Bobby Campbell has truly lived the American dream.
As the son of a single mother, he grew up in humble circumstances. But he fought hard to gain the experience that enabled him to build his Boca Raton-based footwear company, BBC International, into a multimillion-dollar giant.
He’s surprisingly modest about his accomplishments.
“I didn’t have any idea the company would be so successful,” says Campbell, 81, CEO and chairman. “I just took a chance. At the time, I was single. I didn’t have too many responsibilities, and I got lucky.”
His career began early when his family moved from Pittsburgh to Detroit. There, he got an after-school job at Kinney Shoes at age 15. He did so well as a salesman that the parent company, Woolworth, made him a buyer, and, by 28, he was crisscrossing the globe on buying trips.
After years of travel, Campbell decided to start his own company.
“I just got bored,” he admits.
So he founded BBC International in 1975 to source and distribute footwear. Eventually, the company became one of the largest global sourcing agents and distributors of children’s shoes.
Campbell’s biggest break came when a man from Canada approached him with a patent for putting lights in the soles of shoes. Campbell convinced L.A. Gear to manufacture and sell these lighted shoes.
“In the first year of production,” he says, “that company sold 10 million pairs.”
His reputation as a philanthropist grew along with his company. He supports many Palm Beach County charities and has received numerous awards for his generosity. A few years ago, the Boca Raton resident contributed $1.2 million to Lynn University for construction of the Robert Campbell Stadium, and, in 2017, he received an honorary doctorate from Florida Atlantic University, another institution to which he has made generous contributions.
Campbell never attended college. But, he says, things are very different in the business world today: “You need an education, a backer, a partner and funding as well as a presence in social media.”
His advice to those seeking to walk in his footsteps?
“When you have a problem, stay with it. Don’t give up.”
That type of persistence – coupled with talent and a bit of luck – has clearly been one of the keys to Campbell’s enormous success. O