Directory

Keith Bourkney

As a native of Buffalo, New York and a die-hard Bills fan, I relocated to Florida in 2001 where I joined a lifelong friend in assisting him in running a marketing company in Orlando, Florida. In 2009 we opened an office in Casselberry, which happened to be located next to a Vocational Rehabilitation Office. I met some of the VR Counselors and learned about the services they provide. They informed me that they had clients who may be a good fit for our business, so I made the decision to contract our company as a Voc Rehab Vendor where I could receive workers through on-the-job training. Over the next couple of years, we employed several people who were referred from VR. What stood out to me was that they showed a great appreciation for the opportunity to work with us. They were loyal and they would do their best every day. I appreciated working with them and once I learned that there was an opportunity to help people with disabilities with employment on a full-time basis, I made the decision to open employU.  

Once I started receiving referrals and started working with the individuals, I realized that this was what I was meant to do. I quickly became passionate and driven to build employU to become a great company. Within a year I was able to recruit an amazing staff, including my wife, and started developing systems and processes that would result in high levels of activity for our customers. We worked in the rural areas first, where our services were most needed and found success quickly. Since 2012 we have brought our methods to over 40 counties in the State of Florida with multiple services and have helped thousands of people embark on new careers. Early on, we made the decision to never turn down a new referral and instead grow to the demand. We’ll continue to expand, and we will also continue to discover ways that we can improve and help our customers better. 

Frank Sales

My name is Frank Sales, and I am the Central Florida Area Manager for Adult Employment Services. I was born in Madrid, Spain and lived in Mexico City as a young child, but have been in the Orlando area for the majority of my life. I attended Austin Peay State University in TN on a football scholarship, but ultimately graduated from Rollins College in Winter Park, FL.  

I have always been driven to help people. Even when I held jobs that were not centered around that, I always found myself carving out opportunities and creating programs to empower and enhance the lives of those around me. In a corporate training capacity, I adapted materials and processes to accommodate those who needed a varied approach. As a manager, I sought to hire those from marginalized populations and I invested in their growth and development. Even as a medical sales rep I found myself appealing more to the patient’s needs than the corporation’s objectives. As time went on, I realized just how much I wanted to have a job that focused on improving people’s lives.  

When I joined employU, I felt as if I had found my dream job. Here I could use my passion, skills, and abilities to directly improve the lives of others every day. I am committed to employU and everything it stands for. I am excited every day to come to work for a company that strives to bring out the out the best in its employees, and those we serve. It turns out the old saying is true, “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”  

Heather Beamenderfer

Barbara Markowski

I am Barbara Markowski, an Employment Specialist with employU in Jacksonville, FL. I was born in Texas but soon thereafter, the Navy would send our family to the Sunshine State of Florida, and Orange Park is where I would call home. Fast forward “a few years” and Jacksonville is where I celebrate 32 years of marriage to an amazing guy I met at Orange Park High School. We are the proud parents of two adult children, a daughter-in-law, and soon to be son-in-law! (and a German Shepherd, and Maine Coon cat! 😊)

Relationship building and networking for your success is my success! I’ve held several support positions in the community by helping navigate employment opportunities, affordable housing, public healthcare access, transportation, behavioral health resources, relocation assistance, education, and foster care as a Guardian ad Litem.

Working with a local Employment Specialist who understands the business needs in our community and how each individual can add value to the workplace is my passion! There’s nothing more rewarding than loving what you do for a living.

If you ever see me having a bad hair day, it’s not because I’m stressed out! It’s likely because my mirrors weren’t lined up right; you see … I have always cut my own hair! It’s humbling, keeps me grounded, and easy on the wallet!  Need a haircut?

Stephen Scott Kaser

I was born in Los Angeles California and my family relocated to Tennessee when I was 13 years old. As you can imagine, this was a culture shock, but I successfully made friends that I still have today. Graduating from the University of Tennessee turned my blood orange with hints of white.  

Sales and marketing were always my focus as my career took me to Tampa then to Satellite Beach where I met my wife who is a Gator fan. In 2008, we moved to Ocala to open a car dealership. She loved being so close to UF. We are now foster parents, have two boys of our own, and live on a family farm. At the dealership, I created a program where we hired many people reentering society from prison. They were hired as lot porters, detailers, and mechanics. I also trained two of my best employees to be sales managers. I learned how crucial programs like that and those offered by vocational rehabilitation and employU are to increase chances of success in the workforce for varying populations.  

I have known Keith Bourkney for a very long time and admired his passion and work ethic. I knew when he founded employU in 2012 the company would experience tremendous growth under his leadership. Finally, in 2016, I decided it was time to have a real conversation with Keith about joining his team to which he had me apply. We opened the Ocala office in March of 2017, followed by offices in Inverness, Gainesville, and Lake City. We have an amazing team from the leadership, job coaches, employment specialists, coordinators, and administrators.  I thank God daily for our adult employment services staff, amazing consumers, and our great partnership with Vocational Rehabilitation. I know this program truly makes a difference in people’s lives. 

Tami Connor

Candice Parkhurst

Glenna Scheidt

I am Glenna Scheidt, Area Coordinator of Vocational Services for Brevard County.  I am a native Floridian, born and raised in Orlando prior to moving to the Space Coast in 1979.  The area I supervise includes Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, Okeechobee, Palm Beach, and Polk counties.  Prior to becoming an Area Manager, I was the Transition Coordinator for Brevard County for almost 2 years. Early in my career I owned a very large childcare center in Brevard County where inclusion was a high priority.  After 17 years, I sold the center and became a Child Protective Investigator for the State of Florida before leaving to work back in childcare as a Regional Manager covering 12 schools. My calling has always been to work with youth, and when the opportunity to work with employU happened, I could not apply fast enough.   

In Brevard County, we piloted the Brevard Internships in Construction Knowledge (BRICK) program in 2018 where students can gain work experience in the construction industry over the summer to see if this is something they would like to pursue as a career. The program experienced tremendous success and has become a model that is followed throughout the state, and even gained national recognition. I could not be prouder for what we were able to create. We also piloted the Manufacturing program, which is like BRICK, but the concentration of jobs is with various manufacturers. I am thrilled to offer these opportunities to even more students every year.  

My passion is ignited every single day with either a phone call from a parent who is so happy with their child’s progress in an On-the-Job Training or enrolling a student in one of our many virtual opportunities to learn about the work force. I am excited to work with the youth in our state to help them make great choices in planning their careers.  

Robert Repella

Cheryl Masloski