37 Years Strong: Building an Employer-of-Choice Culture

Full-service human resources, 37 years strong: how N. Darlene Walker & Associates built an employer-of-choice culture on a small business foundation 

Building a business the right way 

When Darlene Walker founded N. Darlene Walker & Associates, L.P. (NDW) in Houston, Texas, she had a clear goal. She wanted to run a small firm with the professionalism, culture and benefits of a major corporation. 

NDW is a human resources consulting firm specializing in affirmative action, equal employment and HR analytics, serving clients from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies, with deep roots in the oil and gas sector. With roughly 10 employees, the firm carries real weight in its field. That reputation grew from Darlene’s belief that a small business can, and should, offer the culture and benefits of a much larger one. That vision shaped every decision she made, including the one that would define her business for decades. 

When running a business means running out of time 

Before partnering with Insperity, Darlene was doing it all. As NDW’s primary consultant, she was also the person sourcing health benefits, managing payroll and workers’ compensation, and staying on top of payroll tax responsibilities. These were not small tasks. They consumed her days.

  “Acquiring benefits and payroll administration was taking a lot of my time. And as the primary consultant for the firm, taking up my business time was important to get freed up from some of that,” she said. The real cost went beyond the clock. Every hour Darlene spent on administrative work was an hour she could not spend with clients or on growing her firm. Sourcing high-quality benefits for a small business brought its own set of hurdles, too. For a founder who wanted to offer a big-company experience, the gap between ambition and available resources was hard to close on her own. 

Choosing a partner committed to doing it right 

The turning point came through a trusted contact, a friend who worked as a corporate vice president. His advice was direct. Darlene did not have to carry this alone. A new kind of organization could take on these functions and give employees access to the big company benefits and retirement plans¹ she wanted for her team. 

That conversation led Darlene to Insperity, then known as Administaff. A few things made the decision easy. The company had a local presence in Houston. Co-founder Paul Sarvadi visited the firm in person. And then there was the message that captured exactly what she needed. “They had me at the tagline. The tagline at that point was, ‘We take care of your people so you can take care of your business.’ And for me, that’s what it boiled down to,” she said. “Paul Sarvadi himself came out and talked with us at that time, and we decided at that point to go with what was Administaff.” That decision, made in the late 1980s, set the course for everything that followed. 

¹ Retirement plans are available as an add-on service.

Expert HR support that grows with you 

With the Insperity® HR360 solution in place, the HR administrative weight lifted almost immediately. With Insperity’s support with payroll, payroll taxes and workers’ compensation Darlene now had time to focus on the work only she could do. 

Today, Insperity HR360 continues to power NDW’s operations. Employees have access to comprehensive health benefits and retirement plans, the kind of Fortune 500-level offerings she always envisioned for a firm her size. Payroll, once a heavy lift, now runs through a process so streamlined it takes about five minutes to complete. Employees can also tap into Insperity Employee Assistance Program’s Optum wellbeing programs, including monthly trainings in nutrition to support their health and in financial education that help employees’ manage their expenses.

The partnership proved its value again when NDW faced a challenge few small businesses had encountered at the time: employees relocating out of state. Rather than lose highly trained team members, NDW embraced telework, and Insperity helped make it work. 

“The first big key for me was that they worked with us in telework and helped us figure out the logistics of that,” Darlene said. From multistate workers’ compensation to health benefits and HR guidance, Insperity guided NDW through the complexity so NDW could keep the people it had invested in. Through it all, the personal connection stayed constant. Darlene values knowing the people she works with, and Insperity has consistently delivered on that. 

“As a small business person, when I call up and need some help, it really helps if the person at the other end of the phone knows who we are,” she said. 

Nearly four decades of proof 

The story shows up in the results. NDW’s partnership with Insperity began in 1989, and renewed most recently in October 2025, marking more than 37 consecutive years. Payroll that once ate up hours now takes about five minutes. “Two of those initial telework employees are still working with us, more than thirty-five years later, and only a few of those years were in Texas. So it was a very successful telework situation,” Darlene said. 

That kind of retention does not happen by accident. It reflects a culture built on trust, stability and a workplace experience worth staying for. “I would have lost more than the benefit structure and the help with payroll if you lose the continuity with the people that you’re working with,” she said. 

Looking back, the change is clear. In the early days, Darlene was buried in administrative work that pulled her away from client consulting and business development. Benefits sourcing alone consumed significant time. Today, the firm runs efficiently with streamlined HR processes and a team that has stayed loyal for decades. Darlene has the time, the tools and the trusted support to lead her firm with confidence. 

The road ahead: leading with 37 years of momentum 

NDW has no plans to slow down. The firm will keep navigating an ever-changing HR compliance landscape with Insperity at its side. For any small business owner wondering whether the right HR partner is worth it, Darlene’s answer spans nearly four decades. 

“Insperity has been a trusted partner for over 37 years, providing personalized HR solutions that empower our business to thrive,” she said.