No. 9

On Assignment Inc.

Calabasas

A temporary agency for lab technicians and scientists, On Assignment Inc. continues to be on a roll.

Theresa Matacia, vice president of equity research at Dain Rauscher Inc. in San Francisco, foresees earnings growth of 20 percent to 25 percent over the next three years at the company.

“They allow their account managers to solely focus on building revenues,” said Matacia. “They don’t have to deal with any administrative duties. This is very different from the way other temporary services work.”

That approach has helped propel On Assignment into the Business Journal’s top 10, with return on equity averaging 26.6 percent annually over five years.

Since the company went public in 1992, net income has more than tripled, from $1.8 million in 1992 to $8.3 million in 1997. Over the same period, revenues increased from $32.7 million in 1992 to $107.8 million in 1997.

“We have had five years of solid growth. It is truly a phenomenal report,” said Tom Buelter, chairman and chief executive. “We have been able to fill a tremendous need in the temporary staffing industry. We are in a growth industry. More and more companies are using specialized staffing services to meet their needs.”

Buelter added that in the next few years the company plans to expand into other specialized job markets. The company’s network encompasses 100 branches in 50 operational markets across the United States and Canada.

Jessica Dreben