Our History

The Ludlow, Colorado coal mine scene of the deadly 1914 Ludlow massacre.
Following the event, Rockefeller resolved to take steps that would keep another similar catastrophe from happening in the future.  

ORC’s roots were planted more than 75 years ago, when John D. Rockefeller, Jr., established a staff of industrial relations specialists to help advise him on the management of his various companies. This staff was soon organized into Industrial Relations Counselors (IRC), a nonprofit, applied-research organization, dedicated to serving clients by advancing the art, knowledge, and practice of organizational and human relationships at work.

In 1953, ORC was spun out of IRC as a for-profit consulting firm. Since then, ORC has served to assist clients, primarily Fortune 500 firms, with specialized knowledge and advice about human resources management.

in 2010 ORC Worldwide was acquired by Mercer creating an unparalleled provider of human resource information.