NFIB

Third-Generation Business Knows 'Numbers Make a Difference'
10/11/2006

When someone shops at Brad Ogden's business, Bargain Supply Company, he or she would probably never imagine that the store started out selling only typical grocery items almost 80 years ago. 

Bargain Supply Company opened its doors in 1929 near downtown Louisville, Ky. In the early 1950s, Ogden's grandfather, Bill Sr., bought the business and gradually began expanding its inventory to include hardware, tools and appliances. Eventually Brad's father, Bill Jr., took over and continued expanding the store's size to accommodate the additional products. 

Brad Ogden

Brad Ogden worked part-time at Bargain Supply while he was in high school and college. In 1985, he became a full-time employee and has since taken over operating the third-generation business. Ogden currently employs 49 people, including his brothers, Billy and Bobby, and his uncle, Joe. His staff helps to stock merchandise or assist customers in the 60,000 square-foot complex that houses a $5 million inventory with products from all over the United States and China.

"We buy anything we think we can give our customers a deal on, so our inventory is always changing," Ogden said.   

Bill Jr. joined NFIB in the early 1980s after hearing about the many benefits of being a member. Now Brad appreciates the assistance NFIB provides just as his father once did.

"When I'm busy running my company, I'm assured that NFIB is representing the philosophies of the American small-business owner at the Statehouse and in Washington, D.C.," Ogden said. "Lobbying by the NFIB/Kentucky state directors and the staff in D.C. has saved my company a lot of tax money over the years. I don't have time to go to the Capitol and push for or against critical issues, so I greatly value this aspect of my membership."   

When it comes time to vote, Ogden is sure to use the voting records provided by NFIB as a reference so he knows he is supporting only pro-small business candidates. 

"If candidates have poor voting records, they certainly don't get my vote, and I encourage others not to vote for them as well," Ogden said.

Because Ogden has been member of NFIB for so long, it is easy for him to see the many valuable resources it can provide other small-business owners. 

"When I talk to other small-business owners who are not NFIB members, I take it upon myself to convince them that the membership is well worth it," Ogden said. "I know NFIB is only as strong as its members, and numbers make a difference."

Currently Ogden believes the extraordinarily high and ever-rising health-care costs to be the biggest challenge for his business. Although he welcomes many of the challenges he faces everyday as a small-business owner, he calls this "a national crisis" and would like to see this problem taken care of by his lawmakers.

When speaking about his experience as a small-business owner Ogden said, "I consider myself to be a football coach in a game that never ends. I have a team that never quits and because of that, we have developed a strong customer base. It's extremely rewarding to know that my family owns a business that has been around a long time and has survived the changes and challenges in the consumer business."