HOW LONG HAVE YOU BOTH BEEN WORKING IN COFFEE?

Scott: “I have been working in coffee since August of 2010. So, 11 years now..... jeez I am getting old.”

Kyle: “Almost 8 years for me.”

WHERE DID THE VISION FOR RMC BEGIN?

Scott: “I think RMC came from the collaborative minds of Kyle, Steve, and I. But the first vision of RMC for me was in Washington DC working at a local shop called Pound the Hill. I thought of Conway a lot when I was there and I figured it would be an amazing opportunity to open something like that shop in Conway.”

Kyle: “I found a passion for coffee pretty quickly and had always been interested in starting a business. Starting a shop that focused on quality and excellence came out of that.”

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ANYTHING ABOUT THE BUSINESS NOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

Scott: “That is a hard question. I think the first one to come to mind is I wish we had more space or even a drive-thru. Never thought I would say that.”

Kyle: “I would love to have a bigger roaster/roasting space in the near future as we continue to grow.”

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WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF MANAGING RMC?

Scott: “I love meeting and making friends with all of the employees. Some of my best friends have come from this shop and I wouldn't change that for the world.”

Kyle: “The impact we are able to have within our community. One of the core tenets of what we do here is to serve our community, so it is a blessing to be able to work with different organizations to do that.”

ONE THING YOU’VE LEARNED ABOUT YOURSELF IN THE FIVE YEARS OF RMC?

Scott: “I learned that I care way too much about what others think of me.”

Kyle: “I've learned a lot about how to change and adapt to different situations. We've had to overcome quite a few challenges over the years.”

PRACTICALLY, WHAT DID STARTING A BUSINESS LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?

Scott: “Honestly, it was a dream come true! It was a dream 5 years in the making. So finally getting it started was almost unreal!”

Kyle: “There was a lot of planning that went into company values, menu planning, etc. We spent a lot of time trying to make sure we created a company that could achieve what we envisioned.”


YOU ARE BOTH MARRIED AND HAVE A FAMILY.  HOW DOES LIFE LOOK NOW COMPARED TO BEFORE OPENING THE SHOP?

Scott: “Well, 2 kids and a wife.... Life is no different haha. Obviously that is a lie. Life is different in many ways but it is still so great.”

Kyle: “Certainly a lot has changed. My wife is my biggest supporter in this, so I'm thankful to have someone who is always in my corner throughout life.”

WHAT COMPELLED YOU TO TAKE THE RISK OF STARTING A BUSINESS?

Scott: “I had a plan, but the drive came from my wife.”

Kyle: “I think from the beginning there was a real sense of ‘we can do this’ and ‘we want to do this’.”


WHAT KEEPS YOU GOING?

Scott: “The customers and the team we have, they are what make RMC so great.”

Kyle: “Our customers, our team, and the drive to continually produce better coffee.”

WITH RMC BEING A SPECIALTY COFFEE SHOP IN CONWAY ARKANSAS, DO YOU FIND IT CHALLENGING OR REWARDING TO EDUCATE CUSTOMERS ON COFFEE?

Scott: “It is both for me. Challenging in pushing their thoughts on what coffee can be. Rewarding when they understand just a little more when they leave than when they arrived.”

Kyle: “Both. But it's more rewarding than challenging. It's really great to see someone try a new coffee and love it.”


WHAT IS ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE MEMORIES FROM THE PAST FIVE YEARS?

Scott: “Opening the store on our soft launch day, seeing the community create a line out the door, our prayer we had in the side room before the first drink ordered, the sound of our espresso machine working so hard.”

Kyle: “I look back really fondly on a time last summer when our espresso machine broke. Obviously that wasn't good, but our friend, Rob, who is a morning regular and a brilliant engineer/physicist took time out of his day and helped us fix it.”

WHAT IS SOMETHING YOU’VE ENJOYED SEEING RMC GROW IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS?

Scott: “I have enjoyed the growth of our family. How each person who has come through RMC has made us a better workplace and better coffee shop.”

Kyle: “It's been really awesome to see how we have progressed in our pursuit of excellent coffee.”

WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE RMC IN 5 YEARS?

Scott: “I would love to see a few more locations and the ability to help other upcoming shops.”

Kyle: “I would love to see us still fulfilling our mission to pursue excellence in coffee, love our craft, and serve our community. Hopefully a roasting facility and another location or two.”

ANY LAST MESSAGE TO RMC COMMUNITY?

“We're so thankful for all of the support over the last 5 years. It means so much to us and to our families!”