Chicago Experts Give Recent Grads a Head Start

      Graduating from college is both incredibly exhilarating and just a little scary. It’s the ultimate final exam consisting of three killer questions — “How will I find a job?” “Where will I live?” and “How am I going to meet people I can really relate to?” Fortunately, for those settling in the Chicago area, Jeff Ellman (BA Marketing ’00), Michael Krasman and Michael Redisch (BA Communications ’99), have the answers.

Referring to themselves as “Chicago Experts with a Mission", this entrepreneurial trio formed a company system that offers recent college graduates assistance in every aspect of their professional and personal lives. The system includes Humatal — an employment agency for college graduates with up to 10 years exper ience; HomeScout Realty — a firm that specializes in finding residential apartments; and Launch Events — a company that runs networking events for young professionals.

Humatal came first

The three partners began their business in 1999, while still students at MSU and the University of Michigan, focusing on helping fellow students obtain internships. The solid relationship that exists today between the Broad School’s Lear Corporation Career Services Center and Humatal has its roots in East Lansing.

Eric Doerr, associate director of the Lear Center in the Broad School, recalls meeting Ellman and Redisch. “During fall semester advising appointments, a number of students mentioned their interaction with an organization by the name of Internships USA, which was located right here in East Lansing. I had to find out who was behind this venture, so I made a visit to the office on Grand River Avenue.” Doerr received a warm welcome from the two entrepreneurs. “It was refreshing to meet two very enthusiastic, hard working, young professionals who were passionate about serving their clients.”

After graduation, Ellman and Redisch, along with fellow Detroit native and lifelong friend, Krasman, relocated in Chicago where they launched Humatal. The company quickly established a special niche by placing entry-level candidates in the fields of finance, accounting, marketing, real estate and sales. Ellman, who is co-founder and president of sales, attributes the company’s success to three reasons: “We respect the priorities of the universities we recruit from, we serve the best interests of our hiring clients and we treat every candidate as if he or she were the only one we represent.”

Of course, those new to the city face yet another challenge — finding a place to live. “Chicago has an incredible array of residential neighborhoods that can make apartment hunting both exciting and scary.” So the partners added HomeScout Realty to their service system.

Life is all about change

“Getting a first job, finding a home, making new friends are only some of the many transitions that young professionals face during the course of their careers,” says Ellman. “Our business is to help make these important transitions a change for the better.”