August 4th, 2022
Launching Loopie: Eric Lyon's Leadership Throughout US Expansion
Eric Lyon’s story of expanding Loopie from Seattle to nine cities across the nation.
What does it take to achieve business success? Eric Lyon’s story of expanding Loopie across the US exemplifies how hard work and dedication can pay off. In this blog post, we’ll explore his leadership style and how he could achieve such an impressive milestone. We’ll also look at some of the lessons we can learn from his experience.
Eric’s primary focus is supporting the Operations Managers in each market and hiring new associates to support a growing customer base. He also works on improving customer service and the quality of Loopie’s operating procedures to benefit the customer. This includes everything from expanding the team to building new supply networks.
Before joining the company, Eric studied at Boise State University, until he first heard about Loopie and moved to Seattle to be a driver. Loopie began expanding into additional markets outside Seattle, initially in the Pacific Northwest, with locations like Portland added to Loopie’s service areas. As Loopie began expanding into other new markets, Eric wanted to become more involved in the company. His first role beyond driver was the leader of the Washer Acquisition Committee, WAC, until he worked his way up to Director of Operations.
Eric Lyon holding the iconic blue Loopie Duffel bag
When Loopie began growing its operations outside of the Pacific Northwest for the first time, Eric went to Denver to train the operations manager there. Like many new businesses, the initial growth came with growing pains. To overcome initial obstacles, Eric extended his stay in Denver by three months to help the sales team get new clients and establish contacts on the supply and demand side. After his initial work there was complete, Eric drove from Denver to Austin to build up the initial supply network. When Loopie expanded to Chicago, Eric managed the launch while simultaneously remotely training a new team in Washington DC, Loopie’s first dual market launch. These market openings were successful, teaching Eric valuable lessons along the way. After returning to Seattle, Eric helped launch the San Diego, Atlanta, and Dallas markets, but with a different approach. Instead of Eric driving to them, Loopie flew in candidates to Seattle and Austin to do in-person training for a week.
Through his experiences launching new markets for Loopie, Eric has learned many valuable lessons about what it takes to be a successful leader and team member. He has learned the importance of being flexible and adaptable and has embraced change as an opportunity rather than seeing it as a roadblock. He has also gained a better understanding of building strong relationships with customers, suppliers, and his team. Through a strong team connection and mutual goals, Eric has successfully helped Loopie launch into new markets across the United States. These skills will continue to serve him well as he leads Loopie’s expansion further across the US. Eric’s commitment to learning and growth has been instrumental in his success at Loopie, and we are confident that his skills and expertise will help guide Loopie’s continued growth in the years ahead.