Randy Oaks: A knack for rallying folks for a cause

POST FALLS - Randy Oaks has picked up something new each step of the way and applied it to the next chapter of his life.

This process has resulted in a giver to his community and a guy who has a knack for rallying the right folks to raise funds for a cause.

Oaks lives in Coeur d'Alene but operates his business, 3Acorn Insurance, in Post Falls.

He has served with several Post Falls and area nonprofits, including the food bank, senior center, Jacklin Arts and Cultural Center, Green Idaho Foundation (the group that distributes Clubhouse Bingo funds generated at the Greyhound Park and Event Center), Boys and Girls Club, United Way and chamber of commerce.

"I can't say enough about our community and what the people do," said Oaks, referring to why he's so involved. "Everyone lends a hand in this community, and it's infectious.

"It is never a work week for me, but a week I do lots of things that hopefully impacts my business and people to the best of my abilities."

Nonprofits are well aware of Oaks' knack for rallying people for a cause.

When the chamber of commerce agreed to provide temporary oversight of the JACC last fall due to financial woes, Oaks was tapped to helped organize the "Back in Black" fundraiser to get the arts and cultural center on solid financial ground.

"A lot of it is getting people to the event and having them understand what the their dollar means to an organization," Oaks said.

Oaks has helped organize several other fundraisers, including for the Boys and Girls Club, chamber of commerce, 4-H and North Idaho STEM Charter Academy. Oaks said he and friend Ron Nilson, CEO of Ground Force Worldwide in Post Falls, have been involved in multiple fundraisers together.

Oaks' commitment to the community was recently honored when he received a Community Service Award from Post Falls Mayor Ron Jacobson.

Oaks, who served as the chamber of commerce's chairman in 2007, was named the nonprofit's Volunteer of the Year in 2009 and earned back-to-back Chairman Awards from the nonprofit in 2011 and 2012.

Describe how your work situation has changed over the past 25 years.

I worked as an assistant manager at a local movie theater for a couple of years. This is where I got my feet wet in management, managing people, inventory and facility. My next job was provided to me by Jerry Jaeger (Hagadone Hospitality co-founder) in a weird way. Mr. Jaeger was always late to date night with his wife at the theater so he would call in and we would have tickets, pop and popcorn ready to go. This taught me customer service. One day Mr. Jaeger told me about a new business in town that needed people. He signed the back of his business card and suggested I apply. A couple months later, I started out as a bar back at the Greyhound Park in 1988 before moving my way up to general manager there. I then went into the insurance business with J.D. Dickinson after I'd met him through the chamber of commerce. He convinced me that I can actually sell insurance. We became partners in the Moon Dollars restaurant. Anyone who has been in the restaurant business and partnerships knows that they can create stress so we decided to not keep it going in 2012. It was difficult running a business within a business and to spend time managing it. In 2012 I decided to venture on my own with insurance and started 3Acorn.

Where did the name 3Acorn come from?

It was an old family corporation my dad came up with that represented three of the kids who came to be from the mighty oak tree. The oak tree is an image of deep-rooted stability and strength and the fruit of its existence is the acorn. Pretty corny, I guess.

When you were managing the Greyhound Park and Event Center, Paul Bryant Jr., the son of legendary Alabama football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, was your boss. What was that like?

To be honest, I only met him three times over the 20 years. The Greene Group (which owns the Greyhound Park) is a huge corporation and very diversified. I dealt mostly with his management team. It was a corporation that showed me how things should be done, how to treat employees, how to run a business and how to look at finances.

What's something that most people don't know about you?

I was in football, soccer and track and field in high school and my girlfriend was nationally-ranked in gymnastics. First, I thought pretty high of myself athletically and, second, I wanted to show my girlfriend how great I was. I thought that I could do gymnastics so her club took me to Canada. Out of six males, I placed sixth. It was a very humbling experience. It was one of those learning experiences.

What other learning experiences do you want to share?

I took my uncle's boat as a teen and spent a night in jail. I understood responsibility from that day on.

What was your upbringing like?

I am sure my parents and family question if anything got through to me. I can say, yes it did, and thank you for the unconditional love and support.

With a few growing pains, what was the turning point for you?

Art Elliott (owner of the construction firm Shelter and Associates) gave me a job and guided me. I was a grunt who dug holes, moved lumber and cleaned up job sites. He taught me that, once I start learning responsibility and work, everything else would start to click. The work helped me start growing and maturing. Art was very patient with me.

How much did your upbringing have to do with who you are as a person today? Explain.

I was born in Mountain View, Calif., moved to Beaverton, Ore., in the fifth grade and then to Coeur d'Alene in the middle of my junior year of high school. I would have to say all these locations had an effect on who I am. I would not know how to quantify that, other than say I would not change a thing.