Bob Bentz has owned his own business for 35 years but shows no signs of wanting to slow down. After leaving a successful career in the television advertising industry, he launched Advanced Telecom Services in 1989 after seeing the power of providing information by telephone. This venture led to the company providing interactive services for NBA and MLB teams, the World Wrestling Federation and later Cupid.com.
By 2018, Bentz launched Purplegator, a marketing agency, only to lose 60% of his business when COVID-19 hit. This prompted him to pivot the business to meet the demands of staffing shortages.
Purplegator is a marketing agency in suburban Philadelphia that provides a unique mobile and digital recruitment strategy to find applicants for hard-to-fill jobs such as a nurse, truck driver or police officer. In 2022, Purplegator was named the 64th fastest growing business in the northeast by Inc. magazine followed up by being named the 11th fastest growing company in Philadelphia by Philly 100 in 2023.
“One thing I’ve learned over the years is that when you have a niche, you are more attractive to a potential buyer,” said Bentz. “When you are a generalist, you would likely be acquired by somebody who does the same business, and your value would be based solely on the financials of the company.”
According to his staff, what makes Bentz unique is his ability to consider new ways of running his businesses. When COVID hit, remote work was necessary, but it has become the norm for Purplegator years later. Bentz also considers his staff his co-workers, not his employees.
“This is a guy who, despite his success, does not have a large ego and that is respected,” said his co-workers. “He is always ready to learn a new skill, consider a new way of doing things, and listen to his co-workers’ ideas, regardless of if they are on the management team or an intern.”
Bentz said his experience as a leader and a baseball coach has taught him that you can’t manage everyone the same. “Some people want to be pushed to excel and others see criticism as too stressful and it negatively impacts their job and their mental health,” he said. “The key is to find that right balance with every co-worker and maximize their effectiveness without looking like you are playing favorites.”
If Bentz could give his younger self advice, it would be to go for it. “You don’t get a lot of chances in your work career to be in the right place at the right time in business,” he said. “When you are there, you have a limited opportunity to exploit it and act quickly before the droves of larger companies enter the field.”
