about our team
ROBERT A. COHEN
Bob founded R. A. Cohen Consulting in 1991 after 22 years as an owner/operator in the staffing industry. Starting with a talented and dedicated team in 1970, he grew his staffing company into a 14 branch, multi-million dollar network. The company focused on traditional temporary and permanent staffing and served several niche markets. The foundation of his company, Staffing Consultants, was sound systems, strong training and high integrity. Many of his branches came from acquisitions and he sold his company so he has been on both sides of the transaction and understands the issues.
Bob has a long and distinguished record of service to his industry, which has been recognized many times on both a local and national level. He is very proud to be a recipient of the lifetime achievement award in Canada for his contributions to the staffing industry. He is also one of only three individuals granted Honorary Life Membership in the Canadian National trade association.
Since he founded R. A. Cohen Consulting, Bob has worked with owners and managers in our industry to build value in their most valuable asset—their staffing business. For those owners ready to move on, Bob has developed a number of creative succession strategies to ensure that owners maximize their return on their investment in our industry. Bob understands the staffing industry because he has walked a mile and more in your shoes and he speaks your language.
Born and raised in New York City, Bob is a graduate in sociology and psychology from City University of New York. He moved to Toronto in 1970 and is regularly seen speaking at various conferences and seminars for the staffing industry as well as representing the industry as a media spokesperson and government negotiator.
R. A. Cohen Consulting
51 Tournament Drive
Toronto, Ontario
M2P 1K2
416/229-6462 voice
416/222-0177 fax
SAM SACCO
Sam joined R.A.Cohen Consulting in December 1998.
Sam has been involved with the staffing industry since 1982. He joined the National Association of Temporary and Staffing Services (NATSS), now the American Staffing Association (ASA), in 1982 as their Director of Public Relations. In that capacity he created the major NATSS publications. In January 1984 he was made the Executive Vice President of NATSS, a position he held until October 1997. Under his leadership: NATSS grew from 300+ members to over 1600 members; the budget went from $300,000 to over $5,000,000; and the staff expanded from three to twenty-two. During this period the image and credibility of the staffing industry improved significantly. NATSS became an effective advocate and political spokesman for the industry and became the recognized statistical source for industry information.
Sam has authored over 100 articles on the industry, spoken before hundreds of national, state and local industry groups, and represented the industry on numerous TV and radio programs including CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, PBS, and the major networks.
Sam's in depth knowledge of the staffing industry and historical understanding of its development puts him in a unique position to work with temporary staffing, IT services, permanent placement, technical, and PEO firms and recognize their different needs.
Over the years, Sam has met thousands of staffing CEO's and built lasting relationships with many of them. His first name recognition with independent, national and public company executives is seldom duplicated. He has seen first hand what a boom economy and a recession can do to industry profits and growth. He fully appreciates the hard work that is necessary to grow a successful staffing company and is sensitive to the importance of finding the best environment to maximize the value for the buyer and seller.
After leaving NATSS in October 1997, Sam became the Chairman of the Board of Work International Corporation, a staffing industry consolidation and rollup. Over the next six months he helped assemble 16 companies in IT, traditional staffing and professional niche with 1998 revenues of over $200,000,000. After clearing SEC comments in record time, only the unexpected decline of staffing stocks over a four-month period kept the IPO from being successful. This experience of locating, screening, valuing, and contractually signing large and small companies in an acquisition blitz is the competitive edge that will be working for you.
Sam is a 1967 graduate from the University of Virginia, with a BS degree in Commerce. He makes his home in Wilmington, NC.
1827 Pembroke Jones Drive
Wilmington, NC 28405
910/509-0691 voice
910/509-0692 fax