Starting Out
Clickstop began in 2005 through the vision and leadership of Tim Guenther. The mission was to create a business that is enjoyable, sustainable, and provides opportunity for those who seek it.
In August 2005, Tim launched the U.S. Cargo Control website. This expansion into the world of e-commerce meant that more customers would be reached than what was possible by going on the road selling and delivering. As a result, revenue grew from $14,000 in 2005 to $1 million in revenue in 2006.
Early investments into the business included an expansion of the office and inventory space, which took the form of rented space on a turkey farm in the country between Hudson & Cedar Falls. It worked for a time.
More space was soon required, so in January 2007, Urbana became the location of their next building. As the new hires came onboard, new brands were introduced. The goal was to grow the business, and the e-commerce skills that had been used to grow US Cargo Control would now help grow new brands.
Growing Up
From 2007 – 2011, the Clickstop grew to around 45 team members. We determined to expand into more brands beyond US Cargo Control. The idea was to create an entrepreneurial company that would serve more of a holding company model. To achieve this, the focus became cultivating a great culture that would operate with an entrepreneurial mindset.
New business units were added, and the business was growing. For a period of time, we felt any product that was ethical and filled a need could be sold. Some brands grew and succeeded while others didn’t. So, while the assumption that we could sell most anything, track traffic and convert into customers proved faulty, the experience was fruitful. Through it, the team learned, grew, and improved.
It was all a part of the cultivating an entrepreneurial mindset that was rooted in the established values of Clickstop. Aligning action with the values had become an expectation, and it was establishing a great culture that drove the growth of the business.
The Recognition
Over the past 16 years, Clickstop has received 21 local, regional, and national distinctions as a fast-growing business, and 15 for great workplace culture. We started with one brand, US Cargo Control, and now own and operate 8 different business units. In 2017, Clickstop became an ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) company which allows for our employees to reap the financial benefits of owning a healthy, growing company. We have long held the expectation of ownership in our work
The success of the business is fueled by a relentless pursuit of opportunity leading to growth and improvement. Tim has been a driving force through it all, but there’s much more to consider when reflecting on the success Clickstop has achieved. As he reflected on it all, Tim notes that “Clickstop is a team made up of several teams. We are only as good as the strength of our whole team. According to my experience, it is much more enjoyable, and I am much more effective, when there is a strong team around me.”
The Opportunity
A key contributor to the strength of the team is Cari McCoy. She arrived at Clickstop in early 2018 and served as the Social Marketing Manager. Her pursuit of growth has led to the creation of opportunity. Four months after arrival, she was made the Content Director. A couple months after that she became the VP of Creative Services, leading both content and creative marketing teams, and a couple months after became the Interim CMO. 90 days of interim led to becoming the full time CMO, and after about a year in the role, she became the President of Clickstop. Then, on January 19, 2021, McCoy was named the 2nd ever CEO of Clickstop.
As Cari transitioned to the CEO role, Tim moved to the role of Chairman and is positioned to support the CEO, provide oversight and advise. It's quite an accomplishment to be ready for this kind of transition as a team at Clickstop. Our team, and especially Cari McCoy, have worked hard to be ready to take on the challenge of sustaining a great workplace while maintaining a sustainable, enjoyable and opportunity-filled workplace.
We are eager to continue driving the growth of our business through alignment with the mission – to create a business that is enjoyable, sustainable and provides opportunity for those who seek it.
Interested in helping us achieve greater success by driving our culture forward? Check out our available positions. We look forward to meeting you!
