Marketplace Chaplains, a fast-growing innovative strategic initiative now in 4 foreign countries, reached another significant milestone in its 28-year history with the recent addition of its 500^th client company.

Ticomix, a provider of GoldMine CRM and HEAT software and services, headquartered outside of Rockford, Illinois, recently became the 500^th company to employ Marketplace Chaplains as part of its employee benefit package.

The unique Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is currently serving in 44 states, 895 cities and in 2,602 client service locations in North America, Puerto Rico and the U.K.

“While numbers themselves are unimportant, the number of people helped by our professional and dedicated Chaplains is truly significant,” said Marketplace Chaplains’ Founder and Chairman Gil A. Stricklin.

Marketplace Chaplains currently employs more than 2,600 Chaplains who care for approximately half a million employees and their family members.

The growth of this unique service provider, which began in 1984 with three companies and a single Chaplain, has greatly accelerated over the last five years.

“We are filling a unique niche in the business world and in ministry by constantly caring for others with compassion, helping the hurting men and women of America’s growing workforce,” said President & COO Richard S. De Witt.

North Dallas Bank & Trust Company (NDB) is the longest-standing, active client company with Marketplace. While NDB Chairman Mike Shipman deals with numbers and figures every day, he said the milestone was an important one.

“It’s quite an achievement,” said Shipman. “We’re proud to be the second company ever to sign with Marketplace Chaplains.  We have been loyal and consistent participants, but it must have been a good business model or it wouldn’t have survived over time.”

There are 23 different industry types being served by Marketplace Chaplains, from Fortune 500 companies to small, family-owned businesses.

Banks and other financial institutions are the largest category of businesses that utilize the services of Marketplace Chaplains, followed by auto dealerships.

A recent McKinsey&Company national study found that employees working for companies who tend to their employees’ needs are less fearful, less likely to compromise their values and more able to throw themselves into their work.

One Marketplace Chaplains’ client company, Austaco Ltd., the sixth-largest Pizza Hut and Taco Bell franchisee in the U.S., cut its annual turnover rate from 300% to 125% after hiring this Corporate Chaplaincy Service.  In addition, it was named one of five elite franchises, by Taco Bell’s Corporate Office in Irvine, California.