SimpleVMS
By SimpleVMS (A Division of Avionté)
SimpleVMS is a highly specialized Vendor Management System (VMS) headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, that has become a cornerstone for contingent workforce management in North America. Founded in 2009 by industry veterans who identified a significant gap in how mid-market companies managed their staffing suppliers, SimpleVMS has evolved into a powerhouse for the clerical and light industrial (CLI) sectors. The company's mission is centered on radical transparency and simplicity, aiming to replace chaotic spreadsheets and manual reconciliation with a unified, data-driven platform. In August 2023, SimpleVMS reached a pivotal milestone when it was acquired by Avionté, a leading enterprise staffing and recruiting software provider. This acquisition has allowed SimpleVMS to operate as a specialized division within a larger ecosystem, creating the industry's first integrated platform that connects the employer, the staffing agency, and the individual talent in real-time. With a robust customer base and a reputation for high-touch service, SimpleVMS is currently ranked as a 'Major Contender' and 'Star Performer' by global analysts like the Everest Group, reflecting its rapid growth and technological innovation.
The story of SimpleVMS began in 2009 in a basement in Cincinnati, where co-founder Jason Oswald and his partner Joe Clancy set out to solve a recurring problem they saw in the staffing industry. Oswald, a former network engineer at Xerox with a natural entrepreneurial streak, had transitioned into the staffing world and quickly realized that while technology was advancing everywhere else, the way companies managed their temporary labor remained stuck in the past. After two years of intensive development and testing, they officially launched the first iteration of the SimpleVMS platform in 2011. The founding vision was built on 'Vendor Neutrality'—ensuring that the software didn't favor one agency over another, but rather served as a neutral referee that helped the employer find the best talent at the right price. From its inception, the founders decided on a philosophy of 'treating the vendor nice,' believing that if agencies found the tool easy to use, they would provide better talent to the employer. This basement-born project has since grown into a multi-million dollar revenue organization that manages billions in contingent labor spend for major national brands.
SimpleVMS represents a rare success story in the SaaS world: a company that scaled to significant market share with virtually zero traditional venture capital funding. Historically, the company was bootstrapped and fueled by its own revenue and strategic partnerships. This lack of outside pressure allowed the founders to focus exclusively on customer-requested features rather than meeting investor-driven growth targets. However, the company's trajectory changed in August 2023 when it was acquired by Avionté LLC. Avionté is a portfolio company of Serent Capital, a growth-oriented private equity firm. The acquisition (the financial terms of which were undisclosed) provided SimpleVMS with the backing of a major capital partner, enabling more aggressive R&D and deeper integration into the wider staffing technology stack. This shift from an independent, self-funded startup to a private-equity-backed division has accelerated SimpleVMS's ability to launch high-cost innovations like AI-integrated biometric timekeeping and expanded its reach into international markets through Avionté's extensive network.
SimpleVMS offers a multifaceted platform centered around four core functional pillars: Procurement, Compliance, Timekeeping, and Invoicing. Its Procurement module allows for automated requisition distribution and candidate scoring, while the Compliance module acts as a digital safe for I-9s, drug tests, and safety training records. A major component of their offering is the 'Simple Integrated Timekeeping' suite, which is unique because it provides physical hardware (biometric clocks) to clients at no cost. This hardware is fully integrated with the VMS software, ensuring that time data is never manually entered. Following the Avionté merger, the product suite now includes 'Avionté 24/7' mobile integration, allowing workers to see their schedules and paystubs directly on their phones. SimpleVMS also provides a Managed Service Provider (MSP) partner ecosystem, where they collaborate with professional workforce managers to offer a 'tech-plus-service' model for companies that want to outsource the day-to-day management of their staffing programs entirely while retaining the transparency of the SimpleVMS platform.
Geographically, SimpleVMS has expanded from its regional roots in Ohio to supporting clients with thousands of locations across the United States and Canada. Its primary expansion strategy has been vertical rather than horizontal; while the software is flexible enough for any industry, the company has doubled down on the Clerical and Light Industrial (CLI) sector, which accounts for the vast majority of contingent labor volume. Recent expansions have focused on 'total talent acquisition' workflows, merging the traditional VMS with ATS (Applicant Tracking System) capabilities. This allows for a 'round trip' of data: a job order starts in SimpleVMS, moves into the agency's ATS, flows to a mobile app for the talent, and the punch-data flows back for the employer's invoice. This structural expansion has positioned SimpleVMS as more than just a vendor management tool, but as a critical infrastructure provider for the 'on-demand' labor economy. The company continues to grow its channel partnership program, collaborating with some of the largest staffing firms in North America who recommend SimpleVMS as the preferred platform for their clients.
The last 12-18 months have been the most prolific in SimpleVMS's history regarding product evolution. In August 2024, the company launched its flagship innovation: 'AI Photo Time.' This system integrates biometric AI photo-matching into physical time clocks to verify the identity of every employee clocking in, effectively ending 'buddy punching' and saving clients an estimated 3-5% on total labor costs. Additionally, the company introduced 'Meal Break Compliance' triggers specifically for California-based employers, which automatically flags and penalizes missed breaks in accordance with state labor laws. Other recent updates include a complete UI/UX overhaul of the reporting dashboard, which now features over 100 stock reports and a 'No-Code' report builder. The integration with Avionté BOLD and the 24/7 mobile talent platform has also introduced real-time job order synchronization, where a requisition posted by an employer can appear as a push notification on a qualified worker's phone in seconds, drastically reducing the 'time-to-fill' for urgent industrial roles.
The culture at SimpleVMS is deeply rooted in the concept of 'Staffing Experts Building Software for Staffing Experts.' Many of the company's key leaders, including President Jason Oswald, spent decades in recruiting and operations before moving into tech, leading to a culture of empathy for the end-user. Based in the Beechmont area of Cincinnati, the company maintains a high-energy, collaborative environment that values 'simplicity' as its highest virtue. There is a strong emphasis on US-based, accessible support; unlike many tech firms that outsource help desks, SimpleVMS support staff are based in the Cincinnati office and available until 9 PM EST. Following the Avionté acquisition, the culture has shifted toward a more 'tech-forward' mindset, incorporating agile development methodologies while retaining the 'small-town' responsiveness the company was founded on. The company boasts an impressive Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) of +96, reflecting a highly engaged workforce that is motivated by the tangible ROI their software provides to clients in challenging labor markets.
SimpleVMS fosters a vibrant community through several high-engagement channels. One of the primary vehicles is the 'Staffing Made Simple' podcast and blog, where Jason Oswald and other industry leaders discuss strategic trends in contingent labor, legal compliance, and the future of AI in staffing. The company also maintains a dedicated Help Center with a massive library of video tutorials and documentation for both employers and vendors. For staffing agency partners, SimpleVMS hosts regular training webinars and certification programs to ensure they are maximizing their visibility within the system. The company is an active participant and sponsor at major industry events such as Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) Executive Forum and CWS (Contingent Workforce Strategies) Summit. Furthermore, as part of the Avionté family, SimpleVMS users gain access to a larger community of over 1,000 staffing firms and 25,000 users, participating in annual user conferences and collaborative product roadmap sessions that allow clients to influence future feature development directly.
