Business View Magazine | March 2019

111 “It’s almost scary how much interest we get now. We truly went from hoping we would grow, to where we’re having to say ‘No’ a lot more. Last year almost 70 percent of our new locations were referrals or 2nd locations with existing Ruggeds, which makes for a heck of an easy growth pattern. Yes, we have great busi- ness models and proprietary methodologies, but it is our passion and mission to ‘Empower Entrepreneurs’ that makes us so disruptive. We get hundreds of emails from a wide range of Ruggeds expressing their thankfulness for what becoming a successful entrepreneur has meant to them and the impact their coaches make on them.” PREFERRED VENDORS n Classic Brands - In a challenging brick and mortar retail world, we have disruptively grown Retail Service Systems (“RSS”) from just under 20 retail locations at year’s end 2013 to 300 locations at the end of 2018. To grow that way, a company must have several great components working right and together at the same time. RSS’s key components for dynamic growth have been great people, great programs, and great products.With JP, and the Classic Brands team, we found a partner who not only understands the dynamics of rapid growth, but also the inge- nuity and marketplace awareness to be creative in product manufacturing, retailing, and supply chain distribution. Their work with us to create and provide custom manufactured sleep prod- ucts has been “off the chain” successful. Sup- plying one of the fastest growing companies in America is not easy and Classic Brands is not only meeting, but exceeding, the expectations our Rugged Entrepreneurs have come to expect from us. In specialty bedding product manufac- turing, we see no better or more well-versed partner than Classic Brands. They are a strategic part of what we have done and, more important- ly, where we are going. by Scott Andrew, President and CEO of Retail Services Systems- www.classicbrands.com n BB&T - When Retail Service Systems launched in 2013, “BoxDrop” didn’t exist and our bank- ing was easily handled by a local bank helping us serve 20 locations using our “local furniture direct” model. After creating “BoxDrop” with its multiple programs, our growth exploded. Grow- ing from a few states and less than 30 locations to now 44 states and 300 locations, in just a few years’ time, requires a banking relationship that can handle and support rapid response needs with expert advice that a “Rugged En- trepreneur” must have to navigate the change dramatic growth creates. Craig Carlson and Tom Eller, along with the rest of their BB&T team, got to know us from top to bottom visiting our headquarters in Ohio and our National Training Center in Florida. After coming to understand our business, they brought us dynamic and re- sponsive service that proved they could handle a complex business scaling nationally very fast. They are personable enough to be a part of our corporate family and professional enough to help guide us in our adventure of being one of Ameri- ca’s fastest growing businesses. I can not imagine a better banking partner for what we have done, and are doing, than BB&T. by Scott Andrew, President and CEO of Retail Ser- vices Systems - ww.bbt.com n Acima Credit - www.acimacredit.com n UCBI Bank - www.ucbi.com