The Kforce Story: 50 Plus Years of Great People Delivering Great Results

Chapter 2

The Next Generation

The heart and soul of the Kforce story begins in 1980 when Al Dunkel’s son Dave surprised everyone, including himself, when he left a job with a Big Eight accounting firm to enter the staffing business. Dave Dunkel was born on Abraham Lincoln’s birthday—an association he enjoys invoking—in 1954, the third of Albert and Patricia Dunkel’s four children. Three days later, the family moved from its Long Island home to Stamford, Connecticut, where Albert assumed his corporate relations management position with J. C. Penney. Four years later the family moved to Providence, Rhode Island, and in 1966, Albert joined the founding principals of Romac and Associates, opening the Providence office. Like most youngsters, Dave was barely aware of what his father did for a living. What he does recall are the many nights during which his father alerted the family that he was expecting a call. In those days, the average household had only one telephone so when an important call came in, it was imperative that everyone else evacuate the area to provide privacy and quiet. “Looking back, I know now that he was talking to candidates,” Dave recalled. By his own admission, Dave was an average student, and sports, not academics, provided an avenue for his competitive nature. After high school, he attended a local junior college where he “suddenly decided” to apply himself. His confidence bolstered by making the dean’s list, he proudly announced to his parents he was thinking of majoring in accounting. His father, surprised at first, responded by bringing the full force of his staffing experience to bear on his son’s career path. In his customarily matter-of-fact way, he told his son, “Get your bachelor’s degree, your master’s degree, and then become a CPA.” “That sounded pretty good to me,” Dave recalled nonchalantly, so after junior college he went on to Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, where he again made the dean’s list. His academic success thus far cemented his resolve and Dave went on to complete his undergraduate work and his MBA at Babson College, graduating with honors. In July of 1977, Dave started his career in the Boston office of Coopers and Lybrand, one of the Big Eight accounting firms. The following year, another young man named Rich Cocchiaro also joined Coopers and Lybrand, having graduated with honors in economics from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, and earning his MBA at New York University’s Stern School of Business in New York City.

Dave Dunkel’s first Romac office was in the First National Bank of Tampa building on East Madison in downtown Tampa.

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