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

It was standard practice, in fact, to drive virtually anywhere to meet a candidate, to take them to an interview and pick them up afterward. As impeccable as their suits might have been, the offices were less so and were often cramped, furnished with used furniture, and located in less-than-desirable neighborhoods. Trips to Tampa for manager’s meetings usually meant sleeping at each other’s homes or on the couch in Dave Dunkel’s living room. “I look back on those times very fondly,” Rich said. “We’d have meetings all day and play basketball in the evening. Those were some of the best times.” Their success in those days, not unlike today, was at least partially rooted in their willingness to mix two divergent attitudes. On the one hand, they were adamant that everyone stick to the procedures that had been developed to guarantee success. The disciplined process was duplicated throughout the company with no exceptions. On the other hand, they were constantly evolving, in renegade fashion when necessary, to improve their performance and the bottom line. The two offices held joint meetings to discuss what was working, what wasn’t, and how they could improve the process. One of those changes was to break away from the strict adherence to the “professionals dealing with professionals” philosophy when they hired two new recruiters with sales backgrounds. Peter Weprinsky joined the Fort Lauderdale team in 1983 with a background in fax machine sales and Pete Alonso, whose background was in computer sales, joined the Tampa office in 1985. Looking for an escape from Ohio winters, Pete Alonso answered a Romac ad. He spoke to Dave, a conversation Pete recalls as “challenging,” and ended up driving down to Tampa non-stop in his Mazda RX7. When the interview process was completed Dave invited Pete to watch a basketball game though no job offer had yet been made. It was the Lakers (Pete’s team of choice) vs. the Celtics (Dave’s team of choice). Seeing Dave’s obvious support of the Celtics, Pete struggled to hold his tongue. That is, until the second half of the game. That’s when Pete let loose. “The Lakers won, and I kept reminding Dave how great they were. I thought for sure I blew the interview because he was really upset,” Pete recalled. In reality, Dave said, “I recognized he had a heart to win.”

Dave Dunkel enjoys the view from his Harbor Island office.

Ralph Struzziero (left) congratulates Pete Alonso, 1989 Performer of the Year enjoying the moment, and greets his parents Peter and Anna Alonso (right).

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