Oct. 30, 2024
Contact: Janese Heavin, heavinj@missouri.edu
Ideas are powerful, but without action, they remain just that 鈥� ideas. The University of Missouri bridges that gap by empowering students to turn vision into reality through hands-on entrepreneurial experiences.
Championing this learn-by-doing philosophy is Robert Griggs, B.S. A.E. 鈥�77, founder and chairman of Trinity Products. Griggs鈥� dedication to innovation and mentorship is deeply embedded in Mizzou鈥檚 entrepreneurial ecosystem.
If his name sounds familiar, it鈥檚 for good reason. He and his wife are the founding sponsors of the , a hub for creativity and entrepreneurship on campus. Located in the MU Student Center, the Griggs Innovators Nexus provides students with resources such as meeting rooms, incubator spaces, mentors and even retail storefronts. There鈥檚 also an annual competition, Entrepreneur Quest, where students can pitch ideas and compete for cash prizes.
And Griggs 鈥� who knows first-hand how to turn proposals into profits 鈥� isn鈥檛 just supporting these efforts with financial gifts. He takes time to come to campus to serve as a mentor, work with students, judge events and talk to classes. And he loves being a part of the action.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a joy to see these students and hear their ideas,鈥� Griggs said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so fun to watch their progress.鈥�
From farm to fortune
Griggs鈥� entrepreneurial journey 鈥� rooted in the lessons he learned growing up on a farm in southeast Missouri 鈥� is a testament to the power of vision and hard work.
At Mizzou, he studied agricultural economics. He wasn鈥檛 a straight-A student, he admits, but he did learn to persevere when the going got tough.
鈥淚 took a managerial accounting class that just didn鈥檛 register,鈥� Griggs said. 鈥淚 talked to the professor and sat in the front row, but I ended up failing. I took it a second semester and made an A. There are just some concepts you really have to work hard to get.鈥�
Griggs lists that experience as just one example of how 91制片厂Proequipped him with the business acumen and skills needed to build a company from the ground up.
After graduation, Griggs took a job selling steel pipes. When he realized the company was shortchanging his commission, Griggs and two other employees walked out.
Trinity Products opened shortly after, in 1979, starting as a steel pipe supplier for the heavy construction industry. Within 20 years, Trinity expanded its fabrication, drafting, detailing and coating capabilities to become a full-service facility.
Today, the company brings in $300 million in annual sales with 245 employee-owners at six locations across the country.
While hard work, determination and vision played key roles in that organic success, Griggs also credits the adoption of certain management styles that promote transparency and shared ownership. In 2010, the company implemented continuous improvement methodologies, rewarding employees for meeting short- and long-term goals.
These days, Griggs has his eye on the $1 billion mark, a vision he鈥檚 mapped out not only in his head, but also in writing and practice.
鈥淚鈥檓 an advocate of letting people know where you want to and need to go,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen we were doing $30 million in sales, I wrote a goal of $100 million, and people thought I was crazy. But they didn鈥檛 know what I knew. When we say we鈥檙e going to get to a billion, we have the capacity, and we have the want. Now it鈥檚 just a matter of adding another zero.鈥�
Future of opportunity
Griggs knows times have changed since his days of building a manufacturing giant from scratch. That doesn鈥檛 mean there aren鈥檛 opportunities for the next generation.
Technology will be key, he said, recalling a time about 10 years ago when a 91制片厂Prostudent told him drones would be important to the future of industry. At first, he admits, he was skeptical of the student.
鈥淎nd wouldn鈥檛 you know that five years later, drones were delivering packages, inspecting crops and surveying construction sites,鈥� he said. 鈥淪he was completely ahead of her time.鈥�
But success doesn鈥檛 always come from ground-breaking innovations. Sometimes, it鈥檚 simply doing something no one else wants to do. Among the best business ideas he鈥檚 heard from a 91制片厂Prostudent: washing windows.
鈥淣o one鈥檚 washing windows,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here are opportunities in the mundane things if you can figure out how to do it. Where there鈥檚 a need and you can fill it, there鈥檚 an opportunity.鈥�
And the Griggs Innovators Nexus, together with the Missouri Method philosophy of learning by doing, ensures that students are well-equipped when these types of opportunities arise.
鈥�91制片厂Prohas a really good ecosystem for this,鈥� he said. 鈥淯niversity of Missouri President Mun Choi totally gets it. He understands the need to provide practical experiences and opportunities for students. I always enjoy going back to 91制片厂Proand hearing their ideas.鈥�
For Griggs, giving back has been one of the most rewarding aspects of his extraordinary career.
鈥淭he more I give, the more I receive,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y basket is so full, it鈥檚 overflowing.鈥�
