FLORENCE – Never mind the colorful trucks, the joyful music and the clean-cut, mannerly drivers. Tony Lamb credits the survival and explosive success of his shaved ice trucks to community involvement.
Kona Ice, Inc. of Florence has grown from a single truck to 575 franchises in 44 states in seven years. The company has helped raise more than $21 million for communities and organizations by sharing the proceeds from sales of flavored ice at school fund-raisers, sports games, festivals, fairs and car washes.
“We did well (in the first year) but we had a 30 percent to 40 percent attrition” in the Kona Ice fleet, Lamb told members of the Florence Rotary Club at meeting on Monday, Dec. 1.
“Then we came up with the idea to help organizations in the community by giving them a percentage of sales at fund-raising events. The idea caught fire and the business exploded.”
The colorful trucks, the joyful music and the clean-cut, mannerly drivers provided the spark, but Lamb claims no genius in developing the concept. His daughter was frightened by a dull-colored ice cream truck with lousy music and a shady looking driver.
“It wasn’t like a lightning strike or anything,” he said. “I just thought there’s got to be a better way.”
He decided to give up a well-paying management position and his business suits “to go build ice cream trucks.”
And what did his wife think of the idea? “She wasn’t happy,” Lamb said, laughing.
The better way on colors, music and manners enabled Kona Ice to meet the No. 1 rule for starting a business: survival. But the way to the best success proved to be the company’s “gather and give back” strategy, according to Lamb.
The company provides promotional materials for events and shares proceeds from Kona Ice sales with the event sponsors. Kona Ice also helps to support partners in the community with financial donations. For example, Kona Ice recently donated $10,000 to fund the LEGO Robotics program in Boone County Schools and plan to stage Kona Days at schools in the system to raise funds to sustain the program.
Lamb now teaches new and veteran franchise operators how to get involved in the community at Kona College. The next college conference will bring 500 to 600 people to the Northern Kentucky Convention Center, which will bring additional money to the regional economy.
“The only reason this works is because of the networking,” Lamb said. “I tell people at Kona College to get involved in the community.
“That’s what it’s all about. Give back to the community.”
[…] Kona Ice, Inc. of Florence has grown from a single truck to 575 franchises in 44 states in seven years. The company has helped raise more than $21 million for communities and organizations by sharing the proceeds from sales of flavored ice at school fund-raisers, sports games, festivals, fairs and car washes… Read the full story here. […]