As Co- Founder, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Express Employment Professionals, Bob Funk and the Express team reached record sales of $3.02 Billion and employed a record 500,002 people.
Since awarding its first Express franchise in 1985, the staffing company has grown to more than 750 franchises with nearly 6,000 staff members in the U.S., Canada and South Africa.
Bob is a true entrepreneur and owns 37 Express offices in Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Kansas and stays active with Express affiliated companies- Express Ranches, The Express Clydesdales, Express Sports, Funk Companies and Express Travel Service.
Funk’s efforts in the staffing industry earned him induction into the International Franchise Association (IFA) Hall of Fame in 2010. He was recognized in 2013 as Most Admired CEO by The Journal Record and in 2014 by Oklahoma State University Division of Agriculture Sciences and Natural Resources, with their Champion Award. In 2015 he was recognized as Man of the Year by IMPACT OKC Magazine.
Funk has a pulse on the economy having served as Chairman of the Chairmen of The Federal Reserve in 2007. He is frequently interviewed about employment trends by the Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Fox Business News and CNN and is a regular contributor on the Sean Hannity Radio Show.
Funk is actively involved in the community and gives back in a big way. He currently serves on several committees and previously served as chairman of the board of directors for the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum where he personally contributed $4 million. He is a member and former chairman of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber and current chairman of the Oklahoma Youth Expo. He has contributed $1.5 million to the Oklahoma Youth Expo and Express Ranches has contributed $3.8 million in scholarships.
In the last 10 years, the Express Philanthropic Fund has contributed more than $7.5 million to charitable organizations throughout Oklahoma.
In December, 2015, Bob Funk was the featured CEO/sponsor of the State Chamber of Commerce Public Affairs forum. In a video address to 750 of the state’s top business leaders, Bob humanized the business side of Oklahoma’s education issue and encouraged fellow organizations to get involved, explore solutions relative to current workforce issues and the future of our state.
Funk graduated from Seattle Pacific University (SPU) with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and theology. He completed his graduate studies at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and received his master’s degrees in business administration and theology from SPU. He holds honorary doctorate degrees from SPU, Oklahoma Baptist University and Southern Nazarene University.
Bob says, “You are only as successful as the last person you helped.”