Rosie broadens food access, grocery store opportunity

By Rob Montana
Tompkins Weekly

Larger chain retailers with apps give people the chance to peruse the offerings, quickly click a button to place an order and then await delivery of their order.
Online ordering affects locally owned and independent operations, making it difficult for them to compete in the marketplace. That’s where Rosie comes into play, helping to level the playing field.

And the Ithaca-based platform is finding success with rapid growth in its number of clients and employees. The company was honored for its efforts last month, named Business of the Year by the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce.
“Our company wouldn’t be here without Ithaca,” said Nick Nickitas, chief executive officer and one of Rosie’s founders. “We had nothing when we started and this community really embraced us.
“When I reflect on our journey, it was very intentional that we picked an office in the center of the Commons,” he added, saying the company wanted to be in the heart of the City of Ithaca. “To be recognized in the infancy of our company is a great honor.”
Rosie’s Director of Marketing Dave Makar said that in the company’s infancy it was approached to move to a new city, such as San Francisco or Boston.
“People would ask, ‘why Ithaca?’ Ithaca has great, untapped potential in the students that come out of Cornell and Ithaca College,” he said, adding other benefits of staying local, include a lower cost of doing business and grants from places such as Tompkins County Area Development, Rev: Ithaca Startup Works and CenterState CEO. “We’re a company that is 95 percent owned by its employees, and I think it’s all possible because we’re in Ithaca.”

What is Rosie?
The online platform – accessible through the web, and iOs and Android apps – allows people to view the offerings at local grocery stores, place an order, and then have that order delivered or ready for pickup at the store. Currently, the two Tompkins County options available through Rosie are P&C Fresh in Ithaca’s East Hill Plaza and Trumansburg Shur-Save.
In addition to the grocery bill, there is an additional charge for customers ordering through Rosie. P&C Fresh in Ithaca has an in-store pickup charge of $1.99 and a delivery fee of $3.99, while Trumansburg Shur-Save’s in-store pickup has a charge of $3.99, while delivery is an additional $5.99.
Makar said that using the platform helps save people time by not having to walk through the store to get their grocery items and money by sticking to a specific list.
“The average person spends time in five stores per month,” he said. “This helps them save more time by having groceries delivered or ready for them to pick up.
“It really saves time and offers convenience,” Makar added. “For the mobility impaired, for seniors, college students – this allows them to shop wherever they are and have their groceries delivered to them.”
Rosie has heard from people about how using the platform has improved their quality of life, Makar said, relaying one such interaction he had with a customer. He said a 47-year-old woman, who has been a quadriplegic since she was 12 years old, told him that it wasn’t until she started using Rosie that she could pick out her own food.
“It creates a lot of food freedom to have easy access to groceries,” Makar said.
Access is available online as well as through iOs and Android apps.
“People can shop online from anywhere,” Makar said.
People can also sign up to “gift” groceries to someone; Makar said he’s known parents to pay for their children’s groceries at college by using that feature of the platform.
The platform has “strong” tools for retailers, showing grocery items by aisle, making it easier for employees to gather the order placed through Rosie. It also helps for deliveries, mapping out the most efficient route for drivers to take. In addition to the tools it provides clients, the company also offers wide support hours and help with marketing activities.
“One retailer just won two national marketing awards for a campaign we worked with them on,” Makar said. “The unique thing we’re doing is not just saying ‘Here’s your software, good luck.’ We work with the retailers to help them have success.”
Rosie benefits retailers, Makar said, by “giving them the ability to compete with places from Amazon, to Walmart, to Target.”
Approximately 100 retail outlets use Rosie’s platform across the country, including in the states of Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Utah and Wisconsin.
“We help them acquire new customers,” Makar said of how Rosie helps the grocery stores, noting that between half and two-thirds of new customers coming to stores find their way there online.

The Importance of Culture
As Rosie’s staff members go around the circle talking about what they’ve worked on most recently, what their coming day will be like and what, if anything, is preventing them from moving forward in completing work, one can easily see the tight bonds that have formed. Though it’s a comfortable and humor filled environment – a job candidate noted what was preventing him from moving forward was the people who would be interviewing him that day – work does not take a backseat.
In fact, the focus may be augmented by the culture Rosie’s leaders have instilled in employees.
“It binds the tribe together. We spend a lot of time at work, so it (the culture) is important. Most people want to be inspired, and it feeds itself,” Nickitas said. “It also serves as a litmus test for new employees we bring in. The first 30 people in the company defines the culture, and we focus on finding the right people.
“This is very impactful work we’re doing, helping retailers stay in business and compete. Rosie helps customers with the things we’re doing that are transformative to the end user,” he added. “We think about being passionate for our customers, and you can see it throughout the organization. I think a sub-quote for this would be: ‘We believe a group of passionate individuals can change the world.’”
Makar said the cultural philosophy, identified by company founders Nickitas, Jon Ambrose and Mike Ryzewic, centers around the core values of: Intellectual curiosity, nothing is sacred, enthusiasm makes ordinary people extraordinary and personal responsibility.
“Nothing is sacred – from the top to the newest employee, just because we’ve always done something a certain way doesn’t mean there isn’t a better way,” Makar said, noting that there is an open forum monthly for employees to share their thoughts and a suggestion box allows for anonymous contributions. “You can ask about anything, nothing is above being talked about. That’s had a positive impact on our culture.”
He gave credit to Nickitas for the enthusiasm visible in the employee interactions.
“It’s very impactful across the board,” Makar said. “We hear mentions of it whenever we’re presenting.
“And, personal responsibility – each one of us is responsible for the culture and reputation of the firm,” he added of the fourth core value. “It’s important to not just rely on somebody else to do it, I think that part of our culture is general respect for others.”
As more retailers continue to sign on with Rosie, projections for the company remain positive.

“We’re really excited about our future growth,” Makar said.
Nickitas is hopeful Rosie will be a leader in the entrepreneurial spirit that exists in Ithaca.
“I want people in our community to think about the incredible startup ecosystem we have here,” he said. “Rosie is just the first of what I expect to be many more to have success.”
For more information about Rosie or to sign up for an account, visit www.rosieapp.com.