SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA – November 26, 2007 ¬– In 1965, Robert Emmett McDonough left the security of his career as an oil executive and moved his family from Alabama to California in pursuit of a dream that was bigger than merely starting a business.  He wanted to “plant a tree” by building a strong organization that would have deep roots to last for generations.  Mr. McDonough planted that tree when he founded Remedy Intelligent Staffing in 1965 in Riverside, California.   

Robert Emmett McDonough died on November 21, 2007.  He was 85 years old.

Starting with a single office tucked away in the orange groves of Riverside, Mr. McDonough steadily grew Remedy Intelligent Staffing’s reputation as a company that delivered experienced, skilled temporary associates.  Remedy flourished by strictly adhering to Mr. McDonough’s “quality or no one” philosophy.  In 1988, Remedy opened its first franchise office and the company started trading publicly on NASDAQ in 1996.  When Mr. McDonough sold RemedyTemp, Inc., the parent company of Remedy Intelligent Staffing and RemX Specialty Staffing, to Select Staffing in 2006, the company had revenues of $514 million and operated over 200 offices throughout North America. 

According to Steve Sorensen, Select Staffing’s Chairman and CEO, “It is no coincidence that I chose to buy Remedy.  Through most of my early career, Remedy was the competitor we feared the most and tried hardest to imitate.  I was pleased and proud to win the privilege of joining the Remedy legacy into the Select fold.  Bob led a successful organization that engineered great business practices and built ‘best in class systems’ that are woven – not just into our company – but into our entire industry.  His contributions will be missed, his absence felt every day.” 

In a 2005 article in Staffing Success magazine, Mr. McDonough stated that “I’ve always wanted to leave some footprints.  I always had in mind that I’d build a high school, but I never did.”  However, Mr. McDonough did ensure that his name will forever be associated with education.  In 1998, the Georgetown School of Business was re-named the Robert Emmett McDonough School of Business in recognition of his $30 million donation to his alma mater.  Mr. McDonough attended evening classes at Georgetown while working the midnight shift as a U.S. Capitol policeman.  He graduated from Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service in 1949 and worked for the United Nations in Yugoslavia before returning to the United States

Services for Mr. McDonough will be held this Friday, November 30, at 10:30 am at the Mission Basilica in San Juan Capistrano.