About Skillwork

How It All Got Started

Like many obvious ideas, the genesis of Skillwork began as a problem that was clear but went undetected by founder Brett Elliott for four years. A seasoned entrepreneur, Elliott sold his manufacturing company in 2013 and continued to work for the new ownership. Being of strong faith, he immediately began to pray for direction on his next venture, but God was silent. In 2017, along with founding partners Tim Raglin and Rob Hansen, the trio decided to “help God a bit,” and collectively landed on a consulting business focused on organizational health.

Elliott developed many colleagues through his business ventures, but there was one in particular he knew would always shoot straight and not hold back his opinions. So, the group decided to have Elliott meet with him to get validation for their new partnership plan, or at a minimum, trust him to ask the tough questions. After all, they had read The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team, they had the contacts, they had the experience and perceived talent, and they were sure God would thank them later for helping Him out (wink, wink).

The meeting was set. Elliott parked his truck in the parking garage, walked through the light rain into the offices of his colleague Mike, and was escorted to the conference room for a short wait. Mike walked in, anxious to hear the plan. He knew it had been four years since Elliott sold his business and two years past the non-compete and had asked many times, “what are you going to do now?”.  Eager to share and get his endorsement, Elliott said, “Myself and my two partners are going to start a business consulting firm focused on organizational health.” 

Pause. Silence for 30 seconds. Elliott could tell Mike was processing the information. 

Mike’s response? “You and every other 50-year-old who doesn’t know what he wants to do.” It felt like an immediate gut punch. Mike then shared a concept for Elliott’s career that he had no genuine interest in but would unlock the idea to solve the obvious problem that had yet gone undetected–until now.

Still stung by his friend’s words and wondering what he was going to tell Raglin and Hansen, Elliott left the office, walked back to the parking garage, and got in his truck. But after four years of silence from God on this matter, he received with amazing clarity over the next 20 minutes the vision for Skillwork. The vision was clear, but the path to get there was not. With unwavering faith in the purpose they felt called to, they got to work. 

Over the next several months, Raglin, a 24-year Navy officer veteran, experienced and trained in operations, agile methodologies, and lean organizational structure, began to stitch together a proprietary process for identifying, vetting, and hiring skilled craftsmen from around the country. Eventually the concepts of travel, freedom to choose your own work path, and the ability to positively influence people merged, and the vision for Skillwork materialized. 

Today, Skillwork is growing as a leading premier staffing agency for skilled labor, with its headquarters based in Omaha, NE, and hundreds of skilled workers in the field, who are the heart and soul of the company.  From day one, Skillwork has been connecting outstanding skilled workers with opportunities and companies they can be proud of.  The Skillwork philosophy is simple–to honor God in all we do, to bring respect back to the skilled trades, and to positively impact those around us–and we are grateful for the opportunity to work for you.