Delores M. Kesler

Delores Kesler was born in 1940 in Jacksonville, Florida. When she was eight, her father bought a chicken farm to supplement his income as a telephone company employee. He commuted each day to his job, leaving much of the farm work to Kesler and her mother.

At the age of 13, Kesler, who made her clothes from poultry feed bags, took over the business. Her father was an alcoholic and was never able to recover long enough to be a successful businessman. Kesler was also involved in 4-H. She graduated as salutatorian of her class and was offered a college scholarship, but she was eager to begin her adult life. Rather than continue her education, she married her high school sweetheart. By the age of 19, however, her world crumbled; she was pregnant, her marriage was falling apart, and her father had died suddenly of a heart of attack. Kesler divorced and moved back in with her mother.

Kesler became a secretary and supported her younger brother through college. Through her work, she attended Jacksonville University on a reimbursement program, majoring in business. Later, she went to work for her aunt's nurse registry business. At age 37, Kesler decided to start her own business.

Few women entrepreneurs existed when Kesler founded AccuStaff, a temporary employment agency. Ten banks turned her down before she found one that would give her a smaller loan than she wanted to start her company. Nevertheless, she worked hard and was successful.

By 1992, Kesler had developed her business into a national company through mergers with other temporary staffing firms. At one point, Savvy magazine proclaimed Kesler one of the top 10 women business owners in the country. In 1997, Kesler retired from AccuStaff, which by that time was the nation's third largest temporary staffing agency.

In retirement, Kesler has developed a venture capital fund for startup operations. She also heads the Delores Pass Kesler Foundation, which focuses on changing young lives through education, mentoring, and children's programs. She has served as lead independent director of PSS World Medical, Inc. and is a director of the St. Joe Company.

Thinking about all the barriers she faced throughout her childhood and business career, Kesler says, "There is always a way around a problem. You can accomplish anything you set out to do as long as you have the commitment and are willing to pay the price. You have to do your homework, be prepared, and use your intellect when you sit down at the table. Don't look for excuses that keep you from succeeding. I had plenty of excuses. I am female, I didn't finish college, my father was an alcoholic, and I married and started a family at 19. But you can always find a way around your obstacles."