Schilling Beer Co. Gains a More Reliable Payroll Process Through a Trusted Referral

Schilling Beer Co. is a family-owned craft brewery, production facility and destination brewpub in Littleton, New Hampshire. Its workforce changes throughout the year, ranging from about 80 employees in slower months to more than 120 during peak seasons. The staff includes salaried managers, hourly hospitality employees, production workers and retail team members.

Managing seasonal staffing, complex tip reporting and compliance requirements were tough enough on their own, but having human resources (HR), payroll and benefits in separate systems added even more difficulty.

Separate Systems for HR, Payroll and Benefits

Like many small business leaders, Brigitte Ouellette balances a wide range of responsibilities as Schilling Beer Co.’s vice president of finance and administration. Her role involves everything from payroll, HR and compliance to benefits oversight and financial strategy.

With so much on her plate, having systems she could depend on was essential. But several challenges made daily work harder:

• Managing HR, payroll and benefits spread across different tools

• Ongoing issues with payroll tax filing

• Limited point of sale (POS) and scheduling integrations

• Added manual work during seasonal staffing changes

The brewery relied on multiple service providers to run payroll, HR, time tracking and benefits administration. While the setup handled the basics, support around payroll tax filings was a major challenge.

Ouellette shared that delayed or incorrect payroll tax filings and a lack of timely communication created unnecessary stress, especially for a business with shifting seasonal needs. Integrations with their POS and scheduling systems were also limited, which added more manual work for both hourly and salaried employees.

She described it as a constant balancing act to stay compliant with evolving federal and state laws, maintain a positive employee experience and keep daily operations running smoothly. After repeated tax issues and slow response times, she began looking for a partner she could count on.

A Trusted Recommendation Leads to a Better Solution

The turning point came when Ouellette reached out to USI, one of the largest insurance brokerage and consulting firms, to explore options for benefits administration. During those conversations, she shared the payroll challenges Schilling Beer Co. was experiencing, particularly the delays and limited responsiveness around payroll tax support.

After hearing her concerns, the USI team recommended isolved as a better-supported, more compliant alternative. They connected Ouellette with an isolved representative, who met with her in person to understand the brewery’s needs and walk through payroll software and the broader human capital management (HCM) platform.

A Smoother Payroll Process and Better Customer Support

Since moving to isolved Payroll, Ouellette shared that payroll processing is now faster and more accurate. She also said that their confidence in payroll tax compliance has “dramatically improved.” The team has better visibility into employee data, payroll records and reporting across entities, which makes day-to-day workflows easier.

She estimates they have reduced the time spent on payroll management and resolving issues by about 50%. With fewer time-consuming troubleshooting tasks, her team can focus more of their energy on strategic initiatives.

“The response time and expertise, especially from the tax team, have been outstanding,” she said. “It is a night-and-day difference from our previous service provider.”

Ouellette described onboarding to the new platform as smooth and well-organized. The isolved team helped streamline the process, communicated clearly, transitioned data cleanly and made sure regulatory requirements were addressed early. Managers adapted quickly to the new system, helping the rollout go smoothly.

She also shared that certificate tracking is far more efficient than before through the isolved University, which helps managers stay on top of required employee documentation.

Enhancing the Employee Experience

Employees have benefited from the transition, too. With self-service, the team can view their tax forms online, change their bank account information and review employee hours and timecards. They can also update personal details, access pay stubs, adjust payroll deductions and manage direct deposit without needing to go through a manager or HR.

While any transition comes with a learning curve, Ouellette said the response has been positive overall. Seasonal workers, in particular, have embraced ZayZoon, an earned wage access and financial wellness solution available through the isolved Marketplace. Having the option to access earned wages between pay periods helps them manage unexpected expenses, and it has quickly become one of the most used tools among the team.

On top of that, Ouellette said the solution that’s made the biggest difference for her team is isolved Onboard & Develop, which helps automate new-hire tasks and creates a more consistent onboarding experience from day one.

As the brewery continues implementing additional solutions, such as isolved Share & Perform, Ouellette expects the employee experience to become even more connected. This performance management tool brings together goal setting, feedback, recognition, reviews and collaboration tools, so employees and managers have a single place for communication and development.

Building the Foundation for Long-Term Growth

For Schilling Beer Co., Ouellette said one of the most valuable aspects of working with isolved has been the responsiveness and reliability of its support team. As their operations expand, she said isolved’s scalability and hands-on support will continue to help the company grow while maintaining the same high standards for compliance and efficiency.

“If you want a payroll and HR partner that provides accountability, proactive support and reliable compliance management, isolved is the right choice,” Ouellette said.