Forty Under 40: Laura Poe

Laura Poe was a college senior and in sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma when she began at B-Unlimited, which focuses on custom collegiate apparel. Free sorority T-shirts appealed to her.

Poe has worked at B-Unlimited for nearly 10 years. She started as a part-time intern in October 2011 and became a full-time sales representative after graduating from the University of Arkansas in May 2012. In January 2014, she was promoted to operations manager. She was named vice president of logistics in August 2017. She was promoted to her current role in April.

When she transitioned to full-time in 2012, Poe was one of seven employees and the only woman on staff. She not only handled sales but also helped to ship shirts and post products on social media.

“Whatever I felt like needed to be done, I jumped on it,” she said.

Since then, the company’s grown to more than 200 employees with six stores in five states and serves about 200 U.S. colleges. The company’s on track to hit $18 million in sales this year, nearly double the 2019 revenue of $10 million.

The Jonesboro native helped create the company’s values, and it’s “a people company first,” she said. “Since my family doesn’t live here, I found a family in the people that I worked with.” Putting people first has led to business and personal success. She added that her father’s a business owner and instilled in her an ownership mentality and doing the right thing.

Last year, B-Unlimited created a program to support area businesses and organizations affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Poe leads a small church group, is an adviser for her sorority and supports Alzheimer’s Association. An avid Razorbacks fan, she also enjoys gardening and cycling.