Leading with Solid Determination

With English as a second language, Amita Patel came to the United States in 1995 after her marriage. However, Amita has always had a passion for doing something for herself. Amita's vision of establishing herself in a foreign country, building a successful career, and founding her own company was fueled by her drive, dedication, and passion for building herself up and allowing others to do the same. The entrepreneurial spirit was in her blood when she stepped out of her household to seek a career that defied cultural stereotypes for women. Amita diligently tapped an opportunity as there was a shift in the outsourcing labor market and was quick to establish her own venture.

Amita's first job was at a jewelry company, working for a mere $4.50 an hour. She ventured outside her home when it was not typical for women of her culture to pursue an outside career. Amita consistently demonstrates an ability to adapt to any change, and her willingness to learn led her to get a quick promotion within 3 months. She eventually became the General Manager of Operations before starting her own venture.

Leaving all her grief behind after she lost her spouse, Amita stood firm and stepped into her job to support her family, including her two young children. Building a strong shield of her own, Amita pushed herself shortly after that to return to her job to support her family. For the first couple of years in Apidel, Amita regularly worked over 18 hours daily, including her full-time job at the jewelry company and her time at Apidel. She did this while taking care of her children as a single mother. Amita believed her two strong pillars of success were her willingness to learn and her ability to build her social network. Earlier in her entrepreneurial journey, Amita focused on building her staffing knowledge by traveling across the country, interacting with several other staffing executives, and creating strong relationships with other industry professionals.

"Success doesn't find you. You have to go out & find IT." This quote stands true for those who step out into the world and say, "Yes," this is my time! Amita is that individual. Founded in 2012 with just two employees and little help from her family, Apidel Technologies LLC is an Illinois-based staffing and recruitment company that provides career opportunities to individuals with diverse backgrounds, especially with a significant focus on women and minorities. Apidel delivers on-demand talent to clients ranging from mid-sized companies to Fortune 500 companies across industries such as Telecom & Media, IT & Analytics, Engineering, Light Industrial, and Healthcare.

Apidel is a certified WBENC (Women's Business Enterprise National Council) and NMSDC (National Minority Supplier Development Council) organization. Apidel has grown today into a venture of over 170 full-time employees having operations primarily in the United States, India, and Australia and has generated revenues of over $50 million in FY2021.

Amita's motto of continuously sharing her knowledge and helping others grow has allowed her to build a strong culture at Apidel, where every employee is treated like family. Her relationships and connections with industry professionals built a solid foundation to fuel Apidel's growth over the past years while positioning the company for continuous future growth. Amita has over a decade-long, multifaceted career that includes numerous elements of the staffing industry, from recruiting, placement, training, and management to business expansion. A visionary leader and winner of the EnY Entrepreneur of the Year 2022 Midwest award, she constantly strives to create opportunities for underrepresented groups and empower individuals to achieve their full potential.

The pioneering leader's dedication and passion have allowed Apidel to grow its team, clients, market segments, and, in turn, its revenue. The company has generated sufficient profits, and Amita has continued reinvesting her earnings into the business. This has resulted in Apidel not facing any financial hardships even during the pandemic. Specifically, Apidel has experienced more than 100% growth during the pandemic when other businesses have struggled.

Under Amita's leadership, Apidel has accumulated multiple awards and accolades over the years, including but not limited to being ranked as one of the fastest-growing privately held companies in 2020, 2021, and 2022 by Inc. Magazine; Recognized as top suppliers by multiple healthcare, IT and tech companies. In addition to her commitment to diversity and supporting women and minorities, Amita also shares a vision of bettering the environment by establishing an initiative to plant trees for Apidel's employees' birthdays every year.

"Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belongingness (DEI&B) are central to our values. We've established measurable targets for enhancing diversity across all levels, accompanied by initiatives such as inclusive hiring practices, bias training, and employee resource groups to foster belonging," says Amita. "To assess our progress, we closely track talent attraction and retention rates, evaluating the impact of our training initiatives. We also analyze revenue per employee to gauge overall productivity. Regular assessments and feedback mechanisms ensure our strategies align with our goal of achieving employee excellence and organizational success."

Apidel is firmly rooted in the core value of helping others and driving to make a difference in building a better working world one individual at a time. Since its inception, Apidel has intensely focused on diversity and inclusion. Apidel's current workforce comprises over 70% women. The diversity program identifies underprivileged women who seek to return to work and helps find job opportunities for these individuals. In recent years, Amita also partnered with one of her clients and established the 'Second Chance' by hiring ex-prisoners to work at the 'Second Chance recycling facility in Atlanta. In the future, Amita hopes to continue her commitment to maintaining diversity goals for women in her organization. Amita says, "When a client follows your vision and strategy, you know you're on the right path."