Greenville-based BDV Solutions believes it has the right formula to tackle the labor shortage and now, it has the backing to expand to all 50 states.
Britt Vergnolle’s idea treads on a controversial topic, but her idea to employ immigrants seeking legal entry into the United States through the EB-3 visa is resonating with a huge number of foreign nationals and domestic businesses.
And with a recent investment from private equity firm Astara Capital Partners LLC, Vergnolle may be positioned to take the idea to more markets across the country. Astara recently acquired a large stake in the company, BDV — the name comes from Vergnolle’s initials —, and they plan to hire more immigration experts and salespeople, along with more technology and equipment, to sell the idea beyond the 32 states they cover.
About the EB-3 visa
- The U.S. government allocates 10,000 visas for unskilled positions annually
- Applicant must have a willing employer to sponsor their application
- Unskilled labor positions are classified as those that require less than two years of training and are not of a seasonal nature
- Opportunity to gain permanent residence to the United States
Chris Richardson, a lawyer, former diplomat and adviser for U.S. Congress, recently joined BDV as general counsel and chief operating officer. He was attracted to the company’s commitment to help immigrants and local businesses with a solution that was mutually beneficial. While he said immigration bureaucracy is difficult to cut through, he still strives to provide “Cadillac service” to all his clients.
“We’re at the center of fixing immigration issues,” Richardson said.
How the program works is:
- The immigrant is matched up with a participating business that has shown they can’t find any Americans to fill open positions.
- After that, the laborer signs a contract to stay at least a year with the participating business.
- The jobs are required to be non-seasonal and full-time.
- For businesses who sign up, they can expect to start filling vacancies within 10-24 months.
About 95% of immigrants BDV serves have already been here on student visas but often have trouble gaining their permanent visa. BDV helps immigrants and potential employers cut through the paperwork, and a year of pay stubs will show a stable work history needed for citizenship.
The jobs tend to be difficult — poultry processing, entry-level janitorial work, fast food, dishwashing, manufacturing — but Vergnolle said the people she hires are the most hard-working. Before long, the workers often move up in the companies they start out with and may even stay with them much longer than the year.
Clóris Ioanna Junges completed her year in the program working in food prep for the Lazy Goat in Greenville. She first visited the U.S. from her native Brazil but wanted to stay. She speaks five languages but didn’t have a specific skill set that would get her a work visa.
Seeing she was short on options, she first learned about BDV while living in California.
“I was very skeptical at first,” Junges said. Junges wanted to stay here legally, and her options were thin. She completed her year in February and is now on the path to citizenship.
“I’m very happy I did it,” she said.
