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Epitec has acquired the information technology and government services divisions of TalentBurst, expanding one of the largest Black-owned companies in the United States beyond its Midwest industrial base.
The deal closed on June 1 and was announced on Monday after a year of negotiation. Terms were not disclosed.
The acquisition covers TalentBurst's IT and engineering service lines together with its state, local and education government staffing division. The acquired businesses have adopted the Epitec brand.
"A combination of good synergies, timing and keeping that relationship open with them," Epitec president Rebecca Bray said of the rationale.
Moving beyond automotive
Epitec built its business around Michigan's automotive sector and heavy industry, a concentration that has left it exposed to a single cyclical market.
Chief operating officer Mark Ruma said the transaction strengthens the company's position in industries including finance, and also supports its presence in Canada. The TalentBurst divisions recruited for similar skills but served a different customer base.
Brad Talwar, TalentBurst's founder and chief executive, framed the geographic logic more directly, saying the deal gives Epitec an opportunity to expand beyond its traditional strengths in Midwest automotive and heavy industrial sectors into banking, fintech, software and government services along the East and West coasts.
Both companies appear on Staffing Industry Analysts' ranking of the largest staffing firms in the United States, TalentBurst at 128 and Epitec at 206.
A company built on early computing
Jerry Sheppard founded the business in 1978 as Comprehensive Data Processing, set up to help companies migrate from paper records to electronic systems as early computing entered corporate America. It was renamed Epitec in 2000.
Sheppard held majority ownership for 43 years. In 2022 he handed the chief executive role to Josie Sheppard and moved to chair, leaving the company women-owned and operated with Bray as president. It remains certified African-American owned and headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, employing more than 1,500 consultants annually across IT, engineering and professional staffing.
Black Enterprise ranked Epitec seventh on its list of the 100 largest Black-owned businesses in the United States, with reported annual revenue of $98.1 million. The company has also been named supplier of the year by the Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council and holds strategic supplier status with Guidant Global and Allegis Global Solutions.
Sheppard has been recognised among the 50 most influential minorities in business by the Minority Business and Professionals Network.
What the seller keeps
TalentBurst, founded in Boston in 2002, retains three brands after the sale. TalentProcure handles its managed service provider offering, TalentBurst Connect covers employer of record and agent of record services, and TalentBurst Healthcare and Life Sciences serves clinical and pharmaceutical clients.
Talwar said the divestment allows his company to concentrate on building those businesses, and described Epitec as the ideal acquirer, citing shared family-owned values and a long-term approach.
Bray said Epitec intends to keep growing both organically and through further acquisitions.
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