Management Team

William Harper, Owner
Chairman of the Board
Bill has owned successful companies including Staff Management Systems, a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) that he started in 1985. Bill was President of Staff Management Systems and instrumental in their financial growth and success. Staff Management was later sold to ADP who renamed the company ADP TotalSource. In addition to PEOs, Bill also owns a large apartment home development and management company and a worldwide leading Nutraceutical company. Bill is also very active in numerous local and state charitable events.

Steve Harper, Owner / President
Steve began his PEO experience in 1985 when he was an Owner and Vice President of Staff Management Systems, a PEO. Steve has been involved in the operation and direction of PEOs since the establishment of the industry. Staff Management was purchased by ADP and became ADP TotalSource where Steve continued to oversee and improve the PEO services. Steve brings to the company years of experience as an Owner of a PEO and vast knowledge of marketing and sales operations.

Robert ‘Bo’ Liess, Owner / Executive Vice President
Bo has been involved in the payroll, tax administration, and PEO business since 1981. Bo started as a District Manager with Automatic Data Processing and had a successful career spanning seven years. He left ADP in 1988 to develop a sales force for Staff Management Systems, a pioneer in the employee leasing business. With the development of a trained and experienced sales team, the payroll volume grew from 6 million to 140 million in eight years at which time ADP purchased the company. Bo was an Area Vice President with ADP and responsible for sales and operations for North and Central Florida and 10,000 work site employees. He resigned in April of 2001 to assist in the development of this company as an Owner and Director.

Gene Cabrera, General Manager
With more than 16 years as a General Manager, Director of Accounting, and Controller with varied firms, Gene’s corporate experience is deep and broad-based. He joined Advantage Employer Solutions in early 2004. He began serving in leadership roles in the early 1990s as the Controller of Medical Resources International, then was quickly promoted to General Manager, whereby he directed the company’s significant expansion. Gene left the company when it was sold in 1994 to accept a position as Controller of International Learning Systems. Once again, he was involved in all aspects of the company’s growth until it was sold in 2000. Gene then went to work with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2000 as a Controller. After 1 year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Gene was promoted to Director of Accounting where he directed the accounting department during the Buccaneers Super Bowl Season in 2002-2003. Gene holds a Bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of South Florida.

Mark H. Rodefeld, Director of Risk Management
Mark has been involved with safety aspects of business operations since 1992. He has been responsible for the overall risk management, safety program development, employee training, on-site safety inspection and claims management for ADP TotalSource, as well as for FCCI Insurance Company. Mark received a bachelor's degree in Occupational Safety from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and is an active member in the Tampa Safety Council.

Lea Burkam, Payroll Manager
Lea's first involvement in the PEO industry was in 1988 when she was employed by Staff Management Systems as an Accounting Manager. Her leadership and management skills quickly involved her in all aspects of the company. Lea was named as Client Service Manager for the Florida client base. In 1997, Lea joined a start-up PEO as Vice-President of Operations and continued to be involved in all aspects of the growing business including the establishment of a web-based payroll system. Lea graduated from Mississippi College with a degree in Business Administration and is an active member of the American Payroll Association. Lea joined the PEP family in 2005 as Payroll Manager.