DeMarcus Rodgers’ first attempt at grilling was, well, less than spectacular.
“I grilled chicken, and it came out tasting like lighter fluid because I really wanted to get the charcoal going,” Rodgers recalled with a laugh. “I was 9 years old.”
In the years since, Rodgers has become a popular grill master, food truck owner and budding restauranteur in Birmingham, Alabama. And a year into his brick-and-mortar establishment, Kuntry Kitchen, he credits his success to his love for cooking and a little help from some new and old friends alike.
That includes the nonprofit Birmingham Business Resource Center, Regions Bank and a former college teammate, Nick Hayes. Now a Regions banker, Hayes received a file on a new small-business loan and quickly realized there was a connection.
“When I got the loan documents from Tamika (McNeal) at the BBRC it was for Kuntry Kitchen,” Hayes said. “I didn’t recognize the name. But when I looked at the documents, the owner was DeMarcus Rodgers who was the same age as me, and I stopped and said to myself, ‘Wait, I know DeMarcus Rodgers!’”
When I got the loan documents from Tamika (McNeal) at the BBRC it was for Kuntry Kitchen. I didn’t recognize the name. Nick Hayes, Regions banker
The Kuntry Kitchen logo, where the food lives up to the hype.
Twenty-four years ago, Hayes was a redshirt freshman kicker and Rodgers a redshirt freshman linebacker when the UAB Blazers football program came of age with a seismic upset of LSU and new coach Nick Saban – on homecoming in Tiger Stadium, no less.
As seniors, they were both mainstays as the UAB program continued to keep churning out historical milestones, including the program’s first bowl trip to Hawaii.
The two were already fairly close because Hayes ran with the linebackers after practices. Following graduation, they began working out together getting ready for a shot at pro football.
“He and I literally would do sprints together, running the concourse at Bartow Arena, training for Pro Day,” Hayes said. “We held each other accountable.”
“We had to hold each other accountable, because I always hated running,” Rodgers laughed.
Hayes found a home in the Arena Football League for four seasons, winning the title in 2008. Rodgers ended up in training camp for the Canadian Football League’s Montreal Alouettes before landing on a semi-pro team for a few seasons.
But they soon parted ways to focus on careers, not knowing that Rodgers’ love of grilling – well-known among his Blazers teammates – would eventually become his profession.
A Leap of Faith
Rodgers first worked as a substance abuse counselor after college and still helps veterans. A social psychology major, he went back and got his Masters, then worked nine years in the field of helping others recover. All the while, he spent weekends on the grill, first cooking for family and friends, then for anyone who put in a request. All for free.
“When the grant for my counseling job ended, I decided to take a leap,” Rodgers said. “My daughter wasn’t even 1. That was my biggest concern – not so much the money aspect but being away from home and an infant.”
The lady ordered some ribs, and when she picked them up said, ‘I know the perfect place for you.’ I checked out Elysian Gardens, and I was sold.DeMarcus Rodgers, owner of Kuntry Kitchen
A vintage car, a neon sign and guitar art turn Elysian Gardens into a must-see spot in Birmingham.
Beginning with a food truck, he developed a solid reputation across town. But his first plan to expand his business ended when a tornado wiped out his recently purchased second trailer. Rodgers was on the verge of buying a second truck when a customer told him of a potential brick-and-mortar location at Elysian Gardens, a new spot in the Avondale neighborhood that included a bar and a bandstand.
“The lady ordered some ribs, and when she picked them up said, ‘I know the perfect place for you.’ I checked out Elysian Gardens, and I was sold.”
But he would need help making the move.
The BBRC
The Birmingham Business Resource Center was founded in 1996 by Bob Dickerson, a longtime banker, who serves as executive director.
“I felt like small, growing businesses – particularly underserved businesses – didn’t have the training, financing and resources they need to be successful.”
The BBRC became a one-stop shop to provide programs that helped increase the capacity of small businesses and assist owners’ access to capital. Since its beginnings, Dickerson counts 500 successful SBA loans, another 700-800 micro loans and as many as 10,000 small businesses that took advantage of the nonprofits workshops and one-on-one counseling.
I felt like small, growing businesses – particularly underserved businesses – didn’t have the training, financing and resources they need to be successful.Bob Dickerson, executive director of The Birmingham Business Resource Center
BBRC Executive Director Bob Dickerson enjoys a plate of Kuntry Kitchen’s delicious barbecue.
And that’s what attracted Rodgers. He knew how to help someone break the hold of addiction. But business was a new frontier.
“I met Bob and Tamika through a business class that was helping small-business owners learn the ins and outs of business,” Rodgers said. “I can talk to people all day about food, but I don’t know about all the small pieces of making a business a success. Thankfully, they accepted me in the program, and we did an intense eight-week course. We’ve had a relationship since then because they gave a ton of knowledge.”
Regions Nick Hayes with the BBRC’s Tamika McNeal and Bob Dickerson at Elysian Gardens.
Blazers Reunited
A year ago, the BBRC approached Regions, asking the Birmingham-headquartered bank to consider a secured loan product and platform for BBRC clients participating in the intensive training programs. For Rodgers, this sped up his growth, bypassing the extra years it would take to get the capital he needed.
The next step: working with McNeal, Rodgers was matched with a banker. McNeal already had an inkling Rodgers and Hayes had a college connection.
“Tamika knew ahead of time but never let on,” Rodgers said. “I was at a home store when I got a call that went straight to my voicemail. When I played it back, it said, ‘This is Nick Hayes from Regions Bank,’ and I said to myself, ‘No, no, that can’t be Nick Hayes.”
But it was. And this wouldn’t be a mere social connection.
It’s hard work. But it doesn’t feel like it when it’s your passion. DeMarcus Rodgers, owner of Kuntry Kitchen
“Nick understands the relationship aspect of banking,” Rodgers said. “He’s been really helpful, giving me the tools I need and little pointers on what we need to do – like saving for college – that go beyond the business part.”
Reunited in business, they recently gathered for a leisurely lunch at Kuntry Kitchen, with Dickerson and McNeal joining them for ribs so succulent that they fall off the bone.
Teammates on the football field are now working to make a business grow, thanks to the BBRC, a UAB connection and a little luck.
“It’s hard work,” Rodgers admitted of his new business. “But it doesn’t feel like it when it’s your passion.”