How many steps does it take to run a mile? Anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000 (depending on the length of your stride). Multiply that by 26.2 for a marathon and that will require anywhere from 26,200 to 52,400 steps! And as for a Ragnar Road Relay…
well, that’s anywhere from 200,000-ish to… wait for it… 400,000-ish steps!! We know that might seem daunting, but let’s take a step back.
Why are we even talking about this? What’s the point?
We want to talk about the magic behind perseverance. Whether it’s running consecutively for 5 minutes or 5 miles, every step of every mile adds up and before you know it, you’ve gone so far!
It’s those individual steps that carry us through life to reach our goals and paint a bigger picture of who we are.
It’s those individual steps that create the larger successes and, sometimes setbacks of our lives. Each are individual building blocks, small moments, that lead us to places we never thought possible.
For Bob Moore, it all started with a kernel of truth—a wheat kernel, that is.
Who is Bob Moore, you ask? Well, he’s probably sitting in your pantry right now. And if not, he’s definitely sitting in the grocery store waiting for you to show up this week’s grocery haul. But don’t worry, not in a creepy way.
Bob Moore and his wife Charlee Moore are the co-founders of Bob’s Red Mill. You know, the grains, the oats, and did we mention their amazing granola!?
Okay, back to their story, and how this all started. It’s a story of how thousands if not millions of tiny steps built the brand that we all know and love today.
Bob and Charlee met on a blind date in 1952 and the rest is history. As their family grew Charlee was inspired to feed them wholesome, natural foods and whole grains. This was the (wheat) kernel of truth that started this couple’s whole grain adventure.
In 1968, providence struck when Bob happened to visit the public library. Something drew him to the bookshelf holding John Goffe’s Mill. The book told the story of a man who—with no prior experience —resurrected his family’s ancestral mill and ground wheat into flour. This simple step changed the Moore family forever, creating a ripple effect that enriched all of our lives today.
Now, this didn’t just happen overnight. Just like the decision to run 200-ish miles with your friends at a Ragnar race takes training and a lot of steps – quite literally – to get to where you want to go.
Bob immersed himself in the ancient art of stone milling. He researched historic mills and contacted dozens of companies in his quest to find millstones and other flour-making equipment. He discovered plenty of mills in his search but most had been turned into museums! Eventually, his persistence paid off, and he was able to find the right equipment and the perfect spot to start building their dream. In 1974 Bob, Charlee, and their two sons opened the doors to the Moores’ Flour Mill in Redding, California.
A few years later, Bob and Charlee decided to retire and left Moores’ Flour Mill to their sons. But, as most stories go, their story wasn’t over. One day they were out walking and they happened upon an old feed mill… and realized it was for sale. After a lot of thought and prayer, they decided to take a leap of faith and in 1978 launched what we now know as Bob’s
Red Mill Natural Foods. And they all lived happily ever after, and their brand now sits in pantries and cupboards all across the country but wait… Their story isn’t over!
Just two years after they had opened their doors, the original Bob’s Red Mill store burned to the ground in a suspected arson. But with every great set-back comes an epic comeback.
Less than a year after the fire, milling began again in a newer and larger facility in Milwaukie. Within the next 10 years, they experience exponential growth and by 2000 Bob’s goes global! They continued to grow and on Bob’s 81st birthday he announced his plan to make every single employee an owner of the company.
Bob and Charlee took hundreds of thousands of steps, life steps, to create a brand that not only cares about its employees but also about their customers, people like us. All it started with was one little step.
The next time you go for a run, think about your steps and where they could lead you. Think about your goals and the tiny grains it will you to get there. It’s the small things we do along the way, for ourselves and others, that will create the life we live.
So, let’s lace-up, start small, and dream big. And while you’re at it, try some of Bob’s Red Mill protein powder. You’ll need the energy along your way.
