Employment Control Inc. acquired STAFFpartners, a Nashville, Tenn.-based provider of light industrial and office/clerical staffing, according to an announcement from acquisition advisor De Bellas & Co, who advised the seller. The deal involved support from Nashville-based private investment firms Harbert Mezzanine Partners and Claritas Capital.

Terms of the transaction were not announced.

STAFFpartners was founded in 2001 by David Hood and Denise Thomason. It has four offices in central Tennessee and Southwestern Kentucky. Hood will retire, and Thomason will remain as president of STAFFpartners in the wake of the deal.

Employment Control "acquired STAFFpartners because it is the leader in its markets, has a strategic footprint, diverse customer base and experienced leadership,” said Employment Control CEO Clay Bullock.

Employment Control is a North Carolina-based commercial staffing firm. Harbert Mezzanine Partners and Claritas Capital Specialty Debt Fund acquired Employment Control in February 2012.

The acquisition of STAFFpartners is Employment Control's third transaction in 11 months as it continues its strategy of organic and acquisitive growth in the mid-south and southeast.