It was during Bob Livonius’s tenure as ASA chairman that the Affordable Care

Act became a top concern for the staffing industry. Under his leadership, ASA began

developing a wide range of resources to support member companies and

advocate for the industry’s best interests, including a dedicated ACA website, an ACA

communications tool kit, and an interactive cost calculator.

AMERICAN STAFFING ASSOCIATION1

L ast October at the ASA annual convention, Robert “Bob” Livonius was surrounded by well-wishers, grateful colleagues, and fellow

industry veterans—all congratulating him on a much-deserved honor. At the convention, Livonius became only the 42nd inductee into the ASA Leadership Hall of Fame, a recognition reserved for those who have made significant contributions to the industry and the association.

Before retiring last year, Livonius dedicated count-less hours to working on association initiatives along-side fellow staffing industry professionals. He was a generous volunteer of his time and experience. Livo-nius was chairman or a member of several ASA com-mittees and taskforces, including the ASA health care section policy council. In 2007, Livonius was elected to the ASA board of directors and in 2012, his col-leagues on the board elected him chairman.

There is another significant side to Livonius, says Dan Campbell, CSP, chief executive officer of Atlanta-based Hire Dynamics. Campbell notes that in addition to being a distinguished businessman, Livonius also is a devoted family man and a valuable mentor to his colleagues.

“Bob genuinely cares about the people working for him,” Campbell says. “Bob touched a lot of lives in this industry and continues to touch lives in this industry—particularly of its leaders.”

Campbell also praises Livonius for his work heading up the development of standards for health care staffing firms and best practices for using vendor management systems and managed service providers.

Says Livonius: “Being on the board and being the chairman of ASA was something I’d never imagined doing. Now that I’ve done it, I look back and am really proud of the work we did.”

Varied, Distinguished CareerAfter a 20-year career in the computer hardware

and software industry, including 15 years at IBM, Livonius entered the staffing industry when he was recruited by a search firm representing Personnel Pool of America, a clerical, light industrial, and health care staffing business. The new position let him take the management and operations experience he had acquired at IBM and apply it to another industry.

“Bob is one of those rare people who has an apti-tude both for strategy and for operations,” Campbell

Inspiring Leadership, Lasting Legacy

Following a successful career in the computer hardware and software

industry, Robert Livonius discovered the staffing industry—thanks to

an executive search firm that recruited him. Livonius says he quickly fell

in love with the industry: “I got hooked on it because it’s all about the

people.” He then spent the rest of his professional life helping to drive the

industry forward and making an impact on all who worked with him.

By Jennifer Silber, CAE

As Seen In March · April · 2016

© 2016 by the American Staffing Association

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says. Livonius brought both aptitudes to bear in his staffing industry career.

During his 12 years with Atlanta-based staffing company Spherion Corp., where he served as chief operating officer, Livonius managed every skill sector in the industry, dealing with a range of staff-ing needs—from medical home care and clerical staffing to human capital consulting and executive coaching. In 2003, Livonius became chief execu-tive officer of Medfinders. Before long, he grew the company by 150%; Medfinders expanded its offerings as a result of two strategic acquisitions in physician staffing and allied health staffing. In 2010, he helped lead the acquisition of Medfind-ers by AMN Healthcare, where he became presi-dent, strategic workforce solutions, until he retired earlier last year.

Susan Salka, president and CEO at AMN, says Livonius is an outstanding addition to the ASA Lead-ership Hall of Fame—not only for what he accom-plished at AMN, but also for how he helped advance and diversify the health care staffing industry. “My sense of awe comes from what Bob accomplished during his years at AMN and within the staffing

industry,” Salka says. “Not too long ago, the concept of a health care staffing company doing anything other than health care staffing was entirely unknown. Bob pioneered the concept that our workforce solutions expertise could be used to help hospitals and health care systems manage and optimize their workforces. This was help our clients really needed and wanted.”

What Makes Staffing Special“It’s easy to get hooked on this industry,” Livonius

says. “This is such a fun and exciting industry to be in…and I got hooked on it because it’s all about the people.”

Working in a people-based field has its unique challenges. “In the staffing business we deliver the most imperfect product that you can possibly imagine: a human being.”

Yet there’s no question that it’s work worth doing. Livonius believes that the staffing industry is a special calling. “You get energized when you realize that you’re giving people an opportunity to work, and to better their lives and fulfill their need to be flexible or to work between assignments—as well as improve their skills and their résumé.”

The ASA Leadership Hall of Fame Award was created in 1985 to recognize outstanding individual contributions made through dedicated service to ASA and the staffing industry. Since that time, 42 distinguished leaders have been honored with this award. The Pioneer Award was given to individuals who contributed to the industry prior to the establishment of ASA in 1966. Awards have been presented to the following recipients.

See an online gallery of the ASA Leadership Hall of Fame on the commemorative web page celebrating the association’s 50th anniversary. Go to americanstaffing.net/ASA50.

1985n Peter D. Durham, Durham Staffing Inc.n Richard P. Essey, The TemPositions Group of Cos.n William Olsten, Olsten Corp.n Cedric Richner, Kelly Services Inc.n James D. Scheinfeld, Manpower Inc.n Helga Tarver, TeleSec Staffing Services

1986n Ted K. Cobb, TOPS Total Personnel Servicesn John J. Husic Jr., Olsten of Hartfordn William R. Kelly (Pioneer Award), Kelly Services Inc.n Aaron Scheinfeld (Pioneer Award), Manpower Inc.n Elmer L. Winter (Pioneer Award), Manpower Inc.

1987n David J. Nugent (Pioneer Award), D.J. Nugent Co. n John W. Nugent, Flexi-Force Temporary Services

1988n Willis C. Bullard Sr., Kelly Services Inc.

1989n Charles J. Sigrist, Stivers Staffing Services

1990n Sharon N. Bredeson, Staff-Plus Inc.n Samuel L. Workman (Pioneer Award), Workman Services

1991n Barry B. Wright, AVTek Staffing Services

1992n Allan C. Sorensen, Interim Services Inc.

1993n Howard W. Scott Jr., parTime Inc.

1994n Lawrence E. Derito, Office Specialists

Livonius puts the highest

value on talent. “The ingredient to success that I found worked for me was that

if I hired the right talent—the

people who would be able to do the work

of hiring the right talent for

the client—it was going to be

successful.”

Visionaries, Pioneers, Industry Hall of Famers

AMERICAN STAFFING ASSOCIATION3

Livonius puts the highest value on talent. “The ingredient to success that I found worked for me was that if I hired the right talent—the people who would be able to do the work of hiring the right talent for the client—it was going to be successful.”

Additionally, he notes, the way to surround your-self with great talent is to genuinely and sincerely care for the whole person. Friends, colleagues, and team members describe Livonius as supportive and approachable, and as someone who has a strong per-sonal interest in their success in life.

By trying to see things from the most positive point of view and keeping the longer-term vision in mind, Livonius says, you can get through your chal-lenges and gain some wisdom in the process.

The Work Continues“I’m really humbled by the thought of being

among the great leaders and visionaries in the industry that have been recognized over the past 30 years,” Livonius said when he was inducted into the ASA Leadership Hall of Fame. He thanked ASA members, the board of directors, and president and CEO Richard Wahlquist for what he called an “exciting honor,” but noted that he has not left the staffing industry completely.

In his current roles, serving on a privately held company’s board and as part of a private equity firm, Livonius said, “I’m keeping busy with my love for being in the staffing business. I’m excited to still be a part of the industry.”

One reason is that he knows there are still projects to tackle and goals to achieve. “The work continues, and we need leaders like you to help us maintain the world’s best regulatory environment for staffing,” he told Staffing World® 2015 attendees. “Today I encourage you to get involved in your association and to help make a difference. As an association, we need to continue to work together to educate lawmakers and help make a better economy for America and for all of us.”

Outside the policy realm, Livonius also is excited about what young staffing, recruiting, and workforce solutions professionals have to look forward to. “I think you’ve picked a fantastic industry to be in,” he said. “It’s still very bright, and you’ve got a great future and a great career ahead of you.” n

Jen Silber, CAE, is editor for the American Staffing Association.

Send feedback on this article to success@americanstaffing.net.

Follow ASA on Twitter @StaffingTweets.

“I encourage you to get involved in your association and to help make a difference,” says Livonius. “As an association, we need to continue to work together to educate lawmakers and help make a better economy for America and for all of us.”

1995n Margo Berk-Levine, Temporarily Yours Staffing Services

1996n Frank Ligouri, Olsten Corp.

1997n Jaci Carroll, Jaci Carroll Staffing Services Inc.

1998n Salvatore A. Balsamo, TAC Worldwide Cos.

1999n Richard Reinhold, SOS Staffing Services

2000n JoAnn Wagner, SOS Staffing Services

2001n Mitchell Fromstein, Manpower Inc.

2002n John Smith, Spherion Corp.

2003n Karla Hertzog, Innovative Employee Solutions

2004n Eileen Lesberg, World Wide Specialty Programs Inc.

2005n Joel Biller, Manpower Inc.

2006n Terence E. Adderley, Kelly Services Inc.

2007n Judith Anne Zacha, Beacon Services Inc.

2008n Robert D. Mulberger, CPC, CSP, NRI Staffing Resources

2009n Tim Doherty, Doherty Employment Group

2010n Jerome Shaw, Volt Information Sciences Inc.

2011n Robert J. Gibson, Norrell

2012n Karen Pitts, Link Staffing Services

2013n Robert E. McDonough, RemedyTemp

2014n Kathie Hanratty, Jaci Carroll Staffing Services

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