Four Champions, Four Decades, 160 Years of Coca-Cola Dedication 

Four Champions, Four Decades, 160 Years of Coca-Cola Dedication 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Forty years ago, Coca-Cola looked a little different in Florida. 

Deliveries required smaller trucks, hand carts, and a lot more lifting. Glass bottles were still making their way into stores. New products, packages, and technology that are familiar today were still years away.  

Through decades of change, four Coke Florida associates have been there for the journey. 

This year, Mark Rickabaugh, Robert Lea, Ronnie Pough, and Juan Reyes each celebrated 40 years in the Coca-Cola system. Their careers have taken remarkably different paths, but each reflects the dedication, knowledge, and pride that longtime associates bring to Coke Florida today. 

Mark Rickabaugh: Falling in Love with the Brand 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After 40 years and five different Coca-Cola bottlers, Mark Rickabaugh’s enthusiasm for Coca-Colathe company hasn’t faded. 

“How can you not just fall in love with the brand?” he said. 

Mark, now a Customer Development Manager, began his career in 1986 as a junior salesman, learning the business from the ground up. One day might mean cleaning the barn; another meant heading out on a route. Over the next four decades, he would watch the business transform around him. 

Mark remembers the introduction of the plastic Coca-Cola contour bottle and the extraordinary customer response that followed: 

“You wouldn’t think that is a big deal,” he recalled. “Oh my goodness, it tripled sales. It was amazing, and it really just showed the iconic-ness of Coca-Cola and the brand. I think we just underestimated how important it the representation of the bottle really was to the people, what that bottle represented..” 

That connection between people and Coca-Cola has fascinated Mark throughout his career. 

Once, he even stepped into the role of the Coca-Cola Polar Bear aboard a cruise ship. People of all ages and from around the world sought out the beloved character, another reminder for Mark of just how far the affection for Coca-Cola reaches. 

His loyalty also extends beyond the workday. Mark is proud of the fact that his family won’t eat at restaurants that serve competitor products, even while they’re on vacation. 

 

 

 

 

But beneath the fun stories is something Mark takes seriously: relationships. 

He remembers the significance of Coke Florida Chairman and CEO Troy Taylor asking to accompany him to a customer presentation. He credits mentors including his current leader, Jorge Alvarez, and William Paul, who influenced him earlier in his career. Today, Mark wants to provide that same guidance to others. 

One of his favorite experiences is working alongside an associate and watching the moment a customer suddenly understands what Coca-Cola can do for their business. Mark calls it a “magical moment.” Afterward, he enjoys helping associates break down what worked and why. 

Over 40 years, Mark has given a great deal to the Coca-Cola system. During one of the hardest chapters of his own life, he says Coke Florida has given something back. 

Mark has been navigating a cancer journey for 11 years, and through it, he says the company and the people around him have stood by him. 

That sense of family is part of why, after working for five bottlers, Mark says Coke Florida is his favorite, and his last. 

For someone beginning their career today, his message is characteristically enthusiastic: they are joining at the right place and the right time. 

After 40 years, he still sees tremendous potential ahead. 

 

Robert Lea: Taking Pride in a Job Done Right 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ask Robert Lea what he takes pride in after 40 years, and he won’t point to a particular title; he’ll say a job done well. 

Robert has spent nearly his entire Coca-Cola career as a driver. He tried sales for about three years, but it didn’t take long for him to realize where he wanted to be. He asked to return to driving and never looked back. 

Today, at 63, Robert is still “throwing cases,” and he’ll tell you he remains one of the fastest drivers out there. 

“I take pride in doing my job, and doing a good job,” he said. “I don’t want to pat myself on the back, but at 63, I still am one of the fastest drivers out there.” 

The job itself has changed tremendously since he began. 

Robert remembers smaller trucks and a much more physical delivery process, with associates lifting, loading and pushing products into stores. Today, innovations like electric pallet jacks, lift systems, and other equipment have removed steps from the process and made the work more efficient. 

Still, Robert likes the physical nature of being a Driver Merchandiser. 

“It keeps me healthy and keeps me strong,” he said. 

For 25 years, he handled bulk deliveries before eventually returning to his current work. Through every iteration of the job, his approach has remained simple: work efficiently, meet Coca-Cola standards, and take care of the customer. 

That philosophy was shaped early in his career by people like Ron, the supervisor who hired and trained him and took Robert under his wing. 

 

 

 

 

 

Eventually, Robert became the experienced associate doing the training. One of the people he trained was Dave Warner, who went on to become a supervisor. Robert believes Dave’s experience doing the job himself helps him understand the associates he now leads — a reminder of how knowledge can pass from one generation to another. 

Some lessons were learned with a little more humor. 

Only days into his Coca-Cola career, Robert was accompanying an experienced driver on a delivery involving glass bottles. His trainer warned him about a particularly narrow sidewalk and the importance of being careful. Robert navigated it successfully. 

Then, behind him, the trainer dropped the glass bottles.  

Four decades later, Robert can laugh about it. 

But he also knows firsthand that the work isn’t easy. 

His advice to a new associate is straightforward: be prepared to work hard. Put in the effort, do the job well, and trust that the company will recognize it. 

“Coke’s always been good to me,” Robert said. “It’s been a great company to work for.” 

That relationship became particularly meaningful when Robert underwent multiple surgeries. He remembers the support he received as he recovered and returned to work. 

“They’ve taken care of me,” he said. 

After 40 years, Robert is still doing the work he chose for himself, still taking care of customers, and still measuring success the same way he always has: doing the job efficiently and doing it right. 

 

Ronnie Pough: Keep Stepping Up 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When Ronnie Pough joined the Coca-Cola system on February 17, 1986, he wasn’t imagining himself as a warehouse manager. 

He was looking for something stable. 

Ronnie wanted to find a strong company where he could work hard, provide for his family, and build a career. As he puts it, he wanted to find a company and “make it home.” 

He found it. 

His first role as a driver wasn’t easy. Days could begin at 4 or 5 in the morning and end at 6 or 7 at night. Twelve- and 13-hour shifts were common, and the work was physically demanding. 

But Ronnie was determined to succeed wherever he was placed. 

His career changed direction when he moved into inventory. As an inventory checker, he discovered a new side of the business: balancing the books, researching discrepancies, understanding yields, and learning more about how production and the broader Coca-Cola system worked. 

“The challenge of working with Coke excited me,” he said. 

He spent roughly 12 years in inventory. Then another ambition began to emerge: Ronnie wanted to learn how to lead. 

He became an inventory supervisor and later a warehouse supervisor, a role he held for nearly 20 years. But he still wasn’t finished. 

Ronnie had ideas. 

He saw processes he believed could be improved and wanted the opportunity to make those improvements. For someone who describes himself as naturally bashful, learning to voice those ideas became an important part of his development. 

Eventually, he set his sights on becoming a warehouse manager. 

About four years ago, after decades of learning, leading, and pushing himself forward, he reached that goal. 

Looking back, even Ronnie is surprised by how far his career took him. 

“I think I achieved more than I thought I could at the time,” he said. “The more I got into it, the more that I wanted it.” 

 

 

 

 

Along the way, leaders helped Ronnie see potential in himself. He credits his former leader Tony with helping set the stage for his progression into leadership, and his current leader, Christopher Silva, with believing in him enough to give him the opportunity to become a manager. 

But Ronnie also developed a mindset of his own that carried him through new jobs, challenges, and major changes to the business. 

Whatever position he was given, his response was essentially the same: “I’m going to do this. I’m going to be successful where I’m at.” 

He learned to treat criticism as an opportunity to improve rather than a reason to become discouraged. He took pride in adapting, learning, and contributing to innovation. And when opportunities came, he kept making the same decision: 

Step up. Step up. Step up. 

Now, Ronnie wants younger associates to do the same. 

His advice is to begin by doing the job you were hired to do as well as you possibly can. Control your attitude. Control your mindset. And when you see an opportunity to make something better, don’t simply complain about it — bring an idea. 

Ronnie knows that lesson personally. Early in his career, he didn’t always know how to voice his ideas. Once he learned to speak up, he says his career began to change. 

Today, after helping change processes throughout his career, he encourages other associates to find their own voices and is working to pay forward the encouragement others once gave him. 

Forty years after looking for a stable company to call home, Ronnie has not only found that home. He has become one of its leaders. 

 

Juan Reyes: Forty Years of Saying Yes 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is one moment from Juan Reyes’ interview that perhaps says more about his 40-year career than any job title could. 

Talking about his 40 years at Coca-Cola made him emotional. 

For Juan, four decades have meant warehouses and delivery trucks, merchandising and supermarkets, long hours, and millions of dollars of product handled. They’ve meant learning exactly how to stack a truck, protect a case, solve a problem, and meet the demands of a customer. 

But mostly, they’ve meant people and a brand he genuinely loves. 

Juan began in the warehouse before moving into full-service delivery. His routes took him from Key Largo to North Florida. Eventually, he began delivering large orders to supermarkets — work that required unloading trailers full of cases by hand. 

“You have to be good to do that,” he said. 

At one point, Juan was offered an opportunity to move into sales. He knew it wasn’t for him. Instead, he spent time in merchandising before eventually returning to the plant, where he works today as a General Laborer. 

He likes that no two days are quite the same. There are always new challenges, something that needs to be cleaned, something to fix, or someone who needs help. And he speaks particularly highly of his current supervisor, Maria. 

 

 

Throughout his career, Juan has developed an extraordinary knowledge of how Coca-Cola products should be handled. 

He knows how to load and stack products to reduce damage and maximize deliveries. He takes pride in identifying old or damaged product, cleaning up the area and, importantly, figuring out how to prevent the problem from happening again. Decades of firsthand experience have even given him strong opinions about which pallets and equipment best protect products. 

Other associates request to work with him because of that expertise. And rather than shy away from difficult assignments, Juan enjoys working with some of the most demanding customers. 

One delivery still stands out. 

Juan once arrived at a supermarket with a massive delivery and no support. So he did it himself — unloading the truck, stacking the cases, and placing the products on shelves. Store associates watched in amazement as one person completed the enormous job. 

It’s a story that captures an attitude Juan has carried for 40 years: when there is work to do, he does it. 

There have been times when Juan worked as many as 80 hours. Yet he says it didn’t feel like work because he loved what he was doing and the people around him. 

He developed a reputation for rarely saying no when help was needed. Deliveries, pallets, events:whatever the assignment, Juan was willing to pitch in. 

That dedication has been tested in another way over the years. Juan says he has received numerous offers to leave Coca-Cola and work for a competitor. 

His answer has always been no. He loves the Coca-Cola brand too much. 

That made being recognized at Coke Florida’s headquarters for his 40-year milestone particularly meaningful. After decades of physically demanding work and commitment behind the scenes, being celebrated for that contribution moved him. 

Because Juan knows the work is hard. 

He also knows how much he has loved doing it. 

 

160 Years — and a Legacy That Continues 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mark, Robert, Ronnie, and Juan began their Coca-Cola careers in 1986. 

None could have known exactly what the next 40 years would bring: the bottler transitions, innovations, new equipment, new packages, changing roles, challenges, customers, or opportunities. 

What endured was their commitment to the work. 

Today, the four bring a combined 160 years of experience to Coke Florida. But their impact can’t be measured in years alone. It lives in the customers they’ve served, associates they’ve trained, processes they’ve improved, products they’ve protected, teams they’ve led, and knowledge they’ve passed along. 

And now, each has an opportunity to help shape the associates who will write the next chapter. 

Forty years is a milestone. 

Four careers like these are a legacy.