Prior to founding Humanix Corp. here 18 years ago, the longest Julie Prafke had held a job was about two and a half years.


It wasnt that she hadnt worked much. Prafke had held jobs in the timber, insurance, retail, communications, metals fabrication, and securities industries, as well as in government. They just werent the right jobs.


There was the temporary job with the state of Idaho, a stint at a metals fabrication plant in Airway Heights that went out of business, a job with a securities firm that moved her department to Seattle, and a post with a financial planner that just wasnt the right fit.


It wasnt until entering the staffing industry that she found her nichematching workers with the right jobs.


It was serendipity, Prafke says of her opportunity to launch Humanix in 1986. I happened to be in the right place at the right time.


A few months earlier, Prafke had gone to work for Spokane businessman Roger Smith, who had opened a local franchise of an Atlanta-based staffing-services firm. Prafke says she was hired as office manager because she was a local, homegrown person with good business contacts. Not long after, however, Smith closed the office and terminated his franchise agreement because of inadequate support and training, she says.


After dropping his franchise, Smith wasnt able to start his own staffing firm here because he had signed a non-compete agreement with the franchiser, Prafke says. She says he decided, instead, to back Prafke financially so she could start a local, independent staffing-services company. They named it Humanix Corp. because they wanted to bring the human element back into staffing services, she says.


Prafke doesnt view her previous work experience as a series of obstacles, though. Rather, she believes those experiences prepared her for running a staffing company.


It gave me the best grounding for knowing what it took to find good (job) matches for people, Prafke says. I also have empathy for those who are in bad matches. I think everyone is a good employee; sometimes theyre just not in a good position.


Three years after Humanix was founded, Smith sold his interest in the business and an employee stock ownership program (ESOP) was formedgiving employees an opportunity to buy equity in the company.


Another perfect match


Prafke, who was born and raised in Spokane, attended Marycliff High School here. She met her husband, Aullie, in the summer of 1959 during her morning commute to her summer job. She rode the city bus from the Spokane Valley to her job at the telephone company. Aullie would ride the same bus to attend summer classes at Lewis & Clark High School.


After graduating from high school in 1961, Prafke moved to Seattle where she attended her first year of college at Seattle University.


Two years later, Prafke and Aullie were married, and the couple moved to Alameda, Calif., where he was stationed in the Navy. In 1965, they moved to Coeur dAlene, where Aullie later went to work for Louisiana-Pacific Corp., from which he retired 26 years later. He now helps in the accounting department at Humanix.


In 1977, at the age of 35, Julie Prafke decided to go back to school. At that time she had just one year of college under her belt; was working as a secretary at Diamond International, a lumber wholesaler in Coeur dAlene; and was caring for a husband and two daughtersages 5 and 8.


I decided, at the time, that if I didnt go back to school now, I never would, Prafke says. Also, she had advanced as far as she could in her job at Diamond International with the education she had .


So, during the following nine years, she completed a two-year degree in administrative office management from North Idaho College, a four-year degree in the same field from Eastern Washington University, and a master of business administration degree from City University.


Prafke attended school one night a week for four years to earn her MBA, which she received in June 1986one month before founding Humanix.


Kleenex of staffing services


Prafke recalls her initial vision for Humanix: I wanted it to be the Kleenex and Scott towels of the staffing-services industry. I wanted people to hear the name Humanix and think staffing, she says. I never wanted to be the biggest, but I wanted (the company) to be the best.


The staffing service, which now owns and operates Humanix Personnel Services, Promanix, and Humanix Technology Centers, employs 30 people of its own and places 650 temporary workers a week in jobs throughout the Spokane-Coeur dAlene area. The overall company finds jobs for between 3,000 and 4,000 people a year, most of whom find full-time employment as a result of their job placement by Humanix.


The company specializes in placing people in office and clerical positions, as well as light industrial jobs.


Humanixs main office is located in an office building at 7307 N. Division, and it operates a branch office in Coeur dAlene that it opened in 1991.


For years, Prafke commuted from Coeur dAlene. She finally tired of the commute in 1994, and moved to the Spokane Valley, where she and Aullie live with their two Schnauzers.


Her commute might get even shorter late next year. Prafke currently is hammering out the details on a plan to lease space in the Valley to serve as a new company headquarters. She wont disclose the exact location yet, however.


With the reduction in commute time, perhaps Prafke will have more time for her favorite pastimes, which include photography, painting, and travelespecially to Seattle to visit her two grandsons. Still, she has plenty of commitments outside of Humanix that keep her busy.


Prafke recently was elected chairwoman of the Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce for the second year in a row. People usually fill the position for a one-year term.


Eldonna Gossett, president and CEO of the Valley chamber, says shes thrilled that Prafke agreed to serve a second term as chairwoman. She explains that Prafke was supposed to serve as chairperson-elect last year, but was asked to step into the chairwomans post early when the occupant of the post left prematurely.


Im really excited that Julie is serving again, Gossett says. She is one of our most active chairpersons. She really likes to be out meeting people and spreading the good news about the Spokane Valley.


Prafke was the first person Gossett met at the Valley chamber when she applied for the job of president and CEO three years ago. Prafke was serving on the chambers hiring committee.


Julie is natural and warm and makes people feel comfortable instantly, Gossett says. Shes also a sharp businesswoman. As you can tell, Im a huge fan.


Prafke also serves on the Deans Advisory Board for Eastern Washington Universitys School of Business and Public Administration and is on the board of United Heritage Life Insurance, of Meridian, Idaho.


At least once a quarter, Prafke also speaks to various business classes at EWU.


Prafke doesnt have any firm retirement plans, although she says she has been working on a succession plan for the past 10 years. She says that even if she were to leave the day-to-day operations at Humanix to someone else, she still would remain involved in the companypossibly as a community liaison.


Its like I always say, My retirement party likely will be my wake, Prafke says with a chuckle.