Forty Under 40: Richard Reaves

Richard Reaves read a Business Week article in college about the high percentage of CEOs and leaders in America who have a marketing or sales background. The Charlotte, N.C., native has made relationship-oriented sales a theme ever since.nReaves was a college tennis player at Northern Illinois University before knee injuries prompted him to transfer to DePaul University in Chicago to earn a bachelor’s degree in marketing management. He jumped right into sales from 1993 to 1996 with Leggo Toys, helping run a project for the retail vendor called Team Chicago that improved efficiencies and established new company standards.nFrom 1996 to 1999, he served as a national sales representative for Disney’s Buena Vista Home Entertainment division in Los Angeles. Back in the heyday of VHS tape, he was Disney’s youngest servicer of national accounts such as Kroger and Walgreens.nHe eventually founded RCR Business Services, a management and consulting firm geared toward golf and real estate. He dabbled in construction and last year decided to trade travel to join the family business in Rogers.nReaves is focused on helping make Shadow Valley Country Club and its coming commercial components a master-planned masterpiece.