Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
KELLY TEMPORARY SERVICES
KELLY TEMPORARY SERVICES. William Russell Kelly founded Russell Kelly Office Service in 1946, initially providing office services performed at Kelly's offices, rather than providing temporary staffing at the client's location. However, customers asked for the work to be performed at their locations, and the temporary staffing concept was born out of responding to this type of request. It was in 1946 that the first 'Kelly Girls' came into scope and the first 'Kelly Girl' was Adelaide Hess Moran who was able to demonstrate that this new working sphere for women could be one to enjoy.
The temporary workers, who were usually female, became known as 'Kelly girls'. In recognition of this, the name of the company was changed to Kelly Girl Service, Inc. in 1957. The term 'Kelly girl' became a widely used term for a temporary worker, regardless of the worker's company affiliation or gender. In 1966 the name of the company was changed to Kelly Services, Inc., in order to reflect an expanding range of services.
The 1993 Dubuque City Directory listed 3435 Asbury.
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Source:
"Kelly Services," Wikipedia. Online: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelly_Services