When some people fail, they simply
give up, but Mark Haertzen decided to learn from his mistakes, modify them and try again.
Back in the mid-1980s, Starbucks didn’t
yet rule the java world, so Haertzen started
a drive-through coffee shop. Soon after, he
realized the intersection he built it at,
while busy, wasn’t
ideal because a large
building prevented
people from seeing
it and making a quick
turn into the lot.
Instead of giving up,
he decided to take the java to them. He created a backpack contraption that would
dispense coffee. He put on his “Rocket
Man coffee-dispensing backpack” and
headed out to revive tired morning commuters. Unfortunately, the police didn’t
like this endeavor, so the intersection coffee business died.
Undeterred, Haertzen modified his dispensing backpack to accommodate coffee,
soft drinks, beer and frozen drinks. He
sought to get these dispensers on the backs
of concession workers at major sporting
events and arenas.
He soon saw barriers to growth, however, because arenas and stadiums didn’t
want to invest in mobile concession equipment. They wanted to contract concession
sales to outside vendors. With that thought,
Rocket Man Inc. was born. Today, the company is a leading provider of walking vendor management services, and his people
have appeared at the Olympics, Super
Bowl, Kentucky Derby, Indy 500 and other
professional sporting events.
He finally got it right, and now
Haertzen continues refining his model as
he prepares expansion endeavors into
other markets to continue growing his
business.
HOW TO REACH: Rocket Man Inc., (502) 222-1228 or
www.rocketman.com
