Friday Services Celebrates 40 Years of Changing Peoples’ Lives

Jan 17, 2020

“Bringing the right people to the right job every time.” This is the motto Friday Services was founded on when opening our doors in 1980. As we celebrate 40 years of serving Western North Carolina, our core mission and values have never changed.

To celebrate 40 years serving Western North Carolina and the surrounding regions, let’s take a trip down memory lane from 1980 until today.

 

Humble Roots

Debbie Wilson, founder of "Girl Friday Services" in 1980. (Pictured back row, right-hand side)
Debbie Wilson, founder of “Girl Friday Services” in 1980. (Pictured back row, right-hand side)

All great stories start with a person and a passion. For Friday Services, this person was Debbie Wilson.

Wilson was an astute woman in Hendersonville, N.C. with a drive to help others fine-tune their professional portfolios. So in 1980, she decided to start a secretarial business to assist local clients. She would type-up letters and reports, and offered general office support.

People loved her work so much that a local business asked her to provide her services at their location. Thus began “Girl Friday Services,” which later became “Friday Temporary Services” in the mid-1980s.

John and Diane Modaff, owners of Friday Temporary Services (which later became Friday Services).

As Wilson’s business grew, so did her family. This led her to sell the company in August of 1987, to focus and devote more time to her family.

The couple she sold the business to became the owners of what is known today as “Friday Services,” John and Diane Modaff.

 

“Friday Temporary Services”

 

The Modaffs were the foundation for which the Friday Services’ name was built.

John and Diane moved to Western North Carolina from Illinois in 1985. John worked for 25 years as a commercial banking executive and Diane enjoyed working as a temporary office employee for the Arthur Anderson Company.

After achieving long successful careers in their respected fields, the Modaffs wanted to try their hand at something new together that emphasized their passion for helping people. This lead to the decision to purchase Debbie Wilson’s business in 1987 and rename it Friday Services Services.

 

Expanding into Asheville

 

John Modaff breaking ground on Asheville Office.

What started off as a single office in Hendersonville, N.C. with only three in-house employees, quickly expanded into Asheville and beyond.

John and Diane watched the company take off from humble beginnings to a thriving locally-owned business. It was with this success that they decided to pass the torch to their son, David, and daughter, Lynda, in the late 2000s.

 

 

The Modaff Legacy

 

David Modaff started his career in the construction industry, where he worked for 17 years building homes and stores for people. Then in 2000, he decided to join the family business, where instead of building structures, he likes to say he “helps to build the people themselves.”

John Modaff and son, David Modaff.

Before becoming President and CEO of Friday Services, David dedicated five-years to his parents’ company.

Since taking over the reins, David has seen rapid growth in both Friday Services’ client and employee base. Today Friday Services has placed tens of thousands of employees in jobs all across WNC.

Dave Modaff, President and CEO of Friday Services
David Modaff Headshot

In addition to his business success, David is a strong believer in giving back to the community that has supported and helped Fridays grow. David serves on multiple boards in the area, including serving as chair of the Chamber of Commerce in Henderson County. In addition, he donates to local charities each year including: Make-A-Wish, United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County, and Eblen-Kimmel Charities.

“It is a fantastic way to give back to the community where Fridays resides,” said David.

As for his sister Lynda, she currently resides in Los Angeles, California and works designing graphic art for the business. She even designed and created our beloved Dalmatian, “Dog Friday”!

It is their goal to continue their parents’ legacy by being the preferred supplier of human resources in the areas we serve in the years to come.

 

Thank you WNC for 40 years of support! Here’s to 40 more years serving our local community.

 

Employees

If you see a lot of potential in yourself – so do we! Start your job search and learn about the opportunities and benefits offered.

Employers

Friday Services is independent and locally owned. We offer Western North Carolina employers strategic flexibility with greater attention to detail.