Ottawa-based recruiting firm MaxSys sold to Agilus Work Solutions – Ottawa Business Journal

After 30 years as the sole owner of Ottawa-based staffing firm MaxSys, Bryan Brulotte has finalized an agreement to sell the company to Agilus Work Solutions, the largest privately held full-service staffing firm in Canada. The sale was finalized Wednesday, Brulotte told OBJ, and adds to Agilus’ ongoing efforts to expand its reach across the country. Terms were not disclosed. “It’s an exciting opportunity,” Brulotte said in an interview Thursday. “Agilus is a fantastic company with great people across the country. It’s the kind of company we really feel like we have a strategic connection with.” Brulotte founded MaxSys in late 1993, eventually expanding the company to nine offices across the country. When discussions about an acquisition began, he said he felt the time was right to sell. “As an owner, you often think about selling when the time is right and when it makes sense,” Brulotte said. “For me, that was part of a lot of the factors that came into play. One is my age, I think I’m going to be 60 this year and maybe I should think about earning or taking some chips off the table. That’s a very important factor later in life, considering your family and where they are in life.” This is Agilus’ second acquisition in the past 12 months. As one of the country’s most successful staffing firms, Brulotte said Agilus has long been one of its biggest competitors. Agilus, which launched 48 years ago, is both older and larger, with a staff of 175 professionals across Canada. Brulotte said MaxSys has nearly 60 employees, most of whom are based in Ottawa. “It’s a relationship of mutual respect,” he said. “I’ve been in this industry for 30 years and I serve on the national board of the Association of Staffing and Employment Firms, so I’ve had experience and seen a lot of other strategic players in this space across Canada. I’ve always admired Agilus. I considered them to be one of the best competitors we’ve faced.” Brulotte said the fit between the two companies made for a quick sale, and talks about a potential merger began just two months ago. “Having the same strategic vision, perspective and goals that we share, it was a natural fit when we talked about potential acquisitions,” he said. “I’ve done eight acquisitions of my own since 2010, but I’ve been involved in about 70 different acquisitions. It gave me a very good understanding of the effective process to maximize our time and our productivity. So it wasn’t rushed; it was very efficient and very tight.” Brulotte said that MaxSys offers geographic advantages for Agilus, as well as the ability to expand its services into new sectors. “One of the key building blocks of this transaction is that MaxSys is in the fulfillment and customer service space that Agilus currently doesn’t serve,” he said. “When you’re talking about federal government, national defense or health sciences, and in some geographies across the country from Vancouver to Halifax, we’re in places where Agilus doesn’t have a physical presence or a large presence. What we’re doing is very complementary and strengthens the company.” Agilus CEO Craig Brown said in a news release that the deal will expand the company’s national presence, strengthen its offerings in sectors like health sciences, defense and federal government, and help it keep up with evolving trends in Canada’s rapidly changing labor market. Over the next few months, MaxSys will operate as a standalone subsidiary under its own name — with the added co-branding of Agilus — while the company conducts a discovery process to determine how to proceed long-term. Brulotte said that because MaxSys addresses unique needs that Agilus currently doesn’t, he doesn’t anticipate any layoffs at this time. For his part, Brulotte will join the Agilus leadership team as executive vice president. “I’m very happy for our team. “I think it’s an opportunity for MaxSys employees to be part of a larger company, and as a result, I think it will open up a lot of career opportunities for a lot of people,” he said. “There were several interested parties during the process, and Agilus was chosen in part and in large part because it offers the best opportunities for our employees. It was a great fit with the team we have across Canada.”