our history

Doherty has successfully met the personnel and human resource-related needs of organizations of all sizes, public and private, for over 40 years. Doherty’s dedication to highly personalized service, expertise and professionalism continue to generate stellar growth, recognition, and steadfast clients.

• 1980 – Doherty Staffing Solutions (originally named Quality Temp), the temporary staffing and recruiting business, is established by Tim and Valerie Doherty.

“The company was started in the midst of a terrible recession when companies were likely to cut back on temporary employees and at age 26, I didn’t know much about running a business. But despite those obstacles, the business model just made sense,” Tim says.

• 1982 – Doherty installs its first computer system. It is one of the first organizations in the industry to take advantage of technology for candidate search and retrieval, straight through from front to back office.
• 1985 – Inc. Magazine names the company as one of the 500 Fastest-Growing Private Companies.
• 1993 – Recognizing a trend toward human resource services outsourcing to save companies time and resources, Tim and Valerie form Doherty Employer Services. They capitalize on advanced technology to gain a competitive edge and augment services.

“We have a goal of relieving business owners of their human resources burdens, and that goal has worked well for us and them,” Valerie says.

• 1994 – Tim is a founding board member of the Employers Services Assurance Corporation (ESAC); remains on the board.  
• 1998 – Minnesota Chapter of the National Association of Woman Business Owners (NAWBO) awards Business Owner of the Year to Valerie Doherty. The company is also recognized as one of the largest woman-owned businesses in Minnesota by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.  
• 2002 – Tim becomes national President of ESAC.  
• 2004 – Tim joins the executive committee and board of the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO).  
• 2006 – Doherty is recognized as the third-largest woman-owned business in Minnesota by Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.  
• 2007 – Tim is elected national President of NAPEO. Doherty first receives Women Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) certification from the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).  
• 2008 – Tim and Valerie are honored as the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management, Entrepreneurs of the Year.
• 2009 – Tim is inducted into the American Staffing Association (ASA) Leadership Hall of Fame and honored with the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations’ (NAPEO) Michaeline A. Doyle award. Doherty was also bestowed two prestigious awards by the Minnesota Family Business Awards committee. Valerie Doherty won the Female Executive of the Year and the company was recognized as the Emerging Award winner.
• 2012, 2013 & 2014 – Doherty is recognized as the second-largest woman-owned business in Minnesota by Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.
• 2014 – Doherty is named an honoree of the Minnesota Business Ethics Award to recognize our company’s high standards of ethical behavior and practices. Additionally, Doherty was included on Staffing Industry Analysts‘ (SIA) 2014 List of Largest US Staffing Firms.
• 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 & 2024 – Doherty achieves national standards as a Star Tribune Top Workplace.
• 2015 – Valerie Doherty is bestowed the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Minnesota chapter.
• 2016 – Doherty began 2016 with a renewed focus on the staffing and recruiting divisions of the company, after the business acquisition of their human resources outsourcing division to Oasis Outsourcing.
• 2017 – To expand our service lines for clients, Doherty strategically acquired Dahl Consulting (DAHL), a renowned and reputable staffing and recruiting firm with a well-developed Vendor Management System (VMS). Our Twin Cities North Metro office moved into a brand new location, which we had built in Brooklyn Center. In addition, Valerie Doherty was named to SIA’s 2017 Global Power – 100 Women in Staffing List.
• 2018 – Valerie Doherty is inducted into the Minnesota NAWBO Hall of Fame. Doherty Staffing Solutions and Dahl Consulting (together) were ranked #88 in Minnesota’s 100 Largest Private Companies List and also ranked #2 on the Largest Women Owned Businesses in Minnesota by the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal. DAHL moved from their Little Canada office to a newly renovated office space in the Roseville West building. Also, Doherty and DAHL launched our cross-company employment solution of Total Talent Management with a long-term client, Polaris Industries. In addition, Valerie Doherty was named to SIA’s 2018 Global Power – 100 Women in Staffing List.
• 2020 – Doherty makes the Star Tribune Top 150 Workplaces List, is included on SIA’s List of Diversity Firms and celebrates a milestone anniversary of 40 years. Additionally, Doherty is recognized as the fourth-largest woman-owned business in Minnesota by Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.
• 2021 – Doherty receives designation as a 2021 Top Workplaces USA.
• 2021 – The Doherty owners create the Doherty Family Foundation to give back to charitable organizations in the communities the company serves.
• 2021, 2022, 2023 & 2024 – Doherty receives designation as a Top Workplaces USA. 
• 2022 – William (Billy) Doherty, President, named to Staffing Industry Analyst (SIA)’s 40 Under 40 List. 
• 2023 – Doherty receives designation as a Top Workplaces USA for the third consecutive year.
• 2023 – William (Billy) Doherty, President, named to Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 List. 
• 2023 & 2024 – Doherty is named to the Star Tribune Top 200 Workplaces List marking the 10th consecutive year
• 2023 – Forbes names Doherty Staffing Solutions to the 2023 America’s Best Temporary Staffing Firms award list. 
• 2023 – Doherty is recognized as the third-largest woman-owned business in Minnesota by Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.
• 2024 – Doherty is recognized as the third-largest woman-owned business in Minnesota by Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.