Today we’d like to introduce you to Rob Knight.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Rob. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I grew up in Carrollton and Farmers Branch, Texas with my grandmother. She was a secretary at General Motors making very little but just enough to keep us feed and clean.
I never had a relationship with my parents. It was all my grandmother from three months old. I had odd and end job for a few years with construction, the city water department and getting a job on a route truck for Pepsi Cola in Carrollton, Texas in 1985. This is where my 32 years in this business started. After about a year I went to Dr. Pepper as a route salesman off Mockingbird & Central Expressway in Dallas. There is a Kroger there now filled with Dr. Pepper memorabilia because this was considered a historical landmark. I spent the next 20 years in variance rolls as follows… Cold Drink Manager, Key accounts calling on small convenience store chains. I then became regional sales director covering Texas and California. The last six years of my career at Dr. Pepper was Vice President over National Accounts Small Format. All convenience stores chains, drug store chains and Dollar Store chains in 23 states. From there I was recruited by the owner of Rockstar Energy drink to run his business over distributors and key accounts such as Walmart, Sam’s, HEB, Valero in the central region for 7eleven and all of the Coke distributors through this region. This job was suited for me because at Dr. Pepper, I was a leading part of rolling out Monsters original Black 16oz cans. After my contract with Rockstar expired I took a job at Coke USA as the Brand Manager over NOS and Fuse. This was not a lot run at Coke because of restructuring.
I kept up with a friend but also customer for many years, Lee Highsmith. He was part owner in the business I own 100% of now. I remember when he first started I.B.C. The concept was to bring all of the independent convenience store owners together as a co-op so they could get deals like QT, 7eleven, Racetrac through collective buying power.
This was a way to help the little mom and pop convenience store owners compete against corporate chains. Lee and I kept up with each other over the years because people that worked under me at Dr. Pepper managed his account. In 2010 Lee and I had lunch to just to catch up. He had a manager that had cancer and was going to pass soon and wanted to know if I knew anyone that would like that job. At the same time, his partner was selling out to Lee and retiring. Lee and I got to talking and I made a suggestion that with my experience maybe I could fill mart of the void for the manager and his partner retiring. We sat down and worked out a deal to earn me a fair paycheck but a lesser piece of the business profits if we grew. No risk there and very motivating for me to not be capped on my potential. I started I.B.C. in August 2010. At that time I.B.C. had about 900 store members in the co-op throughout Texas. We started putting together a business plan that I felt would take I.B.C. to the next level because this was a service that a lot of stores needed.
Today we have almost 4000 stores in six states. Lee let me run the company as time went and was for the most part under my direction. We hit a growth spurt that has not ended. Four times bigger today and five times the revenue. We only have 33 employees and they work very hard for the company and I work very hard to make sure they are treated good and taken care of. This transcends to our customers. We have one of the most amazing atmospheres a company could want.
So it’s so fun to show up every day and build programs and promotions to build convenience stores sales on everything sold on a convenience store today.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Just the hours it took to get ahead and win in life. Anyone can do it but not many are willing to put in it what it takes to truly be an entrepreneur. I have also wanted to own my own business and I think the reason I started on a route struck and shot up the system in Dr. Pepper was I treated it like my own business. When the opportunity to work with Lee an own I.B.C. when he retired it was a dream come true for me. I have been running I.B.C. for seven years and the last years without Lee. Lee sold his shares to me and retired June 30th 2016. We are opening up Oklahoma next week then Arkansas and Tennessee. This will take us to seven states and hopefully 2000 more stores to help with the small owners buying power.
Please tell us about Independent Buyers’ Co-op.
Our business is a 25-year-old buying co-op for independent convenience stores that do not have the buying power that chains do. We work with the same vendors that service these chains and partner with us to bring some of these same benefits to our members.
We work with soft drinks, snacks, Grocery, Candy, Propane, credit card processing, bagged ice and many more.
I am most proud of my team. We have one of the best teams I have ever worked with and I have worked with a lot. I think what sets us apart from others is our passion for our employees translates to our customers. I have learned that you need to work as hard on the core employee as much or more than you do the customer because in the end your employees are all in and love what they do.
We also care deeply about our integrity with our vendor partners, Coke, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, Frito Lay, Red Bull and many more. I think the its very important to beat your competition by being a better partner to these companies.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Growing up with my grandmother and her always telling me I can be whatever I want to be and the only person that would ever hold me back would be me. You never know the role your family plays in shaping you as a person until you can look back and see it.
Hanging out with my friends, going to the creek and swim, fish, hunt crawfish and just be a boy.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4602 Park Springs Blvd., Ste 100
Arlington, Texas 76017 - Website: www.ibcco-op.com
- Phone: 4697748172
- Email: rob@ibcco-op.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/independentbuyersco/
Image Credit:
NOS Energy Drink
Monster Energy Drink
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