Human resources firm chases lofty growth targets

Tom Natoli picked a tough time to become an entrepreneur some 15 years ago. The veteran of the supermarket industry had spent six years at professional employer organization First Financial Employee Leasing, where he helped the company become one of the top 10 PEOs in Florida and rose the ranks to the role of company president. That stint inspired him to launch his own PEO.

“I had a vision to be a business owner,” he says. So he gave his notice on August 11, 2004 — two days before Hurricane Charley hit the area.

Despite that wallop from Mother Nature, Natoli persevered, setting up his new company, Integrity Employee Leasing, in a garage at a Charlotte County industrial park. Over the years, the company kept growing, graduating into bigger and bigger office space. Today, Integrity Employee Leasing operates out of a building the company owns in Punta Gorda, has 48 internal employees and is expected to reach $250 million in managed payroll this year. The company declines to disclose specific revenue figures.