As executive vice president and general manager of General Nutrition Centers/Carrot Country Inc., Robert Gregg helps operate eight GNC stores in Hillsborough County.
Carrot Country started as a small health food outlet 30 years ago; Gregg started at the store 13 years ago as a self-described health nut who was awed by the passion of owner Richard Davis.
Over lunch at Panera Bread at Westfield Shoppingtown Brandon - I had a chicken sandwich, he had a salad (naturally) - we talked about his passion, bodybuilding and the low-carb craze.
Join us.
ERNEST: I didn't know they had health food 30 years ago.
ROBERT: Mr. Davis has been doing it for a long time. He did it all by himself while the boys were growing up. As he grew the business, his wife came on board, then the sons came on board. I've been with them for 13 years. Well, let's say 12 since 13 is a weird number.
How did you get connected to Carrot Country?
I had got my computer science degree after getting out of the Air Force and I was waiting for that job to start. I had lined up an executive position and I had previous health store experience while I was going to school. I happened to run into Carrot Country while I was trying to find a part-time job. I met Richard, met the family and I knew there was something there.
I get the sense your relationship with Mr. Davis is more than just employer-employee.
There's God, there's my father and there's Richard Davis. I'm an adopted son. If it wasn't for that thing called blood, I'd be a son. I have a very strong relationship with everybody in the family. I don't know anyone I've worked with or experienced that has as much passion and energy for making a difference as Richard. When I went home and told my wife I wasn't going to pursue computer science and I was going to take a job at $5 an hour for GNC, she wasn't happy. But she loved me and let me do it. Richard's passion is awe-inspiring.
Where does your passion come from?
In the military, I was a survival instructor. If we weren't starving in the field, we were trying to eat well in the off-season so that we could survive the field. In the process, I just got a very big appreciation for taking care of myself.
Has the low-carb craze had an impact?
Low-carb is probably one of the best things that's ever happened to America. I say that in the context of its gives us a lot opportunity to help educate consumers. For the past eight months, we've gotten out of the product business and gotten into the program business. In the past, a person comes in for vitamin C, we tell you about the different vitamin Cs and it's, Have a nice day. Now we've been executing programs to get better results for our customers. Having a program is more of what do you do 24 hours a day as opposed to the morning or afternoon. We're more results driven as opposed to, We know you read about it, here it is.
Do you have to be in shape to work in one of your stores?
Absolutely not. In shape is what you're doing right now, smiling. I do sincerely believe you have to practice what you preach. If you're not going to practice the lifestyle to some level, then you're obviously not passionate about what we do and I'm about hiring passionate people. But everybody has their vices. You might see me eating some popcorn. I'll eat Ben & Jerry's every once in awhile because I like it.
Tell me about what's rewarding about your job.
GNC gets looked at as a bodybuilding or weight-loss center, and we are. Helping people lose weight/gain weight is very rewarding. But the real "raise the hair on your arms and give you goose bumps" comes when you get someone out of a diabetic situation, or helping a child come off Ritalin. That's the stuff we're about.
You have competed in bodybuilding. What kind of regiment does that require?
It definitely warrants a different discipline because if you're going to stand on stage in front of people next to naked, you want to look good. It's a competition, just like everything else, but there's only one person responsible for it and it's you. It's not a trainer, it's not a nutritionist, it's all part of the puzzle. It was all my studying, my research and it was all trial and error.
Why did you want to get on stage next to naked?
In the gym, there's always that spirit of who's chest is bigger when you're a young buck. When I was 18 or 19, I was in that same ego-driven I want to look my best. Because I was fortunate to have a basic frame, a good platform to see what was under there, it became a quest. Everyday you train harder and eat better, something else shows itself in the mirror.
But you gave up bodybuilding, right?
I never give up anything. I still wake up at about 3:45 every morning on a natural body clock. I'm just up because the days are so great. I get in the gym about 5:30 or 6 every day because it's what we do. Bodybuilding? I don't see myself getting in any skivvies lately. Back in '98, a wise man changed his priorities from himself and bodybuilding to his wife and his parents and his family and his community. When I made that shift, life became so much better. There's a point where you have to take care of yourself, because if you don't you're doing a disservice to those you love. Once you take care of yourself, not over-involved but doing the basic things, you can serve others better. For me, it's become a life of service.
DESSERTS: A postscript from Ernest
Part of Gregg's inspiration to move the focus away from bodybuilding came from attending a seminar by motivational speaker Zig Ziglar. Now Gregg is developing a company called Synergistic Nutrition which will be a platform for seminars and lifestyle improvements. Of its eight stores, five are in East Hillsborough: Westfield Shoppingtown Brandon, Bloomingdale, Sun City Center, Plant City and the original Carrot Country on Oakfield Drive. Robert and his wife Lisa, a former ballerina who is now a fashion designer, don't have kids (yet), because Robert, 36, says he's still the child.
- Ernest Hooper also writes a column for the Tampa & State section of the St. Petersburg Times. Lunch With Ernest is edited for brevity and clarity. To suggest lunch partners, call Ernest at 226-3406 or e-mail hooper@sptimes.com
