Episode Overview:

Host Bob Pettke sits down with ABD President Terri Roeslmeier, Director of Customer Success Michelle White, and Marketing Manager Jennifer Mikels to roll out the red carpet for EDGEovation 2026, Automated Business Designs’ premier event for Ultra-Staff EDGE and Ultra-Staff Classic users, taking place Tuesday, April 21st at the Drury Lane in Oak Brook, Illinois.

The team breaks down everything attendees can expect from this free, day-long event: keynote speakers, breakout sessions, a major feature presentation on AI, back-office deep dives, VMS and healthcare staffing content, and a look at the newest Ultra-Staff EDGE software release. They also spotlight this year’s sponsor lineup, including platinum sponsor Sense and gold sponsor Assurant, and explain why bringing your whole team (not just one person) pays off.

The conversation also covers EDGEovation’s timing alongside the 2026 Midwest Staffing Conference, held the very next day at the same venue, with special member pricing available for EDGEovation attendees and a chance to win one of four free conference tickets by registering before February 23rd.

Listen to the Episode:

Episode Transcript:

Bob Pettke: [00:00:00] Coming to you from the Ultra-Staff Studios in Chicago, welcome to the Staffing Buzz Network with your host, Bob Pettke

Bob Pettke: Hello everybody, and welcome to this very special edition of the Staffing Buzz Network. I am your host, Bob Pettke. I’m the chief sales officer here at Automated Business Designs, and I’m gonna be joined by three guests here shortly. But as I begin, I wanna talk about what makes this particular podcast special.

Bob Pettke: It’s targeted specifically for you, the Ultra-Staff EDGE user. So with that said, I hereby declare by proclamation, a proclamation that will soon sweep the nation, that all Ultra-Staff EDGE users are invited to EDGEovation 2026 on Tuesday, April 21st in Oak Brook, Illinois. So with that said, I am so excited to be here and to host a very [00:01:00] special panel of people that are gonna be joining us today.

Bob Pettke: I’m gonna start off with our first person as she pops up on a screen, our president, Terri Roeslmeier

Bob Pettke: There’s Terri. Hi, Terri

Terri Roeslmeier: Hello.

Bob Pettke: Next is gonna be Michelle White, our director of customer success. Hello, Michelle.

Michelle White: Hi.

Bob Pettke: And last, but certainly not least, Jennifer Mikels. She is in charge of our marketing. She’s our marketing manager and our producer. Hey, special power team here. Welcome everybody to the Staffing Buzz Network.

Bob Pettke: Glad to have everybody here

Jennifer Mikels: Thank you. It’s great to be here

Bob Pettke: So like I said when I started out, I declare by proclamation, this proclamation that will sweep the nation, that all Ultra Staff users are invited to attend EDGEovation 2026. So we’re glad you’re here. So what is Edo- EDGEovation? I’m gonna start off with Jennifer.

Bob Pettke: Jennifer, to our EDGE listeners, our Ultra-Staff EDGE listeners, [00:02:00] tell me about EDGEovation.

Jennifer Mikels: Sure. Well, EDGEovation is the premier event of the year for all of our ABD customers. All Ultra-Staff EDGE users are invited and all Ultra-Staff Classic users. And the best part, it’s a free event. Lodging, airfare not included, but we welcome all users from local or from far away to fly in for this big event.

Jennifer Mikels: Like Bob, you said, it’s gonna be at the Drury Lane in Oak Brook, Illinois. So it’s a great place, great venue. And really, it’s an opportunity for all ABD customers to come together. We’re gonna be doing some great big, new product releases, so that’s one reason to come to see what’s coming out to Ultra-Staff EDGE.

Jennifer Mikels: We’re gonna have some of our premier partners there, so a chance to meet some of our partners, see what other service and solutions that maybe you could be taking advantage of. In our afternoon we have a lot of great breakout sessions and workshops, so just to help further your knowlEDGE on the program.

Jennifer Mikels: So just overall, it’s a great day. Gonna start early, 8:00 AM, for breakfast, and end with a [00:03:00] great networking party. So it’s also a great opportunity to meet other like-minded people using Ultra-Staff EDGE, and also meet the ABD team. You know, it’s so rare to get together in person for a meeting like this, so it’s great and we hope to see a lot of people come.

Bob Pettke: No, it’s gonna be a power session. There is no doubt about that. And Teri, this next one is for you. What will the agenda look like for that particular day?

Terri Roeslmeier: Oh, Bob, where do I begin? It’s a power-packed day for everyone. We have something for everyone. We’re gonna start out, we have a couple keynote speakers.

Terri Roeslmeier: We also have breakout sessions. We have our sponsors there, our preferred partners. We also have a feature presentation, and the feature presentation is going to be absolutely amazing. I am so excited to hear and to learn and to find out what Ultra-Staff EDGE has in store. Big feature on AI. I’m sure everyone’s gonna wanna hear about that.

Terri Roeslmeier: But we also [00:04:00] have our bread and butter features for the back office. All sorts of things. We also have learning sessions, and we have panels. We have presentations at lunch because some of our clients are gonna win awards, and so it might be you if you attend. And we’ve been having these remotely since the pandemic.

Terri Roeslmeier: The year of the pandemic we were going to have a live conference- Yeah … and obviously we all know what happened, so we did two day remotes ever since- And they’ve been going over pretty well, but we have a lot of customers asking us for the live presentations again. When are we gonna have a live client meeting?

Terri Roeslmeier: So now you all that have been asking better come and better attend. And again, you’re not going to be sorry. It’s a wonderful day. We’re excited to see everyone. You can meet ABD team members. Again, partners that are going to be giving presentations. Lot of learning sessions. Something for everyone.

Terri Roeslmeier: If you’re interested in AI, if you’re interested in admin, if you’re interested in back office, VMS, we have a VMS presentation, healthcare [00:05:00] staffing, new onboarding, all sorts of other new features that you’re going to learn. So can’t wait to see you there. And as you can tell, I can’t stop talking about it.

Bob Pettke: Well, it’s great. Y- you hit on a couple of things there, Terri. You know, y- you’re gonna get a chance to meet some of these folks that maybe you’ve talked to or worked with along the way. Subject matter certified experts are gonna be there front and center, face to face. Are… You’re gonna get an opportunity to spend some time with these folks, ask them the questions, get to know them, you know, greet some people that have helped you somewhere along the way.

Bob Pettke: Just a real good opportunity. And somebody said, it might have been Jennifer, like-minded people that are doing the same thing every day. You come to work, you log into this system, and, you know, you put people to work. You find them jobs, you get them paid, and then you get the invoices and the company gets paid.

Bob Pettke: So this is gonna be your chance to come together and do all of that. So I started to name some of the things that we’re gonna be able to do. So Michelle, with that in mind, what should [00:06:00] customers bring to EDGEovation? Or I should say more specifically, not what, pen and paper, whatever, who should customers bring to EDGEovation from their company?

Michelle White: Definitely. This agenda is jam-packed. We want you to bring the whole team if you can. It really can benefit any type of user on the Ultra-Staff EDGE product. So whether you’re a recruiter, sales, management, back office, owners, really if you can you know, spare a couple people from the office for the day, it’s really going to be beneficial for the whole team to take advantage of the different breakout sessions that we have, cover more grounds than you can with just one person.

Bob Pettke: But if all you can spare is one, we certainly welcome you, and we’ll be happy to see you there No, absolutely. Get there. Terri said it, Michelle said it, I said it. Find a way. Terri, this next one’s gonna be for you, right? Because you have held [00:07:00] many of these client meetings over the years, and I’m gonna ask you what do people say after attending these meetings?

Bob Pettke: What is, what’s the value that they’re finding when they attend?

Terri Roeslmeier: They all say that they were glad they came and they can’t wait till the following year. And the reason is because, you know, the big piece of it is networking. You know, again, talking to like-minded people. We have a good mix, so we have people attending from every industry.

Terri Roeslmeier: We have sessions for every industry. We have a very nice light industrial session for those people that are interested in that. Back office. Really there’s something for everyone, and that’s what people enjoy. They like meeting other customers. They like meeting our team. And they like learning, because we not only have ABD people performing these presentations, we have our outside business partners that come in and bring an additional level of insight to the entire meeting.

Terri Roeslmeier: So it’s really an amazing time for everyone, and I would encourage everyone to come. [00:08:00] This is software that is running your business, and so to attend a conference that highlights what we bring to the table for you, and what you may not know about that your team could be engaging in is simply magnificent.

Terri Roeslmeier: You know, again, that’s what people are saying. That’s what people take away. Everybody is really amazed. They’re like, “I really didn’t know that. I’m so glad I came. Now I know also what’s coming.” Because we also talk about future things. You know, we don’t just talk about the present, although you will be seeing a lot of the release.

Terri Roeslmeier: We’re going to be releasing a brand-new software version very shortly before. You’re gonna learn all about how to use these new features. It’s a free upgrade, of course, as we always do our upgrades. And, you know, again you’re gonna wanna come, and if you come you will not be sorry that you attended

Bob Pettke: Yeah.

Bob Pettke: We might have to put seat belts on these seats ’cause it’s gonna be a wild ride. It’s gonna be a lot of exciting information. Again, I can’t encourage you enough to come. With that said, we’re [00:09:00] gonna switch over to Michelle. Michelle, as the director of customer success, do you have anything additional to add on why customers should be at the conference, and how it will help them be successful in 2026 and beyond?

Michelle White: Certainly, yes. A- and we all know the staffing landscape is shifting, and it’s shifting fast. It is. And technology is at the wheel. So gaining this exposure to the tools and features in Ultra-Staff EDGE will not only advance you as a professional, but it will equip you to get the most out of your software.

Michelle White: That’s always what we want. We want you to get the most out of that software investment and accelerate the success of your business. All of these great sessions at our events are gonna help you do that. Perfect. Ag- again, plan to attend. Jennifer, gonna go over to you. A little bit earlier you [00:10:00] had mentioned that some of our premier partners will be there.

Bob Pettke: Can you highlight the partners that will be in attendance?

Jennifer Mikels: Oh, sure. Well, here you go. Some of our premier partners. Surprise, got a little graphic.

Terri Roeslmeier: Sweet.

Jennifer Mikels: So we have a lot of great partners that are gonna be attending and a lot of great sponsors. So we have our platinum sponsor Sense. We have a great integration with Sense.

Jennifer Mikels: They have, offer AI and automation tools. We have a gold sponsor Assurant, background screening solutions. And then we have a lot of silver sponsors. We have AccuSource HR, they also provide background screening. Dialpad is a phone integration within Ultra-Staff EDGE, really cool integration. Haley Marketing, they provide marketing services to the staffing industry.

Jennifer Mikels: Gray Health, they provide health insurance. LLH Healthcare, they also provide health insurance. We have Baritone Hire, which is one of our newer partners in integrations that allows you to post to thousands of job boards right from Ultra-Staff EDGE, [00:11:00] and they also offer different programmatic job advertising opportunities.

Jennifer Mikels: And then lastly, we have 522 Productions which is a video production company. So they provide marketing tools to you. So a lot of great sponsors and they’re all gonna be available in the exhibit hall as well. So throughout the day you’ll have a chance to stop by, meet them, and see if there’s any, you know, solutions or services you can be taking advantage of that you’re not already.

Jennifer Mikels: And then some of them are also doing different presentations throughout the event. So really thank all of our sponsors and appreciate your support and look forward for everyone to meet them.

Bob Pettke: Plan to attend everybody. A lot of exciting things happening. And Terri, you know with EDGEovation, you know, it’s being held the day before the 2026 Midwest Staffing Conference.

Bob Pettke: It’s gonna be at the exact same location. And Terri, just so everybody knows and we recognize, you, you know, you’re a co-chair of this year’s Midwest Staffing Conference and you decided to hold EDGEovation in conjunction with this [00:12:00] conference. So if somebody’s planning on attending EDGEovation, why might someone consider staying for this next conference in addition to attending our meeting as well?

Terri Roeslmeier: Well, first as co-chair, I was able to arrange for member pricing for everyone who attends EDGEovation. So even if you’re in another state, you know, you can come at the member pricing. Y- you would contact us if you do wanna come, and then we’ll make special arrangements for you now this conference is the largest conference in the Midwest, but not only that, it is probably the largest conference nationally in terms of a local.

Terri Roeslmeier: We do it with Wisconsin and Michigan. So the three of us and the three states get together. We have attendees. We’re expecting probably 350 attendees. We have premier speakers. We spend a lot of money on speakers. So this is the biggest little conference that you would ever attend. [00:13:00] Tons of knowlEDGE sessions, tons of networking.

Terri Roeslmeier: Un- we have 31 sponsors, so you have the opportunity to meet vendor sponsors at this event. So it is a large event, very popular, very similarly structured to EDGEovation. So you have keynotes, you have breakout sessions networking opportunities. It’s a two-day event, and it’s the best value that you will ever have for any conference.

Terri Roeslmeier: It, it’s comparable to higher-level events, national conferences, and yet it’s a huge value. Plus, since you’re coming to EDGEovation, you’ve already got half of your flight and your hotel and everything arranged. You might as well stay for the next couple of days and come to the Midwest Staffing Conference.

Terri Roeslmeier: We’ll all be there. We’re a platinum sponsor as well of the event. Bob will be there. Michelle will be there. Jennifer will be there. Jennifer’s the media person, so you might see some videos, you know, that she’s doing for the event. But great conference. [00:14:00] Great conference. And so some of the partners that you’re going to be seeing at our EDGEovation will also be there.

Terri Roeslmeier: And now for ours, just a little note on partners, we only invite a very small number of partners to our event, and that’s so that you can have an opportunity to meet some of our premier partners. And when I say premier partners, that means we have a very intense integration with that company. And so those are the ones that were invited so that, you know, we focus on what your needs are.

Terri Roeslmeier: And I think you’re gonna have a great time if you come to Midwest, but even a better time if you come to EDGEovation.

Bob Pettke: So again, EDGEovation, EDGE users, Ultra Staff users, plan to attend. And again, Terri had mentioned it, we’ve talked about it, we’ve got special pricing for people to attend that Midwest conference.

Bob Pettke: You could say, “I know a guy,” or in this particular case, “I know a gal, Terri Roeslmeier. She says we got special pricing.” So we’re gonna get you in there and make it well worth your [00:15:00] while and the expense, right? It’s all about making sure is the juice worth the squeeze? Is this investment gonna be worth it?

Bob Pettke: Your return on investment by attending both of these events… Well, first and foremost it’s gonna be front-loaded with Ultra Staff, EDGE, and EDGEovation, but it’s gonna be the cherry on top when you get a chance to spend some time at the Midwest Staffing Conference as well So Michelle, I’m gonna go over to you right now.

Michelle White: And so I hear we are doing, when I say we, Ultra-Staff EDGE Automated Business Designs, I hear we’re doing a special promotion where EDGEovation registrants have a chance to win one of our four free tickets to the conference. How can you win a free ticket, Michelle? Well, let me tell you about it, Bob. So if you register for EDGEovation by February 23rd, you’ll be entered to win one of those four tickets to the Midwest conference.

Michelle White: So on February 25th, [00:16:00] we’ll be doing a live drawing on social media to select those folks who get the little bonus package of the Midwest conference in there. But if you don’t win, don’t be discouraged because we as Terri mentioned, have that special m- member only pricing for the Midwest conference.

Michelle White: So we definitely want you to take advantage of that. So certainly you know, if you don’t win and you’re interesting interested in attending the Midwest conference, reach out to us and we’ll be happy to arrange that special pricing for you. Great. Thanks, Michelle. We’re gonna start wrapping things up here a little bit, but Jennifer, not to be overlooked here, if someone is interested in attending EDGEovation, and maybe they haven’t registered yet what’s another way, besides maybe some information we’ve already said, what’s another way that somebody could go ahead and register for this event?

Jennifer Mikels: Well, if you are watching this video, you see a QR code that just popped up, so you can just scan that QR code. [00:17:00] Yeah, right here.

Bob Pettke: Oh, right. Yeah. It’s that one, over there.

Jennifer Mikels: That will lead you to our registration page. So definitely sign on up. There’s also a link on that page for the agenda. But if you’re not watching this video, if you’re listening on one of our podcast apps you can email register@abd.net and then we’ll make sure we get you that registration link.

Jennifer Mikels: But yes, register today. Register by February 23rd to get free tickets to the Midwest conference, or a chance to win, I should say.

Bob Pettke: Well, Jennifer, thank you and thank you Terri and Michelle as well. And I’ll close it up with this. If you are on the fence about attending EDGEovation- We didn’t mean to, but we pushed you over.

Bob Pettke: You should be here, guys. We’re planning on you, having you here. And, you know, that cherry on top is getting yourself over to that Midwest Staffing Conference. Go ahead, you know, if you need to go back in this video, if you’re watching, go back, click on that that QR code and get yourself registered.

Bob Pettke: If not, go to abd.net. That’s [00:18:00] abd.net. Get yourself registered. We’re so excited to see you here. Action-packed, EDGE of your seat, buckle your seat belts. Let’s go, everybody. So until then, we’ll see you in a couple of weeks. Thanks, everybody.

Michelle White: Thank you. Thanks, guys.