Our History

HR Straight Talk  (HRST) founded by Mike Burgess SPHR, SHRM-SCP.

After over 25 years spent working for mid size and  large corporations Mike desired to strike out on his own. He opened a small HR consulting firm  in Arlington Heights, Illinois and found success using his experience, entrepreneurial spirit and principle beliefs – “helping clients achieve business success through it's people is at the end of the day why we spend our time on behalf of our clients."

Through the years, Mike Burgess encountered first-hand, the workforce solutions that get people rowing together in the same direction.  A synergy where employees embrace the culture and a clear line of sight exists between the company, employees and customers. 

The human resource industry is a constantly changing force, and to stay abreast of market opportunities, HRST  has assessed areas of concentration that allows organizations to concentrate on their business, where HRST will lend a hand in keeping your human capital moving forward.  

Care is taken to establish relationships with your organization for understanding your business, discovering needs and presenting strategic HR solutions.

Mike Burgess established this company with the purpose of providing quality human resource solutions to the Chicago and the North West suburb business community. 

Being part of the Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce allows Mike to get to know the needs of the community and impact the businesses in the community. 

With more than 30 years  experience in the areas of HR, Operations, Client Services and Marketing, Mike Burgess SPHR & SHRM-SCP continue to apply his overall business knowledge in dealing with an organizations Human Resource Capital.