From third-grade friends to groomsmen at each other’s weddings to co-founding partners of a growing grocery chain.
Perhaps it wasn’t the exact story that Mitch Friesen (g’11) envisioned when he received his Tabor College diploma, but an interest in entrepreneurship was undeniable.
A phone call from childhood friend Alex Ruhter (fs’09) in early 2020 was the beginning of Friesen’s career shift. JackBe, a pickup-only grocery chain, was in its early stages, and Ruhter invited Friesen to come on as a co-founding partner and to work accounting and finance.
Earlier in 2023, the company opened two stores in Edmond, Okla. A third is set to open in Yukon later this summer.
JackBe requires app or web orders, fulfilling many in less than 10 minutes. A key concept is eliminating pickup reservations, allowing customers to pick up orders at their leisure by the end of the next business day.
When COVID struck, Friesen said many companies ran toward grocery delivery, and he and his team found that JackBe had a future in perfecting a pickup-only operation.
In its first six months of operation, the feedback has been positive.
“We knew we could do this and do it well,” Friesen said. “We knew we could offer products that people will love and compete and be the ‘Chick-fil-A of groceries.’ We want a high level of customer service and convenience.”
Friesen, one of three native Kansans in leadership, said the OKC metro is a perfect home.
“We felt like God wanted us to start it down here,” Friesen said. “There is a lot of acceptance of new concepts and ideas and amazing Christian entrepreneurs and people.”
The JackBe team wanted to be able to offer 80 percent of the typical items that a customer normally orders. Friesen said they examined a product like ketchup and realized that most retailers offer as many as 25 to 50 varieties.
After market research, JackBe chose five options, including a name brand, private label/off-brand, family-sized, natural and organic.
“When you open a store, you find what people want versus what we thought they’d need,” Friesen said. “Every market is going to be slightly different, so we’ve done a whole lot of tweaking.”
Now 12 years after graduating from Tabor, Friesen said he distinctly remembers as a senior building a business plan for an assignment. From the idea, profitability, and general thesis, his hunger for entrepreneurship continued to grow.
After a decade at Cargill, he said he is thankful for the experience he gained before running full steam with JackBe.
Working in four different locations over a 10-year window, Friesen said it was important for him to expose himself to business through a financial lens, gaining the experience and knowledge it would take to one day own a business himself.
“I wanted something that I could stand behind and something I had a future in,” Friesen said. “That was the hardest challenge in jumping into entrepreneurship. You are cutting out other potential avenues, and while starting a business is one of the most stressful things you’ll ever do, it’s also one of the most rewarding things you’ll ever do. What is worth stepping out and trusting God to provide during the journey?”