Power Lunch highlights successes of local business icons | Power Lunch: Business Icons

If you’ve lived in Columbia for any length of time, chances are you know Cool Stuff, Dave Griggs’ Flooring America, Les Bourgeois and ABC Labs.
These businesses and several others have been successful for so many years that they’re practically household names. So how did they achieve local fame?
That was the topic of discussion at the monthly Columbia Business Times Power Lunch, which brought together the owners of several well-known area businesses to share lessons learned from their many years of service to the community.
Dave Griggs, owner of Dave Griggs’ Flooring America, said his business has achieved success because of its employees, many who have been with the company for at least 20 years. “This is a complex industry with many products, and the knowledge that my staff brings to our customers through their years of experience is invaluable,” he said.
Griggs also credits his advertising campaign with boosting business to icon status. “Over the years it has helped to set us apart from the competition, and that’s exactly what we had hoped to achieve,” he said.

ABC Laboratories has been a part of Columbia for decades, and company president and CEO Byron Hill said ABC works with pharmaceutical companies throughout the world. “The key to our success has been to always meet the demands of our clients,” he said. “They demand impeccable science because of high demands from the FDA, and our scientists are among the best anywhere.”
Mills Menser, president and owner of Buchroeder’s Jewelers, said providing superior customer service is paramount to success. “We constantly put ourselves in our customers’ shoes,” he said. “I believe that a business is either going forward or falling behind, and we are always trying to improve our business model to stay ahead of our competition.”
Menser agreed with other Power Lunch participants that having a competent, well compensated staff that strives for greatness is one of the most important factors of business success. Employees, he said, must look at their jobs as an opportunity to achieve professional growth.
The Callaway Bank, which sponsors the Power Lunch, is an icon in Callaway County because of its history in the area; it began business before the Civil War, in 1857, and is the oldest independent bank in Missouri. Bank President Bruce Harris said the bank’s solid core principles — fairness, honesty, integrity and respect — have guided it during the past 154 years and remain as strong as ever. “Those things don’t guarantee that you’re going to be financially successful all of the time,” he said. “There will be dips and peaks in the economic cycle, but customers respect a consistent approach to all dealings.”

Rachel Blunt, director of marketing at Les Bourgeois Vineyards in Rocheport, said her business values being part of the Missouri wine industry. “There is no competitiveness among wineries, and everyone throughout the state is supportive of each other’s business,” she said. “That sense of cooperation exists with businesses in Columbia as well and with the university.”
Blunt said being located in a community where businesses work together is a key to long-term success.
Another key is setting the bar high for customer service and then delivering above and beyond what customers expect, said Lynn Wobig of the Wobig Insurance Group. Wobig said that, as an agent for Allstate Insurance, she was proud of her company’s response to the Joplin tornado this spring. “My staff felt great that Allstate has been so helpful, and we use that pride in our company to help our customers here in Columbia.”
“Nachos,” said Matt Jenne, co-owner of Addison’s and Sophia’s, two popular restaurants. “That’s what we’re known for, and having a great product goes a long way toward assuring that you’ll have a great brand.”

Jenne said part of his businesses’ success has been his and his partners’ involvement in the community. “Restaurants are a great place for charitable organizations to use as prizes for their fundraisers,” Jenne said. “We participate in those as often as possible, plus we work with the university and colleges here and The District’s events. That has built a great deal of trust and respect.”
Joe Bechtold, owner of Midway Truck Stop, said the longevity of his staff members has been a big part of the store’s success. “Our employees have been there for so many years that we’re all like a big family,” he said. “We keep up with the times, but because we’re like family, none of us is afraid to try a new or crazy idea. That’s what makes working there so much fun. Everybody has faith and trust in each other that we’re all going in the same direction.”
N.H. Scheppers Distributing is in its third generation of ownership, and Marketing President Joe Priesmeyer said a large part of his company’s iconic status is due to his grandfather’s decision 60 years ago to sell Budweiser beer. “We helped to build that brand in the area,” he said. “That’s what our company does very well. We’re very involved in the community, and that has helped us grow over the generations.”
Priesmeyer added that his company also places a strong emphasis on being a family. “That can cause some challenges in a more corporate environment, but overall it’s successful because our employees feel like they’re part of something that keeps getting better.”
Arnie Fagan, owner of Cool Stuff, said having a memorable name and a unique product are two factors toward becoming a business icon. “You must have those to stay in business, but even more essential is outstanding customer service,” he said. “It is important to be open every day of every year with the goal of providing the absolute best service to your customers as possible.”