About Us & Leadership | R.A. Cohen Consulting

Over 35 Years in Staffing M&A

The Four Pillars of R.A. Cohen Consulting

We are not generalist business brokers. Every member of our team is a seasoned staffing operator who has built, acquired, managed, or sold workforce businesses. Our advisory model rests upon four distinct pillars:

1. Perspective

Having represented both high-performing sellers and institutional consolidators, we understand the distinct motivations of both sides of the table. We craft deal terms that balance risk and reward to prevent deadlock.

2. Support

Transactions are emotionally charged and operationally demanding. Our senior partners personally manage every milestone, shielding your branch operations so recruiters remain focused on revenue.

3. Experience

More than three decades of empirical deal history across IT, Healthcare, Commercial, and Outsourcing verticals. We possess direct access to senior C-suite decision-makers across the North American staffing landscape.

4. Integrity

“Honest Assessments. Honest Answers.” We tell owners what they need to know—not just what they want to hear. If market timing is unfavorable or books need remediation, we say so directly.

Advisory Leadership

Meet Our Senior Advisory Partners

Direct, partner-level attention on every transaction. No junior analysts or delegated representation.

Sam Sacco

Partner / Senior M&A Advisor • East Coast Office

Sam joined R.A. Cohen Consulting in December 1998 and has been actively involved in the staffing industry since 1982. He served as Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice President of the National Association of Temporary and Staffing Services (NATSS, now the American Staffing Association - ASA) from 1984 to 1997.

Under his leadership, NATSS expanded from 300 to over 1,600 member firms, budget grew from $300,000 to over $5,000,000, and full-time staff increased from 3 to 22. In 1997–1998, Sam served as Chairman of the Board of Work International Corporation, assembling 16 commercial, IT, and professional staffing agencies with aggregate revenues over $200M for an IPO roll-up. He holds a B.S. in Commerce from the University of Virginia (1967).

Office: (910) 769-4057 Cell: (910) 262-5326 Fax: (910) 782-2777 Email: sam@racohenconsulting.com

Brian Kennedy, CPC

Partner / Senior M&A Advisor • Canadian Office

Brian possesses over 30 years of staffing industry experience, beginning in 1981, and has provided M&A advisory services at R.A. Cohen Consulting for over a decade. He has operated firms across IT, Engineering, and Healthcare staffing and has personally navigated two successful business exits.

Brian is a founding member of NACCB Canada (National Association of Computer Consultant Businesses) and served on both the Provincial and National Boards of ACSESS (Association of Canadian Search, Employment & Staffing Services) alongside founder Bob Cohen. He is a recognized authority on cross-border US/Canada transactions, gross-margin earnout structures, and post-close cybersecurity integration.

Office: (416) 229-6462 Cell: (416) 985-7522 Fax: (416) 222-0177 Email: brian@racohenconsulting.com

Mark Zacha, CPC

Partner / Senior M&A Advisor • West Coast Office

Mark brings 33+ years of hands-on staffing operations leadership. Starting as a recruiter in the 1980s, he joined Beacon Services (a Western Michigan agency founded by his mother, former ASA Chairperson Judy Zacha), rising to President before orchestrating its acquisition by Elwood Staffing.

At Elwood Staffing, Mark managed regional expansion across National Accounts, MSP relationships, and VMS client models. He held senior executive roles with FinTech startup Get Beyond and national franchisor PrideStaff (85 branches), and previously led the Independent Staffing Alliance. He specializes in ATS technology adoption, accounting recasting, and operational due diligence.

Mobile: (616) 318-7979 Email: mark@racohenconsulting.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/markzacha

BOB
COHEN 1991 FOUNDER

In Memoriam • Foundational Legacy

Bob Cohen (Founder, 1991–2019)

Bob Cohen established R.A. Cohen Consulting in 1991 with the conviction that staffing business owners deserved specialized, ethically grounded M&A representation. A former board leader of ACSESS and mentor to dozens of staffing executives, Bob pioneered the firm's strict confidentiality protocols and fair-market EBITDA recasting standards. His guiding principle—“Honest Assessments. Honest Answers.”—remains the bedrock of our practice today.

Ethical Standards

Our Cultural Principles & Code of Ethics

As members of the American Staffing Association (ASA) and Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA), we hold ourselves to the highest standards of professional conduct and regulatory compliance.

Professional Honesty & Transparency

We deliver unvarnished valuations and honest viability assessments. We will never inflate valuation projections simply to win an advisory listing.

Strict Confidentiality Guarantee

We enforce legally-binding NDAs on every buyer interaction. Client identities and proprietary operational data are safeguarded with zero compromises.

Conflict of Interest Mitigation

Full disclosure is provided on all mandates. We never represent both buyer and seller in the same transaction without explicit, informed mutual consent.

Zero Tolerance for Discrimination

We uphold strict equal opportunity standards across all executive search, advisory engagements, and client interactions.

Statutory & Labor Law Compliance

We strictly verify employment law adherence, ACA compliance, W-2 classifications, and statutory workers' compensation documentation.

Client-Centric Stewardship

Our advisory work is designed around the owner's personal exit timeline, preserving the agency’s legacy and protecting key branch employees.

Our Story, Heritage & Senior Leadership