FedEx Small Business Grant Competition

When Cameron Cruse and Lisa Bradley first started R.Riveter, they were working out of an attic in Dahlonega, Georgia. Their desire to create a mobile, flexible career to combat the uncertainty of military life led them to an unprecedented solution - redefining American manufacturing. 

As R.Riveter grew and began to employ remote military spouse independent contractors, the logistics of shipping parts and pieces across the country became more prevalent, and it was time to face the issue head on. Who would pay for the shipping? How would R.Riveter be able to keep costs competitive with the extra overhead?

Lisa Bradley recalled speaking to a Deloitte consultant at an event for her husband’s Cornell MBA program about their idea.

“Who would pay for the cost of shipping parts and pieces?” he had asked.

To Lisa, it was a no-brainer. “Well, the company would, of course.”

The consultant never thought it would work. He thought adding overhead to the already saturated market would never allow them to get the company off the ground - let alone take on the cost of shipping parts and pieces unnecessarily to people’s homes.

Lisa felt deflated, but remembered reading a case study from the founder of FedEx, Frederick Smith, in a similar situation. He submitted a paper on his idea that would transform the shipping industry. In this paper her proposed a hub-and-spoke system. Frederick received just an average grade on this, as the professor didn’t see the need for change in the shipping industry to accommodate a technological world. Now all logistics companies, including Amazon, use a system like this.

FedEx was an inspiration for R.Riveter from early on, and helped define our unique manufacturing process. Although in the end, it is quite a bit more expensive as a business model, it allows remote manufacturing locations to exist, and offer Remote Riveters opportunities across the country.

R.Riveter is currently in the running for FedEx's Small Business Grant Competition, and we would love your support and your VOTE!

The $25,000 grant would have an immediate impact on our company. R. Riveter would utilize the funds to improve the website that configures the shipping and communication portal for the military spouses (Riveters) across the country. R.Riveter needs a fully integrated website to systematize the orders the Riveters commit to, and process the shipping of sub-assemblies.

VOTE NOW to help R.Riveter continue to grow and scale our mission of redefining American manufacturing!