Roger Wilder III is a self-made man with boundless energy. He keeps busy running the 11 Smoothie King franchises he owns in the Capital Region. In his spare time, he works to improve public education in the community through a partnership his smoothie business has with 42 area schools.
Wilder has a passion for working hard and an infectious enthusiasm for what he does.
Wilder and his wife, Stephanie, moved from New Orleans to Baton Rouge in 2000 and opened their first store in Denham Springs. After just one year in business they received Smoothie King’s Outstanding New Franchisee Award.
As their franchises have continued to grow, the company has turned heads among the company’s corporate leadership. For six of the past seven years they have won Smoothie King’s Franchisee of the Year Award out of more than 600 Smoothie Kings nationwide.
Wilder’s success with Smoothie King has also earned him the Sales and Marketing Executive of the Year Award by the SME chapter of Greater Baton Rouge.
“I could not have done this without my wife,” Wilder says. “She’s a huge asset. She started working at Smoothie King at 16. It’s been a team effort.”
While Wilder has been recognized for the success of his franchise operation, he is, perhaps, making a more lasting contribution to the area through the creation of the Smoothie King Fundraising Program. Now in its ninth year, the program has helped dozens of schools in six parishes raise more than $1 million.
It’s a way for Wilder to give back to the community, which is one of his top values. Wilder also explains that while he loves working hard, he puts his family first.
“I can control my own work, and it’s not so time-sensitive that it interferes with my family,” he says. He and Stephanie have two children with a third on the way. Time spent with family is important to me than money.
The New Orleans native began working at age 15 for Celebration Station and then at Smoothie King, where he met his wife.
Besides his family’s involvement in the business, Wilder attributes his success to his efforts to treat his employees like family. He is proud his managerial employees started working behind the counter at minimum wage; the entire leadership team shares in the success and profitability of each store.
I wanted to be a train engineer because my family was involved with railroad work.
I wouldn’t trade my job for any other. I don’t know if there is a better job.
Be genuine, honest, and real. Unless a person plans to work 80 hours weekly for the first two years, forget it. Have the will and the drive, and be honest about the sacrifices you’ll have to make.
The Baton Rouge market is still young. It’s the hub and a well-rounded city. Ascension, Zachary, Denham, Walker, and Gonzales are on the outskirts but have their own opportunity zones.” He continues, “I get up every day excited to go to work.”
My favorite places in Baton Rouge are in my yard with my family and Tiger Stadium on a Saturday night.
The traffic!
Finding responsible, capable, willing crew members who are high school or college age to work the counters.
I’ll be doing the same thing and adding more Smoothie King franchises. I would grow crazy if I retired. I get up every day excited to go to my job.
