Serious fun

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At Matt and Bob’s excellent adventure, also known as Scholarbuys, an academic marketing company, the culture definitely is youthful and fun. Matt Ryan, 35, owner/partner with Bob Smith, is the oldest person there; all five employees are college-degreed 20-somethings. In the Carpentersville sales office, there is a putting green, a brass bell to ring when a sale is made and a monthly-rotating, flashy gold championship sales belt any WWF wrestler would be proud to wear.

At exhibits for educators, Ryan, Smith or one of their salespeople wears a Sasquatch costume made by Universal Studios that Scholarbuys purchased on eBay. Sasquatch has morphed into the firm’s Softsquatch brand, a blog that focuses on product reviews, tips and fun.

And, oh yeah: In addition to being a fun and lean operation, this 3-year-old company had $8 million in sales last year. “We run on thin margins,” said Ryan, vice president of operations. “All our office furniture is second-hand from Craigslist or eBay. We took advantage of the great recession with inexpensive office space, furniture and the availability of talented workers.”

In 2007, Ryan and Smith started Scholarbuys in the basement of Ryan’s home in Hampshire. The pair previously worked together at another academic sales company. “We already had contacts in the industry,” Smith said. “We had our first order in a couple of days — $10,000 for an anti-virus software.”

Ninety percent of the firm’s sales and contact activity is online, Ryan said. “We force customer communication to the Web by embracing social media. We all have accents on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and live chat.”

Scholarbuys sells more than 3,000 products to public and private academic institutions serving students K-20. Qualifying students and faculty may purchase through the firm’s Varsitybuys brand. Products include software licensing, software boxed products from Microsoft, Adobe and others; small hardware items; and peripherals.

Using the consolidated buying power of educational consortiums such as the 52-member Federation of Illinois Independent Colleges and Universities, Scholarbuys offers steep discounts as much as 85 percent off retail. Students and faculty may place individual orders by submitting proof of their educational affiliation. “There’s a national clearinghouse,” Ryan said. “Many individual buyers simply take a picture of their student ID with their phone and upload it.” Manufacturers audit Scholarbuys regularly to assure discounted sales are to qualified individuals.

Account executive Chris Sawicki currently holds the flashy gold sales champion belt. Next to his desk is the company putting green. “I’m also good at putting,” he said.