Ribbon Cutting ASG Staffing

ASG Staffing, which opened this year in part of the building that houses the 5/3 Bank, had its official ribbon cutting on Thursday.

ASG Staffing is a temp-to-perm employment agency. Companies that need workers contract with them and they do the initial screening of potential employees. When they find someone suitable, that person will go to work for the company but is considered an employee of ASG Staffing and gets the paycheck from ASG Staffing. If after a trial period the company decided that it likes the work of the person, the company hires the person permanently and the connection to ASG Staffing is cut.

ASG Staffing is a privately-held company with headquarters in Chicago. It serves Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. The Rensselaer office will serve not just Rensselaer but neighboring communities as well. With the Internet, the service area of agencies such as this one are expanded. A potential employee might never have to visit the Rensselaer office. Much of the paper work can be done on-line and the ASG Staffing representative may travel to the potential employee.

ASG Staffing is in part of the building that last was an office of Farm Credit, which is now located south of Walmart. The building is owned by 5/3 and there is still vacant space in it. Originally this wing had three or four different offices of accountants and other service businesses. I do not remember any of them.

The Jasper County Historical Society has a display of bank artifacts in the display case next to the genealogical section. A few of the items are really old, such as this note from the 1880. I think this was Zimri Dwiggin's first bank.

I do not know what the Trust and Savings Bank was. The two checks are from 1911 and both written by Charles Spitler. The Spitlers were an influential early Rensselaer family and Charles was mayor from 1914 until 1922. The State Bank of Rensselaer opened in 1904 and eventually was bought out by a larger bank, maybe National City Bank. In 1933 it moved into the building that is now CI insurance and later the building that now houses the County Prosecutor office and previously PNC Bank. The first fifty years of the bank are summarized in a document available in four parts on the Internet: here, here, here, and here. With the closing of the PNC branch, Rensselaer's connection with the State Bank of Rensselaer ended.

Also on display is a very old bank note from the Bank of Rensselaer. This may be the Thompson-McCoy bank. It is from the 1850s. If you search the Internet for images of <Bank of Rensselaer Indiana> you can find pictures of similar notes in much better condition (such as here).

In the 19th century most bank liabilities were bank notes, not deposits. There were payments by checks, but paying with checks did not become widespread until the 20th century. And now checks are dying out as we make payments electronically.

The Carnegie Center is currently hosting the annual Primary School Art Exhibit. It is a short-running exhibit, only until Jan 26.

The Carnegie Center is getting its windows restored. The goal is to recreate what was there when the Carnegie Center was built, so if you are expecting to see something modern, you will be disappointed. They are even using panes of glass that have the wavy imperfections that were standard a century ago.

Finally, I noticed a new office downtown. Attorney Lori James has moved into the space that until recently was used by Dr. Sheetz (who has moved back to the medical arts building at the end of Washington Street). Ms James had been in the office of Beaver and Beaver.

Finally, here is some news from SJC.

(edited)