Bob Funk Sr.

In 1983, Funk founded Express Employment Professionals, headquartered in Oklahoma City, which has since grown into a multi-billion-dollar company, with more than 780 franchises that employ upwards of 500,000 people globally. Among numerous other positions he has held, Funk has also been chairman of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, and the Oklahoma Youth Expo. He has been named Most Admired CEO by the Journal Record newspaper, Man of the Year by Impact OKC Magazine, and he’s been inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, the International Franchise Association Hall of Fame and the Sales and Marketing Executives International Hall of Fame. With a lifelong passion for the Western lifestyle, rooted in his humble upbringing at his family’s Washington-state farm, Funk launched additional businesses including Express Sports, now known as Prodigal LLC, which along with serving as a representation agency for dozens of bull riders, helped grow various premier series PBR events in Oklahoma. Leading a representation business, Funk assisted with the growth of careers for athletes including World Champions Chris Shivers, Ednei Caminhas, Jess Lockwood, and others. At the event level, Funk was key in establishing both Oklahoma City and Tulsa as key events for more than a decade on the elite PBR Unleash The Beast.