Bryant student’s business is one of “100 Brilliant Companies”

Rising senior Michael Adams’s homegrown business, Eddie’s Energy Bars, is featured in Entrepreneur Magazine’s June issue as a company to watch.

The daily visit from the mail carrier doesn’t usually elicit an emotional response. That changed for Michael Adams ’10 (Richmond, VT) one day in mid-May when Fed-Ex delivered a package from Entrepreneur Magazine. The enclosed materials announced that Adams’s business, Eddie’s Energy Bars, would be included in the June issue’s list of “100 Brilliant Companies.”

“My first thought was how on earth did they find us?” says Adams. His three-year-old company, which is run out of his parents’ kitchen, bakes and distributes all-natural, preservative-free energy bars to 17 locations in five states. The energy bars also available online.

Eddie’s Energy Bars were mentioned in an article that examined up-and-coming businesses that cater to outdoor enthusiasts and adventure athletes. It was part of a list of “companies to keep an eye on” that included a strength and conditioning program with 400 locations worldwide, a Lance Armstrong-endorsed energy drink, and a massage clinic with franchises in 45 states. (Read the article.)

“It has always been my dream to appear in Entrepreneur Magazine,” says Adams, a marketing concentrator. “This is a testament to my family’s hard work and dedication, our loyal customers, and everyone who has helped support Eddie’s along the way.” (Watch a local Vermont television station's feature about Adams and Eddie's Energy.)

Whirlwind adventure

Adams runs the business with his father – the company’s namesake – and his mother. Dad, the “nutrition guru,” spends his days working as a scientist for IBM and his nights developing new flavors of energy bars. Mom, the “baker extraordinaire,” also handles packaging, deliveries, and orders through the company’s Web site. (Visit Eddie's Energy.)

Adams dedicates about 8-10 hours a week to the business in between his schoolwork, writing for Bryant’s student newspaper, The Archway (he was named the 2008-2009 Editor of the Year); and serving on the Student Arts and Speaker Series planning committee. He was honored with a Center for Student Involvement (CSI) Spotlight Award for his involvement on campus

He isn’t taking a break this summer as he juggles two internships and runs the business.

A tweet at 4:35 a.m. last weekend on his company’s Twitter page confirmed that he and his parents had a long day of baking ahead of them. By noon, he tweeted that they had baked more than 400 bars.

While the majority of the company’s retailers are located in the Vermont area, Eddie’s has also developed relationships with businesses in Minnesota, Ohio, and Rhode Island (The Scoop on Bryant’s campus.). The executive chef at Legends Golf Club in Prior Lakes, MN, is a graduate of the Vermont-based New England Culinary Institute and was impressed by the energy bars.

A Google search of “Eddie’s Energy Bars” returned nearly 1,200 hits with mentions of the company’s Web site, Adams’s blog of business musings and wellness advice, and a wide variety of publications that have featured his growing company.

“My favorite part of being an entrepreneur is that I am constantly learning, meeting new people, and building my own business instead of someone else’s,” says Adams. “It is a whirlwind adventure.”

Education comes to life

A love of cooking and a challenge from a teacher led Adams to create his first energy bar as a junior in high school. During his first year at Bryant, his “Business 101 team” developed business and marketing plans for the company.

“We ask all of our students to treat the business plan assignment as a real project with the goal of launching the idea during their time at Bryant or shortly thereafter, explains Adams’s Business 101 professor Dave Greenan, a management lecturer. “It was very exciting for his Business 101 team and me to work on building the Eddie’s Energy Bars business plan using an actual product and company.”

Eddie's Energy, a family run business produces all-natural, preservative-free energy bars, was founded by Michael Adams '10 (Richmond, VT).

Clearly all of the hard work paid off as Eddie’s Energy sold 1,000 bars in the first six months.

With his senior year on tap, Adams, a marketing concentrator, is unsure of the future direction of the company. This summer he plans to rewrite the company’s business plan, but he concedes that the energy bar market is a difficult one to compete in.

Still, his goals are high. He hopes to give his parents their kitchen back by moving the operation to a bigger location. He would also like to grow throughout the Northeast and ultimately to the West Coast, where many of the company’s online orders originate.

Network of knowledge

He feels being able to apply classroom knowledge to his actual business is an ideal way to learn.

“After taking advertising management, I flipped my company’s marketing upside down and integrated all of my communications,” explains Adams, a past winner of a “Purple Cow” marketing competition. “In taking operations management, I became obsessed with productivity, quality, and lean manufacturing because it could help my company.”

You can often find Adams in the offices of Greenan, Trustee Professor of Management Mike Roberto, or Computer Information Systems Associate Professor Kenneth Sousa talking business and running ideas by them.

“It has been an absolute pleasure,” says Greenan, “for all of us involved to see Michael’s entrepreneurial spirit blossom and his company continue to grow and succeed.”

“Bryant’s faculty members have been integral to my staying on the right track and have encouraged me repeatedly telling me that I can do it and that I will succeed,” adds Adams. “It is really great to have that support motivating me.”