The Rise of Breakaway Courier's Rob Kotch
The Ride

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New York - In a business where many companies fall, Rob Kotch, owner of Breakaway Courier, has succeeded. Not only does he have one of the most successful courier companies in New York City, he has expanded his business to include offices in Paris and Boston. His company is title sponsor of the Breakaway Courier cycling team, one of the strongest teams on the East Coast. In his spare time, he is the head of the board of trustees of the New York based  Transportation Alternatives.

Kotch founded Breakaway Courier in 1988. At the time, the staff consisted of Kotch, a dispatcher, and three messengers. The first day in business, they made two deliveries. Today, a typical day for the New York office consists of 2,000 deliveries. The staff has grown from the original five to approximately 200 people employed at the New York office. The Boston office employs 30 people and the Paris office, founded In 1998, employs five. 

Kotch had a long history in the business prior to his founding Breakaway. He cut his teeth couriering in Denver, Colorado In 1977. He saved some money and went back to college, where he earned a degree in economics. Armed with his degree, he headed off to New York City to manage a rock band that, as he states, "didn't have a chance in hell to make It." The subsequent failure of the rock band left him broke. To earn his keep, he turned to the skill he had acquired in Denver. The attitude in Denver differed from that of the job In New York. "There was a lot of camaraderie back then and it hadn't become cool yet to be a messenger," said Kotch, "but the attitude In Denver was more of a suburban rebellion attitude. The attitude I found in New York was more of an, 'It's a job' attitude." 

He did his Job on the streets for two and a half years, couriering for the Educated and Dedicated service. Educated to the ways of the streets, he then dedicated his time to being a dispatcher. His time here would come to be of help when founding Breakaway. Educated and Dedicated was purchased by another company in September of 1984. Kotch was fired in November. Fulfilling another duty at yet another service, he worked as a salesman until 1988. He started bike racing in 1986 and decided to leave his job because he was becoming, "too healthy." "At the time, there were a of drugs going around. People snorting cocaine in the dispatch office, cigarette smoke was in the air. Some were even smoking crack," he remembers. His dispatcher told him that he was spending too much "time on the bike." He left that service in March of 1988. Banking on his 13 years in the courier industry, Breakaway Courier was founded in June of 1988. 

The first years were hard indeed. He struggled to make his business successful. "I was working a lot back then. I would work as a courier from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. and then as marketer from 7 until 11 p.m.," he said. His hard work paid off. Over the next few years, his company grew, acquiring other messenger services and their client lists. Keeping the customers satisfied allowed him to keep the customers he had. 

Customer service has always been an integral part of Kotch's philosophy. Customers need to know the package will be delivered on time and undamaged. "I always look for really athletic people, people who are really passionate about biking. Of course, they need to enjoy the exercise as well. You have to like what you're doing when you're working in January," stated Kotch. He also insists on safe messengers. Breakaway is one of the few companies that makes safety training a part of their job requirements. This includes a written safety test. He is proud that his company has an excellent safety record. This degree of service naturally costs a bit more. "Yes, we do charge a bit more, but the customers know they're getting more. We can track packages for them, etc.," said Kotch. The higher costs allow him to offer his workers more than they might get from other companies. His employees receive a weekly stipend for health insurance, a commodity many messengers go without. They are able to take part in a 401 (k) and a retirement plan. He also offers performance bonuses.

Not only can he offer more to his workers, he is able to maintain as title sponsor of the Breakaway Courier cycling team. Formed In 1992, the team has had much local success over the years, including one of the original sponsored athletes, Jessica Grieco. The rider that truly put Breakaway on the racing map was Mike McCarthy. McCarthy had been struggling for a few seasons with the Epstein-Barr virus, a virus that causes extreme fatigue. Kotch gained the notoriety of having a big name rider, while McCarthy worked himself back into winning shape.

This year, the team is composed entirely of espoirs, or those riders under the age of 23. They are coached by East Coast standout Adam Hodges-Myerson. The $30,000 dollars a year he spends on the team gives the riders an annual stipend and pays for their entry fees. Breakaway was also the main sponsor of the junior nationals on Staten Island. Right now, there are no messengers on the team. Kotch said with a laugh, "Messengers sometimes don't realize just how hard bike racing is." "Sponsoring the riders has definitely helped increase the visibility of the company," said Kotch, "There are an amazingly large amount of people who ride." 

And it is for these "amazingly large amount of people who ride" that Kotch dedicates his time to Transportation Alternatives. He has been involved with TA since 1992 and has been serving as the president of the board of trustees for the past "three or four years, I can't remember." Kotch fulfills the role of "guardian" of T.A., making sure the organization stays true to its mission. He is a firm believer in the power of advocacy and urges, "Get involved! Join TA, become a volunteer, visit our website at www.transalt.org, or whatever, just get involved!"

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