CraftForce startup plans national expansion for its job search platform

 
Christmas came early for CraftForce, the local job search platform targeting skilled trades. On Nov. 17 the company was featured on Innovations with Ed Begley Jr., and at the viewing party CraftForce announced plans for a national expansion.
 
“We have been getting good responses since Innovation aired on the Discovery Channel,” says Dustin Grutza, founder and CEO of CraftForce. “That exposure provides some validation and credibility for us, which is a good thing for employers to see and helps with our national launch.”
 
CraftForce has been building its sales team and database to prepare for this expansion. The company has also been building relationships with technical schools and potential employers.
 
“We’ve had great feedback from employers, many of whom are in high need of our application,” Grutza says. “With baby boomers starting to retire, finding highly skilled labor has been a challenge.”
 
Grutza had been working in the industrial sector running a staffing company when he realized the hiring model for skilled trades needed to change.
 
“There was no platform for the skilled trade workers to post their resumes and demonstrate their abilities,” he says. “I wanted to create an easy way for them to post the work that they’re doing, to showcase themselves and their skills and be found for jobs. They would be driving two hours to work when there was a job just up the street that they didn’t even know about.”
 
CraftForce launched a mobile-responsive website in February that allowed workers to create a resume from their phone, search job postings and receive email or text notifications when they’re matched with a position.
 
“Our goal is that they don’t have to be out searching for jobs all the time,” Grutza says. “They can stick with a job until the project ends and be lining up their next job as the notifications arrive.”
 
The website was significantly updated in October, and major changes are in the works for the first quarter of 2016. CraftForce is also creating a new app to launch in conjunction with the 2016 update.
 
“We’re building a strong foundation with our website and application,” Grutza says. “As we’re working with our clients, we see what other features employers and workers need and we’re able to make those adjustments. I’m really excited about what we’ll be able to offer in the future.”
 
CraftForce currently doesn’t charge job candidates for resume and job search services, but employers pay a fee to post positions and access the resume bank.
 
CraftForce was founded in Maysville, Ky. and maintains an office there as well as a second office based out of Cintrifuse in Over-the-Rhine.
 
“Cintrifuse helped us find a lot of the resources we need to expand and build our web and mobile applications,” Grutza says. “There are so many different pieces to that puzzle, and they supply some great resources. I think Cincinnati is a great place for a company to start out and grow.”