How a Black Hills Startup Is Rethinking Hiring in the Construction Industry
For years, Corinne Perkins saw the same hiring problem play out across the construction industry.
Employers needed workers. Candidates needed opportunities. Yet the process meant to bring them together often missed the mark.
After working in staffing, recruiting, and marketing, Perkins watched companies spend weeks sorting through résumés that looked promising on paper but didn’t translate on the job. Good candidates were overlooked. Positions stayed open longer than expected. And when a hire didn’t work out, the process started all over again.
Eventually, the frustration turned into an idea.
Perkins began building Plenty of Hires, a hiring platform developed in the Black Hills that aims to simplify how construction companies find and evaluate talent.
Instead of relying on job postings and traditional résumés, the platform focuses on what Perkins believes matters most on the job: skills, expectations, motivators, and workplace culture.
“Too often the hiring process focuses on paperwork instead of people,” Perkins said. “I wanted to build something that helps employers understand who someone actually is before they bring them onto a team.”
Turning an Idea Into a Company
The concept behind Plenty of Hires started forming in 2020. Perkins could clearly see the problem — but building a company around the solution required a leap.
“For a long time, I had the idea, but not the courage or the tactics to act on it,” she said.
That changed when she connected with WildFire Labs, a startup accelerator that helped transform the concept into a working business. Through mentorship and structured guidance, Perkins began building the platform and testing the idea with local employers.
“It gave me the confidence to stop talking about the problem and start building a solution,” she said.
Today, Plenty of Hires is preparing for its public launch, shaped largely by feedback from the people who experience hiring challenges every day.
Built Through Conversations With Employers
Rather than developing the platform in isolation, Perkins spent months talking directly with contractors, construction firms, and job seekers throughout the Black Hills.
The conversations revealed a pattern.
Employers described spending hours reviewing applications from candidates who lacked the experience they needed. Others said the hiring process stretched on for weeks, only to end with a hire that didn’t last.
“What stood out wasn’t the differences between companies,” Perkins said. “It was how often I heard the same frustrations.”
Those insights became the foundation of Plenty of Hires’ matching system, which aims to reduce guesswork and shorten the time between identifying a hiring need and finding the right candidate.
A Different Approach to Hiring
Plenty of Hires operates as a subscription-based software platform that allows employers to hire directly rather than relying on traditional job boards or placement fees.
Employers are matched with candidates based on compatibility rather than keywords. Candidates complete a single assessment that can connect them to multiple job opportunities.
The result is a hiring process designed to move faster while improving long-term fit.
For job seekers, the experience also removes some of the uncertainty that often comes with applying for new roles. Instead of submitting dozens of applications, candidates enter a system designed to connect them with employers already looking for the kind of experience they bring.
One feature Perkins believes will resonate in smaller communities is the platform’s Incognito Mode, which allows currently employed workers to explore opportunities discreetly.
“In a place like the Black Hills, people worry about being seen looking for another job,” Perkins said. “We wanted to create a way for people to explore options without that pressure.”
A Startup Rooted in the Black Hills
While the hiring challenges Plenty of Hires addresses are widespread, the company itself grew out of the Black Hills startup community.
Perkins has worked closely with local employers and workforce organizations, including the Black Hills Home Builders Association, to refine the platform through real hiring scenarios.
Plenty of Hires also received support from Elevate Rapid City, helping connect the startup with resources and mentorship during development.
The goal now is to scale the platform beyond the region while keeping its local roots.
“This platform is built here,” Perkins said. “But the hiring challenges we’re solving are happening everywhere.”
Preparing for Launch
Plenty of Hires is currently preparing for a phased public rollout. A small group of construction employers is already testing the system while the company continues refining the platform’s matching accuracy.
A public candidate launch is expected in the coming weeks, with broader employer access planned to follow.
For Perkins, the long-term vision goes beyond launching another hiring tool.
She believes the construction industry — and hiring in general — is ready for a different approach.
“When employers and candidates start with better information and clearer expectations,” she said, “the entire process works better.”
More information about the platform is available at PlentyOfHires.com.
