The Growth Game

In this prerecorded episode of The Growth Game Podcast, Paul DeLuca sits down with Brigid Isenmann, Chief Revenue Officer at Avionté, and Mike Metzger, who served as interim CEO during a pivotal period for the company. In June of 2026, Avionté welcomed new CEO Dirk Izzo — read more about that transition here.

With Brigid's ten years on the agency side and Mike's 20 years in software, this conversation brings both the operator and the technology perspective to one of the most misunderstood conversations in staffing right now.

They talk about:
🔎 Why the AI hype cycle is leading staffing firms toward fragmentation instead of efficiency.
🔎 How to identify the right pain points before choosing any AI tool.
🔎 Why Avionté went through internal AI adoption first.
🔎 How staffing technology is evolving around talent engagement and candidate matching for 2026.
🔎 Why referrals and relationships drive growth in staffing technology just as much as in staffing firms themselves.

👉 If you're running a staffing firm and want to dig deeper into what Avionté is building, Avionté Connect starts tomorrow. Stop by and continue the conversation in person.

Connect with Brigid Isenmann | Avionté 

🌐 Website | www.avionte.com

💼 LinkedIn | www.linkedin.com/in/brigidisenmann
💼 LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/avionte-staffing-software/

#PayrollFunding #InvoiceFactoring #StaffingIndustry #StaffingTechnology #StaffingAI

Paul DeLuca
LinkedIn |   / merituscapital

Meritus Capital
LinkedIn |   / meritus-capital-inc-
Website | https://www.merituscapital.com

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Staffing M&A advisor Patrick Morin has helped hundreds of founders build toward an exit. Here's what separates the firms that command real value from the ones that don't when the moment arrives.

Patrick Morin, Managing Partner of Transact Capital, returns to The Growth Game Podcast to sit down with Paul DeLuca for one of the most complete strategic conversations in the series. With every senior banker at Transact Capital having started, built, and sold their own company, Patrick brings an operator's perspective to the M&A conversations most investment bankers approach purely from a financial lens.

They talk about:
🏆 Why staffing firm culture is a valuation issue not just a people issue.
🏆 How AI adoption without strategy creates noise instead of value.
🏆 Why most staffing exits are triggered by personal circumstances not market timing.
🏆 How earn-out payments are determined by cultural health during integration.
🏆 What staffing market fragmentation means for independent and mid-sized firms competing against national players.

👉 If you're building a staffing firm and thinking about what it will be worth in three to five years this conversation will change how you think about every decision between now and then.

#PayrollFunding #InvoiceFactoring #StaffingIndustry #StaffingMergers #StaffingAcquisitions

Connect with Patrick Morin (Transact Capital)
Website | https://transactcapital.com/
LinkedIn  | https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickmorin/

Paul DeLuca
LinkedIn |   / merituscapital

Meritus Capital
LinkedIn |   / meritus-capital-inc-
Website | https://www.merituscapital.com

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Staffing firms that track KPIs and financial data are outgrowing the ones that don't. Here's what 70% of staffing-focused accounting work actually reveals.

In this episode of The Growth Game Podcast, Paul DeLuca sits down with Tom Sena, CPA and Tax Advisor at UHY, to break down what the financials of hundreds of staffing firms reveal about growth, tax strategy, and operational clarity.

With a background that includes public accounting, startup CFO experience, and a national staffing practice led by 20-year industry veteran Jerry Grady, Tom brings a ground-level perspective on what separates staffing firms that are scaling from the ones running in place.

They talk about:
🔎 Why a gut feeling isn´t a way to run a staffing firm.
🔎 How staffing data and margin visibility is becoming the real growth differentiator.
🔎 How multi-state tax complexity compounds fast and why staffing firms expanding across state lines need expert guidance early.
🔎 What Tom sees across his client base that separates the firms moving forward from the ones standing still.

👉 If you're running a staffing firm and making decisions without a clear handle on your numbers, this conversation will show you exactly what you're missing, and what it's costing you.

#PayrollFunding #InvoiceFactoring #StaffingIndustry #StaffingKPIs #StaffingGrowth

Connect with Thomas Sena (UHY-US)
Website | https://uhy-us.com/professionals/tom-sena
LinkedIn  | https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-sena-cpa-pfs/

Paul DeLuca
LinkedIn |   / merituscapital

Meritus Capital
LinkedIn |   / meritus-capital-inc-
Website | https://www.merituscapital.com

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In this episode of The Growth Game Podcast, Paul DeLuca sits down with Andy Kohler, Staffing Insurance Broker at Marsh McLennan. They predict where the staffing industry is actually heading - and why the path looks different depending on who you are and how you're built.

Andy works with staffing companies across the country on insurance, risk management, and workers' comp. He sees inside hundreds of firms, including the exposures and operational gaps that most people don’t discuss openly.

Topics include:

🔎 Why middle market light industrial is gaining ground (and who's losing it).
🔎 Where skilled trades and construction are headed over the next few years.
🔎 How technology is functioning as a force multiplier.
🔎 The incoming workers' comp market.
🔎 Why insurance should be treated as an investment, not a sunk cost.

👉 If you're running a staffing firm and haven't audited your risk program lately, this conversation calls out what you might be missing.

Connect with Andy Kohler (Marsh McLennan)
Website | https://marshmmamidwest.com/
LinkedIn  | https://www.linkedin.com/in/andybkohler/

Paul DeLuca
LinkedIn |   / merituscapital

Meritus Capital
LinkedIn |   / meritus-capital-inc-
Website | https://www.merituscapital.com

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In this episode of The Growth Game Podcast, Paul DeLuca sits down with Mike Bartels, Chief Development Officer at Becker LLC, to break down what actually enables a staffing firm to scale, and what causes it to stall.

With over 20 years of experience in business development and working closely with staffing firms on growth and M&A, Mike brings a practical perspective on what needs to be in place before growth can happen.

They talk about: 

📈 Why growth breaks without strong operations. 

📈 What “keeping your house in order” really means. 

📈 The role of funding, legal, and insurance partners. 

📈 How internal alignment impacts performance. 

📈 When to grow organically vs through acquisition.

👉 If you're trying to scale your staffing firm, this conversation offers a clearer look at what needs to be built behind the scenes before growth can actually hold.

Connect with Mike Bartels (Becker LLC)
Website | https://www.becker.legal/our-team/michael-bartels/
LinkedIn  | https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-bartels-7421a09/

Paul DeLuca
LinkedIn |   / merituscapital

Meritus Capital
LinkedIn |   / meritus-capital-inc-
Website | https://www.merituscapital.com

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In this episode of The Growth Game, Paul DeLuca sits down with Dave Meyercord, CEO of Buffalo Run Advisors, to unpack why so many firms stop growing and what it takes to break through to the next level.

With a track record of driving growth through stronger culture, tighter operations, and better execution, Dave brings a practical perspective on what actually moves a business forward.

They talk about:
📈 Why growth stalls. 

📈 What alignment actually looks like. 

📈 How culture drives results. 

📈 Where leadership gets it wrong.

👉 If you feel progress in your company has slowed, this conversation offers a clearer perspective on what may be holding your team back, and how to move forward.

Connect with Dave Meyercord (Buffalo Run Advisors. LLC)

Website | https://davidmeyercord.com/

LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-meyercord/

Paul DeLuca
LinkedIn |   / merituscapital

Meritus Capital
LinkedIn |   / meritus-capital-inc-
Website | https://www.merituscapital.com

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As staffing firms scale, the real pressure often shows up behind the scenes.

In this episode of The Growth Game, Paul DeLuca sits down with Valerie Peer, Executive Vice President of Nixer Comp, a provider of workers’ comp solutions built for staffing firms, to unpack the four hidden costs that come with growth and why they matter more than most operators think.

They dig into:

➡️ Why workers’ comp is more than just an expense.

➡️ How claims and misclassification quietly impact margins.

➡️ The role of cash flow in managing insurance structures.

➡️ Why operational discipline becomes critical as companies grow.

Connect with Valerie Peer (Nixer Comp)

Website | https://www.nixercomp.com/
LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/valeriepeer/

Paul DeLuca
LinkedIn |   / merituscapital

Meritus Capital
LinkedIn |   / meritus-capital-inc-
Website | https://www.merituscapital.com

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Staffing firms are still growing but margins are becoming the real focus.

In this episode of The Growth Game, Paul DeLuca sits down with Sam Napoli, SVP of Sales & Marketing at Peoplease, to unpack what’s really driving growth in today’s staffing market, and why profitability is becoming the deciding factor.

With nearly 20 years in the PEO space, Sam brings a deep understanding of how payroll, margins, and risk management directly impact staffing operations, and why PEOs play a critical role in helping firms scale.

They dig into:

💡 Why staffing is still growing, even in uncertain economic conditions.

💡 How margin pressure is shaping decisions across the industry.

💡 The role of partnerships in scaling operations and controlling costs.

💡 Why growth without efficiency can quickly become a problem.

If you’re a staffing leader thinking about how to scale without putting pressure on your business, this conversation offers a clearer view of what actually drives sustainable growth.

👉 Subscribe for more conversations with operators building and scaling staffing businesses.

Connect with Sam Napoli (Peoplease)

Website | https://www.peoplease.com/

LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuelnapoli/

Paul DeLuca
LinkedIn |   / merituscapital

Meritus Capital
LinkedIn |   / meritus-capital-inc-
Website | https://www.merituscapital.com

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In this new episode of The Growth Game Podcast, Paul DeLuca sits down with Dave Kooiman, Founder and President of Arena Staffing. Dave specializes in placing skilled trade workers across construction projects.

Together, they talk about how staffing firms can evolve from simply filling jobs to becoming true partners for their clients.

You’ll hear: 

🚀 How Arena Staffing built a niche in skilled trades staffing. 

🚀 Why relationships still sit at the core of the industry. 

🚀 What clients are really looking for from staffing agencies today.

If you work in staffing, no matter your role, this episode offers real examples of where the industry is heading, and what it will take to stay relevant in the next era of staffing.

Connect with Dave Kooiman (Arena Staffing)

Website | https://www.arenastaffing.net/

LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/dkooiman

Paul DeLuca
LinkedIn |   / merituscapital

Meritus Capital
LinkedIn |   / meritus-capital-inc-
Website | https://www.merituscapital.com

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Reintroducing: the AI recruiter who never sleeps.

In this episode of The Growth Game Podcast, Paul DeLuca sits down with returning guest Sammy Singh, CEO of WurkNow, to revisit the hot topic of AI voice recruiting in staffing workflows—and what his team has observed since the first launch.

Sammy breaks down how their AI recruiter (“Luna”) calls, texts, and qualifies candidates in multiple languages, and what they’ve seen as clients scale usage up, pull it back, and then reintroduce it more thoughtfully around compliance and cost.

You’ll hear:
🤖 Where AI voice recruiting actually fits in the funnel (and where simple texting still wins)
🤖 Why some firms went “all in” on AI, then hit pause—and how they’re using it now
🤖 How to think about AI as a way to buy back recruiter time, not replace recruiters

If you’re a staffing owner or operator trying to figure out what AI adoption looks like on the recruiting side, this episode gives you a grounded look at what’s working today, and where it’s heading.

👉 Subscribe for more conversations with leaders shaping the future of staffing, funding, and growth.

Connect with Sammy Singh (WurkNow)
Website | https://wurknow.com/
LinkedIn | linkedin.com/in/singhsammy/

Paul DeLuca
LinkedIn |   / merituscapital

Meritus Capital
LinkedIn |   / meritus-capital-inc-
Website | https://www.merituscapital.com

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