Our Story

Here is the story of why we don’t wear ties.

Although never much of a corporate guy, Brent Messmer found himself wearing a suit and tie every day to his government job at the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Comp. While managing the Fraud Division there in 1999, he was overwhelmed by employers’ frustration with the abuse in the system. “Something different had to be done,” Brent said. 'The system was bogged down, and I knew that I could do more to impact employers in the private sector.'"

With only three weeks before Christmas and two small children, Messmer took the plunge in 2000 by opening Matrix Investigations which worked to protect employers from workers’ comp abuse. At the request of clients, the company quickly expanded to offering work/comp third-party administration services and gained a reputation for aggressive claims management with a personal touch. The first Matrix client remains a loyal client today.

Throughout the years, Matrix has found additional ways to make client’s lives easier by offering national services in Case Management, Unemployment Cost Control, Safety, and FMLA Administration. Across all lines, Matrix has never wavered from a one-point-of-management model which allows our clients to feel that we are an extension of their team.

From day one, Matrix was built on a few basic philosophies in regard to employees; hire people with the ‘Matrix Attitude’ and put them in the right positions, then get out of the way. Oh, and one more thing– NO TIES.

Matrix is repeatedly voted a ‘best place to work’ by offering employees an environment where they are encouraged to have fun while they work. This culture is maintained in many ways such as charity work on company time, free monthly massages, happy hours, and creative activities. According to Brent, “happy employees result in happy clients.”

When you walk in to the Matrix office today, you can feel the difference. Maybe it’s the glass walls, casual attire (no stuffy ties), the fact that people are smiling and laughing, or the rock and roll music playing throughout the open office. One client said, “Matrix has something special—you can tell that employees are fired up about what they are doing and those are the type of people I want in my corner.”