About Galt

Galt is a nonprofit professional staffing firm committed to expanding employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Galt has been in operation for 26 years and currently pays more than 700 associates across multiple states. Galt’s payroll process is central to its operations—but over the course of the past couple of years, it became a major source of inefficiency and risk.

For many of Galt’s associates, work is more than just a paycheck—it’s a path to independence and inclusion. The organization ensures that individuals with disabilities can participate in the workforce, often overcoming barriers that traditional employment models fail to address. For this mission to succeed, payroll has to work seamlessly. Their employees rely on timely, accurate pay to support themselves, and because many don’t have experience navigating payroll complexities, errors can create confusion and unnecessary stress.

“We’re a nonprofit staffing agency, which is a bit unique,” shared Elizabeth Shrader, Finance Director at Galt. “Payroll is our core function. If we can’t get that right, we can’t fulfill our mission.”

The Challenge: Payroll Errors, Compliance Risks, and Lost Productivity

Galt uses Bullhorn to manage its staffing operations and prioritized a payroll solution that integrated seamlessly with the system. The initial solution they implemented, however, did not meet expectations. As Elizabeth shared, ‘the system failed at nearly every level.’Payroll errors – Overtime miscalculations, incorrect tax liabilities, and frequent direct deposit failures created ongoing disruptions.‍

• Payroll errors - Overtime miscalculations, incorrect tax liabilities, and frequent direct deposit failures created ongoing disruptions.
• Manual processing burden – The finance team spent 75% of their time correcting errors and managing payroll tax and accounting processes manually, leading to an estimated $100,000 in lost productivity annually.
  
• Tax compliance issues – Inaccurate tax payments resulted in IRS and state penalties, increasing regulatory risks.
  
• Lack of reliable support – The previous provider’s team lacked expertise in payroll and tax compliance and was unable to resolve recurring platform issues.
  
• Security risks – Processing payroll required downloading and uploading sensitive text files, creating a potential data breach hazard.

“I’ve been doing payroll for 20 years, and I’ve never seen anything as bad as this,” Shrader recalled. “It was catastrophic.”

Instead of focusing on their mission, Galt’s finance team was spending all their time troubleshooting a broken payroll system.

The Solution: Finding Zeal at a Critical Moment

When the decision to make a change was made at Galt, they explored other providers, but none could fully meet their needs. Some lacked the functionality and reliability they required, while others weren’t willing to take on the challenge of a complex year-end transition. Zeal stood out as the only provider that could deliver on both—seamless payroll functionality and hands-on support to ensure a smooth migration.

“We quickly realized that Zeal’s team truly understood payroll,” said Shrader. “They weren’t just salespeople making promises—they had deep knowledge of the product and how payroll and taxes should function in the real world. In addition, from leadership to the front line, their level of support and commitment to our success was unlike anything we had seen from previous suppliers.”

Implementation: A High-Stakes Year-End Transition

Galt needed to complete the transition to Zeal before the year-end tax deadline to avoid manually handling W-2s for 900 employees. Zeal stepped in and:

Despite the high stakes and limited timeframe, Zeal successfully launched Galt’s payroll system in time for year-end, preventing weeks of manual effort and further payroll disasters and allowing the team to focus on their real mission—growing employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

The Results: A Payroll System That Works

Since switching to Zeal, Galt has experienced significant improvements:‍

• $100,000+ in productivity savings – Automated and reliable payroll processing has eliminated the time previously spent correcting errors.
• Elimination of penalties – Taxes are now filed accurately and on time. 
• 100% direct deposit success – Employees receive their pay correctly and on schedule
• Scalable for future growth - Zeal continues to evolve with Galt’s needs, incorporating their feedback.
  

“I was spending most of my workweek just trying to prevent payroll disasters,” Shrader admitted. “Now, payroll runs smoothly, and my team can focus on actual finance work. It’s a huge relief.”

The Impact: A Future-Proof Payroll System

Galt now has a trusted payroll partner that can scale alongside them as they expand their services and geographic reach.

“With Zeal, every time we have an issue, the team is responsive, listens, and actively works on solutions. That’s what makes the difference.”

Galt’s finance team is no longer bogged down with payroll issues —they’re driving the organization forward. What was once a costly liability is now a scalable, efficient system that aligns with its long-term vision. With fewer resources spent on troubleshooting, Galt can focus on advancing its mission and expanding into new regions.