From the very beginning we knew that our virtual hiring event platform was ahead of its time, and that employers would have to be ‘Future Focused’ in order to embrace it.
Founder and President of Premier Virtual, Steve Edwards saw the shift to digital firsthand as he hosted in-person job fairs for nearly 9-years prior to starting the company. Steve recognized that job seekers preferred to apply online, rather than wait in line. As attendance in the in-person job fairs dwindled, Steve knew it was time to take his company 100% virtual.
It was this desire to connect employers with job seekers that drove Steve to launch Premier Virtual. While Steve knew this was a more effective and efficient way to host hiring events, employers were slow to get on board… then Covid hit in March of 2020 and it changed everything. It forced employers to be future focused and consider alternative ways to host hiring events, which is where we came in. The pandemic accelerated the adoption timeline by at least 3-years, and a large majority of workforce development boards and organizations embraced the technology and starting hosting events right away.
Those who have fully embraced the technology, have a competitive advantage and remain ahead of their hiring goals.
In a short amount of time, Premier Virtual has outperformed many other platforms that have been around for a longer period of time. Steve’s experience is what makes the platform so efficient and effective, offering recruiters exactly what they’re looking for.
Even though the platform ranks among the easiest to use, and offers the best customer support, Steve is never satisfied with the status quo. Each month there are updates to improve the user experience, and Premier Virtual continues to invest in its platform to keep it on the cutting edge.
The platform was the first to offer real-time ‘hire tracking’ which allows organizations and employers to track hires from events, giving them a clear ROI. The platform has a built-in scheduling tool for recruiters to manage interviews, a QR code generator to host hybrid events, and we’re continually releasing new updates based on many of our client’s feedback.
This dedication to innovation has won Premier several awards on prestigious software review sites such as G2, Capterra and Select Software Reviews. Steve’s efforts have also been recognized individually, with a feature in Forbes magazine, as well as winning the Most Influential CEO award. Premier Virtual has been featured in dozens of magazines and Steve has been asked to be a guest speaker in podcasts and speaking engagements across the country.
Premier launched with only one (1) employee in 2019, and quickly grew to over 20. Throughout that time Steve made it a point to make company culture a priority and make the workplace fun and engaging. The first thing Steve did when they moved into their Delray office was to turn the conference room into a fully equipped gym for all employees to use. The company hosted weekly barbeques, and often participated in after work events. This focus on workplace culture led to two ‘Best Places to Work in South Florida’ awards in 2022 and 2023 by the South Florida Business Journal.
All of this recognition led to an invitation to speak at the Boca Raton TEDx earlier this year, a goal that Steve had envisioned for himself. He spoke on workplace culture, explaining how to retain workers by putting employees first and giving them a place they truly are proud of.
Being an Army Veteran, Steve prides himself on working with the military and helping soldiers transition to civilian life by providing his platform to military organizations. Steve is often volunteering at Veterans events and making it a priority to give back.
