75 hours per week for two summers to
help offset some of my college expenses. ➤
John Elwood runs the family business alongside his two brothers; their father serves
as chairman of the board.
