TrueBlue Acquires MDT Personnel, Continues to Look for Additional Acquisitions

TACOMA, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- TrueBlue, Inc. (NYSE:TBI), the leading provider of blue-collar staffing, announced today that it has acquired MDT Personnel, a temporary staffing provider with 105 branches and 15 on-site locations across 25 states.

MDT is the third-largest general labor staffing firm in the U.S. and supplies blue-collar labor to industries similar to those served by TrueBlue, including construction, event staffing, disaster recovery, hospitality, and manufacturing. TrueBlue will expand the size of its general labor business by integrating MDT’s operations with those of Labor Ready.

“Of the many potential acquisitions we’ve considered, MDT stood out as a high-quality company with an industry-experienced sales team, diversified customer base, and results-oriented culture similar to our own,” said TrueBlue CEO Steve Cooper. “I’m excited to bring our talented teams together so that we can create even more growth by addressing the needs of our combined customers. We also look forward to attracting new customers through the additional expertise and reach we now offer with this addition to our company.”

“We’re very proud of what we accomplished at MDT and that we had built a company that caught TrueBlue’s eye,” said Mike Traina, MDT CEO. “TrueBlue has the resources necessary to build on the strategies we’ve used to deliver quality service to customers, and these customers will now have access to the full spectrum of services provided by TrueBlue. Joining the team, as our field employees have all been invited to do, also opens the door to more career opportunities for our people.”

Cooper added that the decision to acquire MDT’s operations reflects the company’s strong balance sheet, its intention to continue to grow through strategic acquisitions, and its overall optimism about growth in the staffing industry. “We have more room to grow and will continue to pursue both organic growth and acquisitions,” Cooper said.

About TrueBlue

TrueBlue, Inc. is a leading provider of blue-collar staffing. In 2012, TrueBlue connected approximately 350,000 people to work through the following brands: Labor Ready, Spartan Staffing, CLP Resources, PlaneTechs, and Centerline, and served approximately 140,000 businesses in the retail, service, wholesale, manufacturing, transportation, aviation, and construction industries. TrueBlue, Inc. is headquartered in Tacoma, Wash. For more information, visit TrueBlue’s website at www.trueblue.com.

TrueBlue, Inc.
Derrek Gafford, 253-680-8214
EVP & CFO
or
Stacey Burke, 253-680-8291
VP of Corporate Communications

Source: TrueBlue, Inc.

Released February 6, 2013