Gaarder following multiple dreams in current roles
TOM PINNEY/DAILY FORUM
Rapid Elite owner Matt Gaarder looks through freshly-printed envelopes in the “war room” at Rapid Elite. Gaarder started as the “Voice of the Bearcats” this season, taking over the public address announcing duties at Lamkin Arena and Bearcat Stadium.
When Doug Sudhoff decided to retire from being the public address announcer at Bearcat Stadium, Coach Mel Tjeerdsma found a familiar voice to take over as the “Voice of the Bearcats.”
Matt Gaarder, who was part of the commentary team for Bearcat football and basketball games on the Bearcat Radio Network opposite John Coffey, was already the PA announcer for Northwest Missouri State University’s home volleyball games. Starting with the 2016 football season, Gaarder took over PA announcing duties for football, basketball, and track and field events as well.
Gaarder graduated from Northwest Missouri State University with a bachelor’s degree in broadcasting in 1997. Upon graduation, Gaarder went to Fairbury, Nebraska to work for KUTT Radio.
After only two years, Gaarder returned to Maryville to serve as the news and sports director at Nodaway Broadcasting. From 1999 until 2010, Gaarder did commentary for the company’s broadcasts of Maryville High School football and basketball games, as well as Northwest’s football and basketball games. Gaarder also served on a morning show and oversaw newscasts.
But there was something missing for Gaarder, and it didn’t hit him until he was doing something relatively mundane.
“I had always wanted to be a small business owner, I had always had the itch,” Gaarder said. “I just needed to find the right product to sell. I went online to search for equipment for my printer, and that’s when I ran across Rapid Refill.”
Gaarder took a look at their business model and found his product. In 2010, he opened Rapid Refill just off the Downtown Square, and after taking over Accent Printing in 2013, changed the name of the business to Rapid Elite.
“We were part of a franchise before 2013,” Gaarder explained. “But we were able to buy ourselves out of the franchise when we bought Accent Printing, so we changed the name to Rapid Elite.”
Rapid Elite’s most well-known clientele come for the ink and toner, saving an average of 40 percent over name-brand prices. Gaarder said the company does more than just sell ink and recycle cartridges, which is what really drove the name change.
“We expanded to include a full-line print shop, so anything that needs to be printed can be printed here,” Gaarder explained. “We also do UPS and FedEx shipping services, and we’re getting into web design and hosting.”
Gaarder was excited to get into small-business ownership because of the freedom of being his own boss.
“It frees me up to make decisions, so that if there’s something I want to try, I get to try it,” Gaarder said. “The freedom is a big part of what attracted me to business. I also get to work with the public and talk to people all the time.”
The average day for Gaarder is more than just going to the shop. He is a past president of the Host Lions, congregational president at Hope Lutheran Church, and the board president of the Maryville Downtown Improvement Organization.
Gaarder’s free time is usually spent with his family: wife Sherry, a cosmetologist at Bliss Salon, a nine-year-old daughter Kallie, and a six-year-old son Myles.
“My hobbies have turned into my kids’ hobbies,” Gaarder said. “They’re getting involved in sports, so most of my free time is going to them. I used to be an avid runner, but after three marathons, my knees decided that wasn’t too great an idea anymore.”
An established member of and contributor to the Maryville community, Gaarder said involvement is the best thing someone can do with their time.
“Make sure to utilize opportunities you have to better your community,” Gaarder said. “It’s something my business has done, we’ve given our employees a directive to get involved in the community in some way.
“That’s another reason for our success, that we’re all invested in the success of the community around us, from individuals to fellow businesses. It’s hard to do, because there’s a lot of hard work involved just in running a business, but the payoff is well worth it.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is part of a weekly series highlighting “Everyday Heroes.” In this weekly segment, the Daily Forum takes a look at people who work tirelessly to make Maryville a great place to live. If you have a suggestion for someone who you feel should be featured, please contact us via email at [email protected] or call the Forum at 660-562- 2424.