Mom's the word.

For employers facing a shortage of skilled workers as baby boomers retire, about 6 million stay-at-home moms nationwide represent a large potential pool of untapped talent, labor experts and women's advocates say.

Mom-entum Resources, a local staffing firm that matches candidates who want flexible hours with companies that want talented employees, is a resource for mothers seeking a balance between careers and home life.

Tanya Cummings and Whitney Forstner, mothers themselves who left the corporate world, founded Mom-entum Resources in September.

After several years, multiple careers and children, Cummings and Forstner (who once worked together in recruiting at Capital One Financial Corp.) crossed paths in pursuit of a common goal -- a balanced career and a successful life.

They wanted a challenging career without having to invest 40-plus hours a week, they said. After maternity leave, Cummings found it impossible to strike the right balance between work and family. She decided to stay at home with her daughter, but she never gave up the goal of being a great mom with a successful career.

Forstner, who has twin boys, chose a different path after maternity leave and returned to work part time. She created an employment scenario that worked for her -- working from 8 a.m. to noon -- but it required a lot of effort to establish and maintain within a traditional work environment.

Cummings and Forstner wanted to return to work on their own terms with companies that promoted flexibility and appreciated their strengths and commitment, they said. "There was no clear path to achieving this goal," Cummings said. Conversations with others led them to believe they were not alone in their quest for balance.

"I kept a mental tally for four years," Cummings said.

After gaining input from Forstner, "the business plan practically wrote itself," Cummings said, and Mom-entum Resources was born.

Why the name?

"The definition of momentum implies force," Cummings said. "The first three letters of momentum are mom . . . these are the people we are advocating for. These people are in motion all the time, getting it done and getting it done well."

While Mom-entum Resources looks for mothers re-entering the work force, it recruits any highly qualified individual seeking part-time opportunities.

The company has a dual approach to staffing.

"Our process can start with a great candidate or a great client. If we find a resource first, we then look for the right role for them," Cummings said.

"If a business identifies its need first, we then search for the right candidate," Forstner added.

The partners said Mom-entum Resources' clientele ranges from mom-and-pop shops to Fortune 200 companies. For privacy reasons, they declined to list clients.

Shannon Whitlock, mother of two -- one starting kindergarten and an 18-month-old -- is hopeful Mom-entum Resources can fill the bill for her. "I'm not ready to totally stay at home," Whitlock said. "I want to re-enter the work force. I enjoy working but I know I need to be at home with my children." She has met twice recently with Mom-entum in search of something in her field -- human resources. She said she was impressed with Mom-entum's thorough interviewing process. "They made sure they knew me well enough to present me [to an employer]. I think what they're doing is fabulous."

Candidates are paid by the client based on their experience and skill set. The client pays Mom-entum based on the type of placement: contractor, contract to hire or permanent. In seeking to match job candidates and companies, Cummings and Forstner open the doors to their space in the back of the Shops at 5807 on Patterson Avenue for extended chats.

"We invite people in to sit on our sofa and talk. We want them to be sure. They opt in because they want to. Not because they have to," Forstner said.

Mom-entum Resources plans to hold "Coffee Break" sessions every six to eight weeks for people who want to grow and develop. Participation in Mom-entum's staffing process is not required for attendance. "It's a time for people to invest in themselves, network and maybe even do a little shopping" Forstner said.

Karin Zezza, a partner in Side Tilt, a management consulting firm, spoke about the value of part-time flexibility at last Tuesday's Coffee Break. Fifteen women attended.

"Flexible work arrangements and work-life balance are critical to business success today. With low unemployment, the high cost of turnover and baby boomers with their eye on retirement, business leaders need more creative staffing solutions to survive," Zezza said.

"Employers are finding it more challenging to find talented people to get the work done. They are often settling for less experience and talent because they need someone to get the work done. We can help meet their talent need, if they can afford flexibility," Forstner said.

"Perhaps nothing is more effective and cost-efficient for the small-business owner than a staff of part-time professionals who possess good judgment, who offer great depth and breath of experience, who can hit the ground running, require little to no training and can serve clients at the highest level," Cummings said.

Genevieve Roberts, a managing principal with the Titan Group, a human-resources consulting firm in Richmond, sees a need for Mom-entum Resources' services.

"Many of our clients indicate that finding, attracting and hiring great talent continues to be one of the top five challenges in their workplace.

"I often recommend to them that one way to compete for the top talent is to look at nontraditional applicant pools or create work schedules that are attractive to the talent they want," Roberts said.

"Mom-entum Resources is coming at the perfect time because it offers talent that fits both of these options and companies will have no choice but to consider them," she added.

"When a company can offer the flexibility of work schedule that a high-performing employee wants, then you know that they will give 110 percent when they are working."
Contact Gail Kelley at (804) 775-8137 or gkelley@timesdispatch.com.