ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, April 21, 1996 TAG: 9604230002
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: MICHAEL HALEY SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES
It's natural for young people to be excited about a yogurt and ice cream shop.
But at the TCBY in Blacksburg, some are not so much interested in buying a waffle cone as they are in buying the store.
The pattern of youthful ownership began in 1987, when Brent Burger bought the franchise as a 19-year-old sophomore at Virginia Tech.
Burger left Blacksburg in 1990, ran four stores in Florida for a time and now is the division manager for operations at the TCBY corporate office in Boston. He sold the Blacksburg business last year.
On Oct. 2, at age 22, Rob Jones stepped in to become the new owner/manager.
Jones had just graduated from Tech as a business management major in December 1994 when he moved on to a job in industrial sales for Bearings Inc., in Richmond. Soon, however, he missed life in his hometown.
``I wanted to move back to Blacksburg,'' said Jones, a 1990 graduate of Blacksburg High School. ``I missed it. I wasn't cut out for the big city.
``My father [local real estate executive Joe Jones] works for Raines Real Estate. He had the store listed. He told me about it over the phone.''
So, with his father co-signing a loan, Rob Jones suddenly became self-employed. The cost included a $3,500 transfer fee for existing TCBY franchises.
``I wanted a place where the start-up costs weren't too much, so I could finance it myself,'' Jones said. ``It was affordable. The loan will be in my name only in three months.''
Running a business can be stressful, but Jones has not been fazed by the experience.
``I grew up in a family where my dad had been his own boss,'' he said. ``I saw the long hours, but I also saw the freedom that goes with ownership. In Richmond I was working 50 to 60 hours a week, and I wouldn't see the proceeds. There's a direct relationship with ownership.''
Jones' first duty was an intensive two-week training seminar at corporate headquarters in Little Rock, Ark. He knew nothing about the yogurt business before the trip.
``I was 20 years younger than anybody there,'' Jones said. ``It was a little intimidating at first. I stood up to introduce myself, and they all thought I was a manager, not an owner. It was a learning experience. I'd get a crash course the day I came in here [the Blacksburg store] was all they said.''
The responsibilities Jones has had to master include overseeing a nine-person staff, marketing, bookkeeping and inventory management. He discovered that education, whether it be college or a training seminar, can take you only so far.
``You've just got to do it,'' Jones said. ``What education does is that it gives you the capacity to learn things quicker.
``The biggest thing that hit me off the bat was all the things involved in doing the bookkeeping. I don't think anything can prepare you for that. You just have to dive in.''
Jones also had a potential problem as a new boss, but he believes the transition was successful.
``There was an already existing staff that ran things by themselves, and all of a sudden there was a new owner on-site,'' Jones explained. ``I did try to re-establish some customer service standards. I think it's been fairly smooth. I consider myself a people person.''
Jones won't reveal his store's sales or revenue figures, but said it draws 200 to 300 customers a day in the summertime, and about half that in winter. He copes in the leaner months by tightening his food budget and trimming his staff back to six.
Jones has also branched out on the marketing front, selling his product wholesale to businesses such as The Weight Club, the University Bookstore and Dietrick's Snack Bar (both on campus) in Blacksburg, and Taco Inn in Radford. He would also like to see TCBY sold at local grocery stores.
``I feel like I have a good product line to offer,'' Jones said. ``I'm trying to build up outside sales and reintroduce the store to the campus. People forgot somewhat what we have to offer.''
The store's best seller is still soft-serve yogurt, led by white chocolate mousse, which has a devoted student following. But the store's hand-dipped ice creams and yogurts are also selling well, Jones said. The store also sells decorated cakes and pies for birthdays and other events.
Jones distributes TCBY coupons through Val-Pak, Bear Cash and Kroger. The store has become a member of the Chamber of Commerce again after a two-year layoff and will also work with local charities. A promotion with Tech sororities is in progress, and Jones is considering a birthday club as well. About the only thing he hasn't done is experience a peak season for TCBY.
``There is a substantial difference in business with the seasons,'' he said. ``But I'm pretty surprised with business this winter and the number of die-hard yogurt eaters there are. I've never been through a summer, but it should be better. We'll add staff and build up inventory.
``For the most part I've been pleased so far. There were definitely times, when there was three feet of snow on the ground, when I've been discouraged. I've been working a lot of hours, but I enjoy seeing the same faces come in and trying to get to know some people.''
LENGTH: Medium: 98 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ALAN KIM/Staff. Owning and running TCBY in Blacksburgby CNBhas been a learning experience for Rob Jones. color.