Back in August of 2023, Oklahoma Farm Report’s Ron Hays sat down with Bob Funk in his ranch home in Yukon to talk about his life- from birth in the state of Washington to his rise in the world of Express Personnel, the Angus Breed and his love for 4-H and FFA youth that were a part of the Oklahoma Youth Expo.
As our state mourns the loss of Bob Funk, Sr this week- this conversation gives you the chance to hear his story- recorded August 11, 2023 and posted by the Oklahoma Youth Expo to provide everyone the chance to hear him tell you his life’s story in his words. Learn what has motivated him over the years to serve others and to succeed in his business dealings. Click on the play button in the video graphic below to hear the Hays and Funk conversation.
You can also look for this conversation where ever you get podcasts- search for Perspectives Podcasts from the Oklahoma Farm Report- this episode has just been uploaded with Ron Hays talking with Bob Funk About His Life and Passion to Help Others. Find it on our website by clicking here.
Robert A. “Bob” Funk was born and raised in Duvall, Washington, where his father worked for the county highway department and he was raised in a family of modest means with a strong Christian foundation. Bob’s exposure to cattle began with his work on his cousin’s farm at 14 years of age and he continued working at the dairy through his high school years. It was there that Bob developed his agriculturally based work ethic and his love for cattle.
After high school, where he was a member of FFA and played basketball and tennis, Bob enrolled at Seattle Pacific University where he completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration and theology. Following his undergraduate studies, Bob completed graduate work for his advanced degrees in business administration and theology from Seattle Pacific University. An integral part of his graduate work was a year’s study of theology at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland—quite an experience for a young man from a rural community in Washington.
A true “people person,” Funk spent the first 17 years of his early career in the personnel business working for Acme Personnel, a Washington-based personnel services firm, starting as a personnel consultant and rising to first vice president. When the company’s president died unexpectedly, Funk and two colleagues purchased and operated several franchises of Acme which ultimately became Express Personnel Services.
In 1983, the partners began arranging to franchise Express and that first year generated gross revenues of $2 million in spite of the depressed economy created by the devastating downturn in the oil industry. In 1983, as a result of the bankruptcy of Acme, the partners acquired the franchise rights to 23 Acme offices across the United States. The number of Express Personnel Franchise has grown from this modest beginning to more than 800 franchises.
Having spent his youth working with cattle, when the opportunity to buy land and get involved in the cattle business presented itself, Bob Funk jumped in with the same drive and determination that he used to build his primary business and he selected Limousin cattle for his first venture into the purebred seedstock business. More than two decades ago, an important chapter of in the history of Express Ranches began with the addition of Angus cattle as Bob Funk and Jarold Callahan negotiated the purchase of the B&L Ranch near Shawnee, Oklahoma, and the B&L Angus cowherd from the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association Foundation.
With that transaction, Angus cattle became a major part of the growth and expansion of the Express Ranches enterprise. A few years later, after his tenure in academia as both an animal science professor and judging team coach at Oklahoma State University and a successful stint as the Executive Vice President of the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association, Jarold Callahan joined Express Ranches as the Chief Executive Officer and the growth of Express Ranches moved into high gear.
Today, Express Ranches is an active participant in every phase of the beef production process and has fed as many as 50,000 head of cattle per year and owns an interest in the 30,000 head capacity Xcel Feedyard near Watonga, Oklahoma. The addition of the historic UU Bar Ranch located just outside of Cimarron, New Mexico, added over 164,000 acres of high-altitude rangeland to Express Ranches. A production unit of commercial cows and calves plus 4,000 to 5,000 yearlings have allowed the testing of Express genetics under these semi-arid conditions that are not unlike that experienced by many of its commercial customers.
The genetics developed, tested and marketed by Express are designed to satisfy the needs of every step in the production chain. Carloads of bulls shown at the Denver Stock Show and the sale of junior project cattle that compete in every level of competition have led to an ongoing emphasis on phenotype and structural soundness in the Express breeding programs.
