Written By: Hannah Riggs
Corn Xpress, while still a fairly new company, is one that has already made a name for itself; and there is a reason why. Instead of having to find a Co-Op or buy corn at other establishments like Walmart, deer hunters now have the convenience of using a vending machine like service to get the corn they need for deer. Customers can go to the Corn Xpress machine, swipe a card, choose the amount of corn they would like, and have the product dispensed to them all within a matter of minutes.
Dan Barnes, co-owner of Corn Xpress was able to talk with us here at Ducksouth a little more in depth about the product. Barnes, while not a part of the product’s initial creation, got involved with the company very early on.
“My business partner, Chip Chisolm and I grew up together and have known each other for a long time. One day, Chip came to me with this idea for a corn vending machine. I’m the big duck hunter in the group, and Chip is the big deer hunter. So back then, I didn’t see the importance in it. Then one day I was driving down the road, and the light bulb went off. I was like ‘My gosh. There is a big need for corn, and it isn’t very convenient to purchase,” Barnes said.
One afternoon when Barnes was visiting Chisolm at his house he saw the beginning prototype for the machine, and from there Barnes knew he wanted to be involved in any way he could.
“My day job is medical sales. I’ve been in sales and marketing for over 16 years now. I was able to bring my experience with that to the table and join the team,” Barnes said.
The original prototype for Corn Xpress was put in Port Gibson, Mississippi in 2014. But through a chance encounter, the product was able to be taken to the next level.
“Chip, at the time was a nurse and a man by the name of Brad Davidson came in because he was having a heart attack. Depending on the severity of a heart attack, there is a time delay between the time spent waiting to go to the back for tests,” Barnes said.
The two talked as Brad waited and Chisolm soon found out that Davidson was a mechanical engineer out of Vicksburg. “Chip got out his phone and showed Brad the picture of our corn machine. Brad said, ‘That’s unbelievable!’ In the redneck way of putting it, Chip said ‘Well once you get done with this heart attack, we need to talk,” Barnes said.
So, the group at Corn Xpress met with Davidson and his men. The group was able to put together a, even more, state of the art and user-friendly machine.
“Within three months we went from a unit that was made in Chip’s backyard to a professionally made product that was just out of this world,” Barnes said.
Their product is now in ten states, the farthest being Ohio. Within the first few year of business, sales have gone from five their first year to forty-five in the month of August alone. Not only is their machine great for hunters, but also a tremendous opportunity for the owners of the machines as well. All machines are independently owned and operated and come with territory protection to make sure there is not competition in the area. The company also does not place royalties or fees on the owners and strive to provide the best customer service possible for their clients.
“We aren’t corporate America. We want to be there to help every customer who may be interested. We are a company that strives for the best customer service possible,” Barnes said.
To learn more about Corn Xpress, see their current locations, or find out how to own a Corn Xpress machine, please visit their website at http://www.cornxpress.com And for any other questions related to Corn Xpress that were not able to be answered via their website, feel free to contact Dan Barnes directly at dan_barnes@comcast.net
