Buffalo Strive: Relentless growth, innovation and a mission to serve

How do you build a $20 million convenience services company from the ground up? For Jon Corto, founder and CEO of Buffalo Strive, Markets and Vending, the answer begins with one word: Relentless.

Coming Tuesday on Automatic Merchandiser’s Vending & OCS Nation podcast, it’s Part Two of Bob Tullio's conversation with the former Buffalo Bills linebacker turned entrepreneur, the focus shifts from Corto's unlikely journey to the National Football League (NFL) to the company he has built in New York.

Today, Buffalo Strive has approximately 100 employees and generates about $20 million in annual revenue across micro markets, AI coolers, fresh food, catering, office coffee and water filtration.

Corto explains how the company got started, why Buffalo Strive embraced remote monitoring and cashless technology early and how staying ahead of emerging technology continues to shape the organization.

But technology is only part of the story. Corto discusses Buffalo Strive's mission - "Relentless pursuit to serve others" - and how it influences the company's approach to customers, employees and the Buffalo community.

In This Episode

• How Buffalo Strive grew into a $20 million company with approximately 100 employees
• Why Corto increasingly views Buffalo Strive as a food logistics company
• The decision to vertically integrate through a USDA-certified fresh food commissary
• Why Corto says operators considering their own commissary need to be fully committed - or consider outsourcing
• How customer entertaining and personal relationships can create a competitive advantage
• Buffalo Strive's commitment to giving back, including donating unsold fresh food to St. Luke's Mission of Mercy
• Why supporting local suppliers strengthens both the community and the company
• How community involvement can give employees a greater sense of purpose
• Why Buffalo Strive sells an "elevated market experience" rather than simply installing another micro market
• How Corto and his director of business development are generating significant new business while protecting the company's ability to service that growth
• Why empowerment means allowing managers to "swing the bat" and sometimes make mistakes
• The three qualities Corto increasingly looks for when hiring
• Buffalo Strive's growth in premium OCS and bean-to-cup coffee
• Why Corto calls water filtration a "cash cow"
• How AI is already increasing productivity inside Buffalo Strive
• Why Corto believes operators who refuse to embrace emerging technology risk being left behind
• The Buffalo Strive "secret sauce"

Corto also shares how he hopes to be remembered in Buffalo - It has nothing to to with football.

Before the conversation ends, Bob Tullio shows that he can be relentless as well. He manages to get the former NFL player to offer a little fantasy football advice.

The Takeaway

The same characteristic that helped Jon Corto reach the NFL continues to define the way he approaches business:

Relentlessness.

Whether it is serving customers, developing employees, adopting technology, giving back to Buffalo or finding the next growth opportunity, Corto's philosophy is straightforward:

Have a mission. Attack it every day. Never give up - and love what you do.