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Officials at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College (NEO) have announced Rodney Spriggs as the recipient of this year’s Outstanding Alumnus from the School of Human Environmental Sciences. Spriggs will be formally honored during the Alumni Awards luncheon on Saturday, Sept. 24, at noon in the Calcagno Family Ballroom. All alumni and friends of the college are invited to attend. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children ages 12 and under, and may be purchased by contacting the NEO Development Foundation office at 918-540-6115. NEO’s “Greatest Homecoming on Earth” festivities will take place on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016.
Spriggs is the President/CEO of the media retailer, Vintage Stock, which boasts over fifty locations in seven states, and is one of the most notable media retailers in the Midwest. Spriggs embraces a “customer first” policy by offering a comprehensive buy-sell-trade model, and argues that while other companies may limit what they purchase from a consumer, Vintage Stock uses a sophisticated point-of-sale system to make the best offers on the consumer’s trade/sell. The company has purchased or traded for over 8 million movies, video games, or cds in the past year. By adapting to various market trends, such as the resurgence of vinyl record sales, Vintage Stock has experienced double-digit increases in their music sales. They have also seen their sale of physical books rise seven percent in the past year alone. By diversifying the Vintage Stock business model, Spriggs has been able to encourage growth while many media companies collapse.
Spriggs grew up in Columbus, Kan. and graduated from Wyandotte High School. Following his time at NEO, he earned a degree in Business Administration from Missouri Southern State University. After working with the owner of The Book Barn in Joplin, Mo., Spriggs, Ken Caviness, and Steve Wilcox purchased the business in 2002. The trio revolutionized and modernized the business model of the retailer to include various media, including video games, music, and movies. Along with diversified media, Spriggs embraces making Vintage Stock locations gathering and entertainment hubs. Many locations include miniature movie theaters, video game demo stations, and areas for competitive card battling games. While operating the chain of stores takes much of his time, Spriggs is still active on the NEO School of Business Advisory Board, the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Quapaw Tribal Development Corp.
When he isn’t working, Spriggs is a self-described “movie buff” and enjoys watching all types of movies. Spriggs and his wife Sherry have four children, and live in Joplin, Mo. “Rodney Spriggs is very deserving of NEO’s outstanding alumni honor,” says Jennifer Hessee, executive director of the NEO Development Foundation. “Rodney has a keen sense of business and isn’t afraid of hard work, and because of that, Vintage Stock is one of the nation’s leading entertainment stores.”
