Fifty years ago today my grandmother, Ann Duffer (aka “Mimi”), opened the doors to her employment agency, Ann Duffer Personnel, in downtown Richmond. The business started with placing candidates in mostly secretarial and clerical positions at legal and accounting firms. Over the years it expanded to sales, accounting, data processing, programming, and public relations positions across insurance, manufacturing, computer, and medical industries.
My mother, Cindy Matern, joined my grandmother in the business in 1993 when she opened Stat Temps, a subsidiary of Ann Duffer Personnel, to the Fredericksburg area. After Mimi retired in the early 2000s, my mother started her own agency, AT Once Staffing, which evolved into present-day Matern Staffing.
Mimi was a tough cookie and set high standards when it came to placing candidates. She frowned upon tardiness and sloppy dress, and instilled the importance of good communication and handwritten thank-you notes with every candidate she met. Mimi valued networking and relationships, and loved to throw a party as an excuse for friends, family and neighbors to gather together. She corresponded with mine and my siblings’ friends over the years, sending small birthday/wedding/new home gifts or “just because” letters. Before she passed away in 2010, she worked tirelessly to help create a Senior Citizen Center in Chesterfield County, Va.
Our company has evolved a lot over the decades, but we remain dedicated to our employees and customers. We are natural connectors and truly enjoy connecting the right people with the right business to better our community. We are a woman-owned business spanning three generations rooted with strong family values and look forward to the future!
Enjoy some old pictures of Ann and the old job advertisements she placed in the Richmond Times Dispatch:
