Made in Oklahoma: ROBYN

Published: September 5, 2007

•Oklahoma headquarters: 7717 W Britton Road, Oklahoma City.

•Web address: www.robynpromo.com.

•Employees: 24.

•Key personnel: Mervyn Hackney, president, Bobby Lehew, managing director; Larry Sharp, controller.

•Founded: 1990.

•Services: Provides marketing materials, such as promotional products, signs and advertisements, through online company stores.

•Background: In 1990, Mervyn Hackney — and Express Personnel Services' Chief Executive Officer Bob Funk — founded ROBYN, starting as a promotions company in Piedmont.

About 10 years ago, the company moved to its current 15,000-square-foot facility in Oklahoma City, and for its first 12 years, ROBYN hovered around $2 million to $3 million in revenue, said Bobby Lehew, director of operations.

As the company's executives noticed the availability of cheaper software, ROBYN turned to e-commerce tools that allowed it to manage 11 different types of media, from printed materials to apparel, and operate as a full-service private-label company store.

"We have been fortunate to be at the front of a growing trend in the marketplace — the demand to not only help create branded materials for companies but to manage these materials for them completely,” Lehew said.

ROBYN now creates branded materials for some of the state's largest corporations, including Express Personnel Services, Devon Energy Corp. and American Fidelity Corp.

The company also recently was named one of Inc. magazine's 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in America in 2007 for doubling its sales in less than five years.

From 2003 to 2006, ROBYN's revenue climbed from $3.8 million to $6.5 million — growth that the company credits to its virtually one-of-a-kind e-commerce concept, Lehew said.

"ROBYN brings value to any organization wanting to limit their time creating and handling their own branded product,” he said. "Most companies who come to us have other priorities they need to focus on. Hidden expenses and opportunity costs drive their need to employ our services.”

ROBYN works in Oklahoma as well as with clients across the U.S. and is a vendor member of the International Franchise Association.

Business Writer Sara Ganus

Comments