National rollout introduces a portable professional identity for hourly workers, powered by the new employer platform, GAGE HQ
ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga — GAGE, the world’s first workforce community connecting employees and employers, today announced its national launch following a successful Georgia beta in late 2025.
Designed for America’s 82 million hourly workers, GAGE introduces a portable professional identity that allows employees to build recognition, reputation, and verified work history across jobs – something historically unavailable to the frontline workforce.
The community is powered by GAGE HQ, the employer platform that enables companies to track retention, monitor engagement, and better understand the people driving their businesses.
“For decades, salaried professionals have had digital networks to build reputation and opportunity,” said Justin Henshaw, Founder and CEO of GAGE. “Meanwhile, the hourly workforce has had nothing but punch clocks. GAGE creates a community where work can be seen, recognized, and carried forward.”
While workers join the platform to build identity and recognition, GAGE HQ gives employers the tools to participate in and shape that workforce community – providing new infrastructure for engagement, recognition, and retention.
The national launch follows a successful Georgia beta across restaurant and hospitality operators. Early adoption demonstrated strong engagement among employees and improved visibility for managers seeking to recognize high-performing team members.
The stakes are significant. Turnover in food service and retail frequently exceeds 100 percent annually, contributing to an estimated $172 billion in annual churn costs for U.S. businesses. At the same time, nearly 70 percent of hourly workers report feeling unseen or undervalued at work.
GAGE aims to address both challenges by creating a shared digital space where workers build verified professional identities and employers gain a clearer view of talent and growth.
“Recognition should not reset to zero every time someone starts a new job,” Henshaw said. “When work becomes visible and portable, employees gain ownership of their progress and employers hire and lead differently.”
Sara Black, Owner of Chick-fil-A Brunswick, participated in the Georgia beta.
“GAGE has given our leadership the ability to provide real-time feedback to our team,” Black said. “In a fast-paced environment centered around continuous improvement, it allows us to stop, recognize what was done right, and celebrate it.”
Headquartered in St. Simons Island, Georgia, GAGE is now expanding partnerships nationwide across restaurants, retail, hospitality, manufacturing, and other frontline industries.
The company’s long-term vision is to build a connected workforce network where employees maintain portable professional identities and employers access a shared infrastructure for hiring, engagement, and retention.
“The future of work will be connected and community-driven,” Henshaw said. “We’re building that foundation for hourly America.”
About GAGE
GAGE is the first workforce community connecting employees and employers. Through its network, hourly workers build portable professional identities while employers use GAGE HQ, the company’s employer platform, to recognize teams, strengthen engagement, and improve retention. Following a Georgia beta in 2025, GAGE is expanding nationally in 2026.
Learn more at
www.gagework.com
Press Contact
Antonia Bashir
antonia@gagework.com
