Then & Now: Greg Primm cultivates a career at tech firms

Editor’s Note: The following story appeared in the June 8 issue of the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal. “Then & Now” is a profile of a past member of the Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 class.

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Greg Primm joined Springdale-based technology company BCS LLC as chief financial officer and chief operating officer after spending more than six years as part of the team that helped grow an e-commerce startup into a multimillion-dollar brand.

Primm, 46, was chief financial officer and general manager for WellQuest Medical and Wellness Corp. in Bentonville when the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal named him to the Forty Under 40 class in 2010.

At WellQuest, he oversaw 35 employees, and revenue rose 54%. He remained there until January 2011 when he joined e-commerce startup Acumen Brands in Fayetteville.

He started there as a vice president of finance and managed cash flow through 100% revenue growth in 2011 and supported a $5 million capital raise in 2011.

In 2012, Primm became vice president of operations and led company operations as revenue rose 300%. Acumen Brands launched multiple e-commerce brands, but the most notable was Country Outfitter, a retailer of cowboy boots and other country apparel. The online marketplace started with 20 sellers and expanded to more than 400 in nine months. Sales exceeded the budget by 25% in the first year.

“We experienced explosive growth from 2012 to 2014-15, and I was a part of the team that helped grow that company,” he said. “Really had a lot of fun and experienced a ton of growth opportunities there just personally, a lot of challenges.”

In 2016, Primm became chief financial officer for the company that had grown from 30 employees when he joined to as many as 200 employees. In January 2017, County Outfitters’ parent company One Country, which was registered under the Acumen Brands name, was headed toward liquidation after raising more than $100 million in venture capital and becoming one of the largest online retailers of cowboy boots.

The company sold its two primary businesses in early 2017, and Acumen Brands became more of a part-time role for Primm. In June 2017, Boot Barn Holdings reported it had acquired Country Outfitter assets for $1.8 million.

Primm started working as a consultant in 2017 and was the interim chief financial officer for BlueInGreen in Fayetteville and interim CEO at Epoch Health-Anthem in Rogers. At BlueInGreen, he helped lead a round of capital that provided $7 million for future growth and expansion.

He’s a partner for consulting company Cave Springs Group and Rockhouse Industries in Lowell. The latter is a distributor of Piggy Paint, a non-toxic nail polish for children.

In October 2018, he joined BCS after becoming acquainted with CEO Aaron Marshall and is part of the company’s ownership group.

“I kind of fell in love with the work that they’re doing and how they just execute and their high quality of work,” Primm said.

The company was established in 1990 and mostly works with the retail and convenience store industries to help roll out new technology systems and maintain that infrastructure. It has about 35 employees. He declined to name its customers or how many it has but said its customer base has grown since he started.

In his role, Primm oversees financial operations and handles business development.

More recently, the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic has impacted the business as it works to maintain point of sale equipment for grocery and big-box retailers. About two-thirds of the company’s employees work at its 75,000-square-foot corporate office and warehouse in Springdale. The remainder works remotely.

“We’ve had to navigate this COVID situation and make sure we’re doing the right things to keep our team and our business safe,” he said. “It’s been a lot of research, a lot of learning on the fly and making changes really quickly.”

The highlight of his career has been the people he’s worked with and to learn about what they have done in their careers. Over the next few years, he plans to continue to work at BCS and help grow the business.

He and his wife, Amy, have three children and live in Cave Springs. He supports Serve Northwest Arkansas, and the organization has several initiatives, including a project to build transitional housing for the homeless. He spends his free time cycling and boating.