Beth Delaney, multi-unit franchisee for Spherion Staffing & Recruiting, was awarded the Franchisee Excellence Award in 2026 for her performance, sustained growth, operational consistency, and deep, long-term commitment to both Spherion and the communities she serves.
With more than 30 years of leadership experience and 24 years as a Spherion franchisee, Beth has built Spherion Mid Ohio into a trusted workforce partner serving 12 counties through four offices and hybrid operations.
What truly distinguishes Beth’s performance is her ability to evolve while staying grounded in her values. Even after more than two decades as a franchise owner, she remains focused on thoughtful growth. In 2024, Beth expanded into Summit, Holmes, and Tuscarawas counties to meet changing workforce needs and bring professional staffing solutions to new communities.
Under Beth’s leadership, strong results consistently follow strong execution. In 2025, Spherion Mid Ohio earned a 4.9-star Google rating across 345 reviews and built an engaged online presence with more than 70,000 TikTok followers. Over the course of her career, Beth has helped place an estimated 105,000 Ohioans into meaningful employment, supporting individuals and families across a wide range of industries and career stages.
Read Our Q&A With Beth Delaney, Franchise Owner at Spherion Staffing & Recruiting Franchise
When did you start your business?
I became a franchise owner in 2002. I own the Spherion Staffing & Recruiting locations in Ashland, Mansfield, Marion, Wooster, and Willard, OH.
During your research, what made your franchise brand stand out?
Being a Spherion Staffing & Recruiting franchise owner really found me. I was a corporate employee of the company for 10 years when the opportunity to own my own market presented itself. Knowing the industry and having a strong local presence, I was confident that partnering with Spherion as a franchisee would be the next pivotal move in my career.
How did your franchisor help you to prepare for and launch your business?
When I purchased the business in 2002, I was proud not only to be a franchise owner but also to be a certified woman-owned business in an industry that had very few at the time.
Spherion provided the strategy and key support to maintain the territories I purchased, while also helping me expand and grow as the business progressed. All of this was made possible through executive support and mentorship from Spherion leadership, top to bottom.
What advice would you give potential franchisees considering your brand?
If you’re looking for a business where you can close your door and work in isolation, this isn’t the brand for you. But if you want to be part of a powerhouse collective, here is my advice: Don’t just buy a territory, join the culture.
When you join Spherion, you aren’t just buying the right to use a logo; you’re joining a siblinghood of franchise owners and corporate support. Lean into the transparency of this network.
We celebrate each other’s wins because a win in one market strengthens the brand’s reputation for the next market. We support each other’s losses because your “lesson learned” might save a fellow owner from the same pitfall tomorrow. The most successful franchisees here are the ones who ask for help. The ‘secret sauce’ isn’t held by corporate alone, it’s distributed among the owners.
Reach out to the veteran franchise owners. We won’t see you as a competitor; we see you as a teammate. If your location is strong, the brand is strong, and we all benefit from that increased market share and brand recognition.
What specific things set YOUR franchise apart?
There is a big difference between owning a business and knowing a business. What sets our offices apart is that I never ask our team, or our clients to do something I haven’t done—or wouldn’t do—myself. I’ve sat in every seat. With more than 30 years in this industry and over 20 years as a Spherion franchise owner, I’ve been the recruiter, the salesperson, the payroll clerk, and the branch manager.
Just as important, success comes from the talent and tenure of my team. We aren’t just filling orders, we’re changing lives. That starts with how I treat my internal team. Business owners are often asked, “What keeps you up at night?” For me, the answer has always been that my success or failure is not mine alone. I’m responsible for the livelihoods of my employees, their families, and their success as well.
One last thing, I have always hired better than myself. Leadership means carrying the culture and vision of the organization across many skill-sets, and hiring people stronger than myself has proven to be a strategy that wins time and time again.
What specific things contributed to your success?
Success in this business is rarely about a single lightbulb moment. For me, success has been the result of integrating three specific areas: community, our corporate foundation, and a commitment to best-in-class operations.
One of the most significant contributors to my growth has been the Spherion brain trust. I don’t operate in a vacuum. I am an active participant in our franchisee community. When I run into a roadblock, I don’t always jump to reinvent the wheel; I reach out to peers who have scaled similar mountains.
I’ve treated Spherion’s training not as a one-time onboarding requirement, but as a continuous competitive advantage. Even my most tenured staff have participated in ongoing training, and even repeated training offered by our Spherion corporate team. The support and spread of training provided is truly world class.
What unique strengths and skills do YOU bring to your franchise?
I bring a deep sense of responsibility to my leadership. I understand that running this franchise impacts not just my team, but their families as well. That awareness drives how I make decisions, manage risk, and build a stable, people-first operation. As a daughter, mother, wife, sister and grandmother—before business owner—I know the skill of balanced boundaries.
I tell my team: “Go to your kid’s soccer game.” Because I value my own family first, I empower my team to do the same. The result is incredible loyalty and low turnover. My team stays because they are treated as humans first and employees second. That stability is a massive strength we offer our clients because they like working with the same faces year after year.
Additionally, I have always approached philanthropy and sponsorship as more than just writing the check. Our philosophy on community support is participatory giving. When we sponsor a local cause, we go beyond signing the check and placing a logo: We send ourselves!
What is something that might surprise people about franchise ownership?
Most people think being a franchisee means “following a manual” or operating a “business in a box.” The reality is the opposite, and that’s the most exciting part of the job. People are often surprised by how much room there is for innovation. Spherion provides the foundation, but I build the house.
I have the freedom to design our local culture, choose which community initiatives to champion, and decide exactly how we want to serve the Mid Ohio market. Spherion corporate does the heavy lifting of vetting and building the tech, marketing and training stack so I can stay focused on leading my people instead of troubleshooting software.
It’s a shock to many to see our local office competing with, and winning against, global staffing giants. I’m a local business owner who knows my neighbors by name, but when I sit at a boardroom table, I bring the financial strength and brand equity of a national powerhouse. Some people think a franchise is a leash. In reality, it’s a launch pad. It gave me the stability to fly as high and chase my goals.
The Spherion Staffing & Recruiting Franchise Opportunity:
Spherion is a staffing and recruiting franchise opportunity backed by over 75 years of industry experience. With a focus on light industrial, administrative, and professional staffing solutions, Spherion emphasizes the blend of people, process, and tech.
Acknowledged in Franchise Times, Forbes, Entrepreneur, and FranchiseRankings.com, Spherion Staffing & Recruiting has earned recognition for its ability to cater to the ever-changing demands of America’s workforce.
Each year, Spherion uses the FBR franchisee satisfaction survey to gain unbiased insights into their franchisees, and they have ranked highly on our unbiased awards lists for many years, including:
- Top 200 Franchise 2026
- Top Franchises for Women
- Most Innovative Franchises
- Most Profitable Franchises
- Top Franchises for Veterans
- Recession-Resistant Franchises
Interested in Becoming a Spherion Staffing & Recruiting Franchise Owner?
Spherion’s locally-owned franchise model emphasizes community connection while providing the resources and brand recognition of a national organization, making it an attractive opportunity for entrepreneurs seeking to enter the staffing industry.
To learn more about the Spherion Staffing & Recruiting franchise opportunity and get more information, call (951) 303-7003 or visit spherion.com/franchising.
