According to experts, small and mid-sized companies are spending up to one-fourth of their entire workday responding to employment-related paperwork. NAPEO Online (the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations) cites a U.S. Small Business Administration report indicating that between 1980 and 2000, the number of U.S. laws and regulations regarding employment policies and practices grew by about 60%. Meanwhile, other studies commissioned by the SBA indicate that in recent years, the vast majority of states have failed to reduce the burden of regulatory compliance experienced by smaller businesses. Hence, the growth of Professional Employer Organizations (PEOs) has averaged 20% in recent years. PEOs, sometimes called “employee leasing” firms, lift the burden of employment and workplace regulatory compliance – and paperwork – for small and mediumsized companies, and in some cases, even larger corporations, by assuming responsibility for a company’s human resource and payroll functions. Frankie VanDeBoe, CEO of Payroll Consultants Group located in Brandon, described how the firm’s recent creation, The PEO Exchange, further reduces the time employers need to spend on payroll-related business activity. “We incorporated The PEO Exchange in January of 2006,” he explained, “but the concept actually started out as a favor we did for PEOs who for one reason or another, could not accept a company as a client. We’d take the client they had to reject, and place it with a PEO who could provide service. Today, The PEO Exchange can provide services in up to 36 states, and pay, in the majority of cases, the full commission to the PEO who had to turn the business away. As a result, small and mid-sized companies no longer have to continue shopping for a PEO, because the first PEO they work with, will be able to use The PEO Exchange to find the right provider.” VanDeBoe said a large PEO in Bradenton, Florida that maintains an aggressive sales force has been referring companies it can’t service to The PEO Exchange for the past six months. As a result, 50 of the 60 referrals the PEO made, have produced full com- missions for the Bradenton firm. The 50 companies saved time and the PEO still made money. The PEO ultimately has secured a greater return on its investment in advertising, marketing and sales. “We have tested and developed our exchange system over a period of time to offer participants the integrity and confidence they require,” VanDeBoe said. Payroll Consultants Group offers innovative payroll solutions, and is also the founder of The Worker’s Comp Co-op. For more information, call (813) 684-5684.