Of Mettle and Steel

DAK Resources Proudly Serves Our Veterans

I made a promise to my fellow soldiers and Marines that … I’d figure out a way to support them.”
― David Moorefield, President andFounder, DAK Resources

We don’t leave anyone behind … that holds true in the service as well as the private sector.”
― David Moorefield, President and Founder, DAK Resources

Headed up by Jacksonville native David Moorefield, DAK Resourcesis a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business. Fashioned from his decades of experience as a distinguished and high-ranking former Marine officer, DAK Resources’ mission is to be the staffing conduit of choice between would-be employers seeking highly skilled and well-trained military veterans as they transition from active service to the civilian labor force. Additionally, DAK Resources offers experts consultants to the public and private sectors providing business solutions to a wide variety of industries.

“We’re a talent acquisition company,” says Moorefield. One of its primary areas of expertise is helping veterans and private sector people find temporary or permanent positions or direct hires. It specializes in several disciplines including staffing, information technology, finance, marketing, human resources, government contracts, homeland security, business development, operations and logistics, training, and supply chain management.It continues to build its own client base as consultants, prime contractors, and sub-contractors, securing multi-year contracts to provide services to many local governments, municipalities, and private sector organizations.

To appreciate why and how Moorefield created his award-winning company, let’s delve into his past momentarily. Back in the ’80s, Moorefield was a college student as then FCCJ and UNF. Running out of the necessary funds to complete his degree, Moorefield opted for enlisting in the Marine as means to help him pay for college. Service to one’s country had been instilled in him from an early age, and he proudly embraced the opportunity to enlist. Driven, self-sufficient, and accustomed making personal sacrifices, Moorefield says that even before he officially signed on the dotted line, he’d already harbored his aspirations and steeled his drive to attain as high a rank as possible in the Marines. “The Lord blessed me with the opportunity to go into the service first,” Moorefield reflects. The skill sets he’d develop in the Marines, along with continuing his formal education while serving his country “enabled me to successfully transition all that knowledge and real-world experience to the business sector to further my own entrepreneurial aspirations.”

Upon joining the Marines, in just over three years, Moorefield had obtained five promotions. In five and a half years, he obtained his sixth promotion as a 2nd Lieutenant. The ever-driven Moorefield finished his baccalaureatedegree while on active duty as a full-time combat Marine. He served as machine gunner, electrician and engineer.Upon receiving his commission he went on to become a logistics officer.
“From there I served in multiple commands, became a platoon commander, company executive officer, which is second in command, where I had about a thousand marines and sailors who worked for me.” Not surprisingly for someone who loves to learn and, even as enthusiastically,teach, Moorefield said his one of his favorite assignments was as an executive officer at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island, where recruits from east of the Mississippi River report for basic training.

By 2005, Moorefield had already served in the Marines for over 22 years. He’d been doing some soul-searching, asking himself if he was going to enlist for a last tour of duty, because he was up for yet another promotion.Was he going to accept it and continue his already celebrated military career? Or, if not, what was he going to do for the rest of his life? “I made a promise to my fellow soldiers and Marines on the battlefield that no matter where I chose to go, or regardless of what field I decided to pursue outside of the military, I’d figure out a way to continue to support them. ‘I may no longer be with you in combat,’ I solemnly swore, ‘but I will find and create ways to assist you, no matter what.’

“Because one of the concepts we have in the military ― especially in the Marines ― is that we take care of our own,” affirmsMoorefield.“We don’t ever leave our fellow combatants on the battlefield or in harm’s way. We don’t leave anyone behind … that holds true for while we’re in the service as well as when we’re in the private sector.”

Once he decided to retire from the Marines, More field returnedto Jacksonville, and began nurturing his idea for establishing a company whose primary mission was to assist veterans. He unhesitatingly sites key individuals and entities that helped him launch DAK Resources. “DAK stands for David And Kathy,” he says, referring to Kathy Shoff, the company’s co-founder. He also readily acknowledges Cathy Hogan with the Small Business Development Center at University of North Florida. “She was absolutely instrumental in helping bring my ideas to reality. She was and continues to be an invaluable guiding force in the ongoing success of DAK Resources.”

In just a few years since its inception, DAK Resources received several accolades and citations. In 2011, it was one of six firms recognized by the Small Business Administration, during its 19th Annual Small Business Week Awards presented at the University of North Florida’s University Center. DAK Resources was named as the Veteran Small Business Champion of the Year. In March 2012, Moorefield was named as a Man of Steel during “Entrepreneurs Anchor”magazine’s first annual Masters of the Industry awards banquet.

DAK Resourceslooks for the very best skilled individuals out there so we can provide them to its clients. “That’s one of the beneficial things we learned. The Marine Corps, is the only branch of the services that’s still required to turn some profits back in. That helped me with the aspect of running DAK Resources as a highly efficient, yet lean and mean company. To do more with less. Also to be able to operate smarter than your average competitor. To use technologies more intelligently and to be able to leverage our resources more efficiently. For example, a client or a company comes to us and says they’re in need of a person with a particular background or skill sets. What we try to do is match them up with a former military personwho has those skills because our primary mission at DAK Resources is to help our veterans first. Again, the reason why is reinforced by the statement I made earlier, ‘We take care of our own.’”

Ever mindful of his mission,Moorefield receives detailed job descriptions and information provided to him by companies looking for individuals with particular skill sets. Within 30 minutes, he’s blasted that job description around the world. It goes to every veteran organization or military site globally inquiring if there are veterans who are interested in and qualified for that position.He then has them send DAK Resources his or her résumé and supporting documentation ASAP.

Moorefieldsays when a company hires disabled veterans like himself, there can be significant tax benefits and incentives for that firm, including having most of the veteran’s medical expenses and health insurance costs already covered. “Combined, those represent huge cost savings and incentives in the thousands of dollars that would-be employers, both small and large can save,” Moorefield is quick to emphasize. “That’s why we do both temps and direct hires because we’d rather have our clients reap those benefits as well. We’re getting compensated because now we’ve become their hiring agency of choice. That’s one of the reasons for our success. I’m told the veteran candidates we provide to companies are two to three times better than non-veteran candidates. They also cost that company less money due to government incentives and, to top all it all off, we’re only charging a third of the price other recruiters do.” Moorefield,a decorated veteran and now successful entrepreneur ofmettle and steel,has dedicated his life and forged his company to serve his country and especially those who’ve protected it.