18,400 workers placed in Wichita since 2013. People with records have been walking in since day one. We matched them to employers who could work with their situation — we’ll do the same for you.
Some of our clients require background checks. Some don’t. Be honest about your record at the counter — it won’t end the conversation before it starts.
Mon–Fri · 9:00 AM – 2:30 PM · (316) 202-2082
Three things to know before you walk in.
Some of our clients require background checks. Some don’t. Our job is to match you with employers whose hiring criteria fit your situation — not to screen you out.
We evaluate every candidate by the nature of the offense, time since, and the specific job — never a blanket no.
Your record won’t end the conversation before it starts.
Federal and Kansas law restrict placements in these environments, including individuals on the sex offender registry. Other record types may still qualify depending on the role and the school’s policy.
Picking, packing, forklift, shipping and receiving. Client background-check requirements vary.
Production lines, assembly, machine operation. Most clients flexible; some run background checks per role.
General labor, site cleanup, materials handling. Most clients flexible on records.
Production, packaging, sanitation. Indoor work, structured shifts. Varies by client.
Kitchen, banquet, event support. Varies by client.
Wichita aerospace warehouse and production roles. Strict background checks required for most positions — we’ll tell you which roles you qualify for at the counter.
“Adversity always begins with hard work.”
— Chris Rickerson, Founder
Don’t take his word for it. Inc. Magazine, The Wichita Eagle, and the Governor of Kansas didn’t either.
Ranked #160 on the Inc. 500. Three-year growth of 2,548%. Featured in the “2017’s Greatest (and Most Inspiring) Entrepreneurs” issue.
Sheila Marikar feature — Inc. Magazine, September 2017
Profile by Joe Stumpe, published when Elite was a 2018 Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce Small Business Award nominee.
Joe Stumpe — Wichita Eagle, April 25, 2018
Per Chris’s recorded testimony: only the tenth pardon granted in the history of the State of Kansas.
Word of Life Wichita testimony — October 2020
If your record disqualified you here, this number couldn’t be that high.
If you’ve been searching for a Wichita staffing agency that hires felons, the next sentence is the one you came for: your record won’t end the conversation before it starts. Walk in. Tell us about your background on the application. We’ll match you to a client who can work with your situation.
Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 2:30 PM. 415 N. Poplar, Wichita. No appointment. No phone screen first.
That’s how we match you correctly. The application asks — be honest. We can work with truth. We can’t work with a surprise three weeks into a placement.
Stand at the counter with a staffing specialist. We learn your work history, ask the questions we need to match you to the right job, and tell you what placements we have today.
We match you to a client whose hiring criteria fit your background. Some clients require background checks; some don’t.
If there’s a fit, we tell you on the spot. Many candidates leave the office with a placement and a start time for the next morning.
Six things in your control. The candidates who do them get placed first.
Biggest variable in who gets placed first. Attitude is what we remember.
Few do. Tells us you’re ready.
Don’t hide it, don’t downplay it. We can work with truth, not a surprise three weeks in.
The candidates who go furthest listen, take feedback, adjust — they’re not always the most experienced.
Bring the documents to complete the I-9 form (federal employment verification — you choose which from the acceptable list). Half the time we’re placing same-day.
Our founder did. We look for the same — gratitude and willingness, not picky.
“I was tending brick. I was hauling brick up scaffolding manually. And I’ll tell you I was grateful for that job. I was glad. I didn’t care what I had to do. I was just going forward, I wasn’t going backwards.”
— Chris Rickerson, Word of Life Wichita testimony, October 2020
What candidates with records ask most often. Honest answers — no boilerplate.
Chris Rickerson was the man no one would hire. Four felonies. No high school diploma. A long shadow.
Someone gave him a shot hauling brick up scaffolding for $8 an hour at his first job out of treatment. He started Elite Staffing Solutions in 2013 — the company he wished had existed when he was at the bottom.
“Someone gave me a shot once, and I’m adamant about doing the same for others. The cycle that I was born into ends with me.”
— Chris Rickerson, Inc. Magazine, September 2017
Phone (316) 202-2082 · See full hours and the walk-in process →
Mon–Fri 9:00 AM – 2:30 PM · (316) 202-2082
