Ascend Staffing has announced the acquisition of Employment Connections Inc. (ECI), a temporary staffing company in northwest Iowa. ECI has locations Spencer, Spirit Lake and Ida Grove, Iowa. Based in North Salt Lake, Ascend Staffing now has 40 offices in 13 states: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Illinois, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Washington.

Ascend Staffing partners with companies to provide workers in light industrial and manufacturing, warehousing, administrative and office staffing as well as nonclinical hospital staffing. The company said it continues to look for strategic acquisitions.