Michael Zalle is in the business of problem solving. And throughout his 25-plus years of professional experience, he’s strived to implement tech-focused solutions that are guided by the philosophy of “working smarter, not harder.” This same principle is most apparent in Zalle’s current venture, YellowBird, where he serves as the company’s founder and CEO.
YellowBird is an on-demand environmental health and safety (EHS) marketplace that works with companies to solve the real world challenge of keeping employees, customers, and the environment safe. As a gig economy platform, YellowBird professionals sign up for free to be available to put their skills and knowledge to work. YellowBird seeks out people who are passionate about making a difference in others’ lives, sharing their skill and experience while earning extra income. The company achieves this by leveraging technology and an AI matching of skills, training, industry-specific knowledge, and geography with experts in the fields of risk, regulation, and EHS programs to fulfill the needs of local businesses.
“We’re taking skills and certifications, and we are indexing those skills and that level of expertise to not only help people present themselves in the best way that they can, but also to help businesses find them in the most efficient way that they can,” says Zalle.
The concept for the company came to Zalle two years ago after he connected with several environmental health and safety professionals who were lamenting their challenges within the field—with the most common complaint being a lack of quality, available talent at specific geographic locations. While there was a clear disconnect in the industry, Zalle saw an opportunity to tie the accessibility provided by popular consumer “gig” services—like Uber and Grubhub, among others—to EHS in an effort to improve the greater workforce.
“I thought, ‘What if we created an Uber of safety or an Uber of environmental health and safety? What would it look like? What could I do to help different types of people actually monetize their skills?’ That was really the beginning of it all.”
Today, YellowBird operates under the leadership of Zalle and his co-founder and COO, Michelle Tinsley, who brought her own tech expertise to the company after working at Intel
Corporation for 26 years. The company is continuing to soar as it services the $55 billion global EHS skilled labor markets via the team’s tech-focused approach—which has already proven to help the brand operate at a speed fifteen times faster and with 25% less money than a traditional temp or consulting firm.
“I think the past year has kind of pointed out to all of us the importance of having the right people serving the right needs. Through our technology and services, YellowBird can help connect businesses to that talent.”
Visit www.goyellowbird.com for more information about YellowBird.
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