Comments (0)Where are they now? David Epstein
July 2010by Debra Roth Kane
David Epstein, Pikesville High School class of 1996, came home in more ways than one after finishing college at Hofstra University in 2000 with a degree in business management and art history. He joined the family business as director of operations for Professional Employment Inc., a local staffing agency. He lives with his wife, Danielle Klar Epstein, and their children, Jack, 5, and 10-month-old Sophia in Owings Mills.
iNSIDER: You must be busy in this economy?
David: We are up to our ears in people looking for jobs. If a company placed an ad, they used to get 20 resumes; now they get 100 to 200 resumes. It’s not feasible for potential employers to sort through so many resumes. So companies turn to us.
What is it like working with your family?
The business now includes my mother Beverly, who started the business, my wife, my sister Ilene, and myself. It has its pluses and minuses, but it’s amazing. It has helped me to build an even stronger relationship with my mother. We’re partners, working toward a common goal.
Is it easy to get time off to see your kid in a school play?
Yes. But on the other hand, any other job, at 5:30 p.m. you go home, that’s the end. With us, at 10:30 p.m., we’re strategizing.
Did you always plan on coming back to Baltimore and the family business?
When I was in school, my focus was business law. I thought I’d go to law school. But my wife-to-be was from an Orthodox background. She was not going to move anywhere with me until we got married. The reality was I would jeopardize our relationship if I went to law school in California or elsewhere. My mom and I had a discussion; I said I’d give professional employment a try. And I fell in love with it.
How did you meet your wife?
Danielle was born in Brooklyn and raised in New Jersey. We met at Hofstra. My roommate had a sister, and Danielle was his sister’s best friend. I had gotten a dog and Danielle came to see the dog—and never left. The first day I met her, I told her I was going to marry her.
What are your fondest high school memories?
The close-knit relationships I had with people. I had attended Gilman and St. Paul’s before coming to PHS. At the time (at the private schools), I was one of five or six Jewish kids there. PHS felt like home. Science was my strong suit. I played golf for Pikesville and enjoyed the team environment.
What fills your life besides work?
We have a very tight-knit family. All four of my grandparents were Holocaust survivors. We spend a lot of time with each other. We go to New York a lot to visit my wife’s family and my sister Lisa, who is an attorney there. However, most of my free time is spent with my children. Between little league, the driving range and birthday parties, there is not a whole lot of time left over, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
David Epstein enjoys spending time with wife Danielle and children Sophia and Jack.