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Cincinnati, OH, August 7, 2026
More Than a Seat at the Table: How SMG R.I.S.E. Is Shaping Opportunity at Staffmark Group
By Jennifer Fitzpatrick, SMG Community Impact Manager & SMG R.I.S.E. Chair
Earlier this year, SMG R.I.S.E. entered a new chapter. Originally established as one of Staffmark Group’s Business Resource Group (BRG) Alliances, employee-led groups that foster connection, professional development, and a more inclusive workplace, SMG R.I.S.E. has evolved into something much bigger. Today, it serves as the SMG R.I.S.E. Advisory Board, the governing body that provides strategic guidance and support for all seven of Staffmark Group’s BRG Alliances.
On paper, that may sound like an organizational change. In reality, it represents something much more meaningful. It reflects Staffmark Group’s commitment to ensuring employee voices help shape our culture, strengthen our business, and expand opportunity for people from every background.
From Alliance to Advisory Board
SMG R.I.S.E. began as one of Staffmark Group’s seven Business Resource Group Alliances, doing the same work every Alliance does: connecting employees, building community, creating real impact. But as the BRG program grew, it became clear R.I.S.E. was positioned to do something more.
“Today, SMG R.I.S.E. is our Advisory Board, the governing body that unites and supports all seven Alliances under one shared purpose: to Reach, Impact, Serve, and Empower,” Fitzpatrick says. The board brings together subject matter experts from across the business, learning and development, field operations, sales, and HR, giving every Alliance direct access to senior leadership and the cross-functional resources they need to thrive. “The shift means no Alliance is operating in isolation, and the incredible work happening across all seven groups is coordinated, visible, and connected to the business at the highest level.”
What "Expanding Opportunity" Looks Like Day to Day
Talk to Jennifer long enough and she’ll point you to the seven Alliances themselves as the clearest answer: the Black Alliance, Military Alliance, Women Alliance, Prism Alliance, H.O.L.A. Alliance, Interfaith Alliance, and Wellness Alliance, each built around a shared identity or experience.
“For our employees, it means a culture where people feel like they genuinely belong and have real opportunities to grow and lead,” she says. For the talent Staffmark Group places, it means connecting people from all kinds of backgrounds to meaningful work. For clients, it means partnering with a staffing firm that understands an inclusive workforce isn’t just the right thing to do, it produces better outcomes. And for the communities Staffmark Group operates in, it means showing up consistently, through partnerships that go beyond a single event. “SMG R.I.S.E. sits behind all of it, making sure the Alliances have what they need to keep doing this work well.”
The Qualification You Can't Put on a Resume
Ask Jennifer what organizations miss when they hire from a narrow pool, and she doesn’t talk in abstractions. She talks about people.
Picture a veteran who spent years leading teams through some of the most high-pressure environments imaginable. On paper, they might not check every traditional box. Put them in a role juggling multiple clients and competing priorities, though, and they thrive, because they’ve already done harder things. Or consider someone who navigated reentry after incarceration. They know firsthand what it takes to rebuild trust, stay accountable, and show up every single day. “That kind of resilience isn’t something you can teach,” Fitzpatrick says.
The lesson isn’t diversity for its own sake. “It’s perspective, problem-solving, and life experience that makes teams stronger,” she says. “Our Alliances exist because we believe lived experience is a qualification, not a disqualifier, and SMG R.I.S.E. exists to make sure that belief is backed up with real structure and real support.”
Why This Should Matter to You
For anyone outside Staffmark Group, whether that’s a job seeker, a client, or someone simply learning about this work for the first time, Fitzpatrick says SMG R.I.S.E. and the seven Alliances represent something specific: an organization that has done the work to build real infrastructure around belonging and opportunity.
“This isn’t a checkbox or a committee,” she says. “It’s seven active employee communities, each centered around a shared identity or experience, supported by an advisory board with senior leaders at the table and a direct line to how we operate as a business.”
For a job seeker, that means the people inside this organization are genuinely invested in your success, not just your placement. For a client, it means your staffing partner brings a depth of perspective and community connection that shapes the talent found for you. And for everyone else, it’s an invitation. “This is what it looks like when a company decides that inclusion isn’t a side project,” Fitzpatrick says. “It’s how we do business.”
Want to learn more about SMG R.I.S.E.?
Explore how Staffmark Group’s seven Business Resource Group Alliances build community, open doors, and shape opportunity across the company: Inclusion at Staffmark Group.
And if this is the kind of employer you’ve been looking for, your next opportunity might be one application away. Visit the Staffmark jobs page to explore open roles and take your next step forward.