By Brenna Wiegand
For the past dozen years, Darin Rybloom has been the face of Roth’s in the Silverton/Mount Angel community, a role he earned the old-fashioned way – by example and lots of hard work.
In 1965, Darin’s father Darrell Rybloom opened the Lancaster store as manager, going out from there to open the Woodburn and McMinnville markets before Orville Roth made him vice president and general manager in 1972. The senior Rybloom retired in 2001.
“Orville and my dad made a good team,” Darin said. “I grew up in the stores – from when I was a little kid I’d be in stocking the milk or out pushing carts in the parking lot.”
It did not become official until 1984 when the then 15-year-old Rybloom was hired as a box boy at the Lancaster store.
“We call them courtesy clerks now,” said Rybloom, who spent the next few years working at the store whenever school allowed.
In 1988, Rybloom took a full-time post at the Independence store, where he learned to check.
“Pat, who taught me, is a neat lady and she still works there,” Rybloom said. “She’s about 80 and loves telling people she trained me how to check.”
A year or two later Rybloom tackled produce at the Vista market.
From there he slipped over to the back room at Sunnyslope store for some lessons in receiving before heading back to Vista as a key person; someone who is up front to oversee – and unlock – things.
“I was pretty persistent; I was a hard worker, and they’d put more in front of me and I’d take it,” he said. “Two years is as much as I stayed in any one place – until Silverton.”
In 1990, Roth made Rybloom a key person in the Woodburn store and then sent him to Keizer to help open a new store.
Rybloom was working as assistant manager at the Vista store in 1995 when Roth called and asked him if he would like to go to Australia – his most dramatic ‘transfer’ to date. In 1996, he spent 8 months in Perth as part of a grocery exchange program.
“It was an amazing experience and I learned a lot, working in all the departments of a big, high-volume store,” he said. “It was a very different feel from the customer and community focused atmosphere I was used to.”
As 1996 became 1997, Rybloom returned stateside as assistant manager at the West Salem store. Later that year, Rybloom returned once more to Vista in the same capacity.
“Vista market is one of my favorite stores,” he said. “I’ve worked there quite a bit over the years and I just love the customers up there.”
In 1998, Roth sent Rybloom to Stayton, and finally put him in charge of his own store.
“I was ready for it,” Rybloom said. “Stayton was a fairly big store and they had a great crowd out there. I ran that one for 16 months – and it really came pretty naturally for me.”
When in February 2000 Rybloom landed the manager’s role at Silverton – the Roth’s flagship – Rybloom knew he was home. He moved to Silverton within the month.
“I was excited to come because we were in the middle of the remodel here – kind of our concept store with our fresh market stuff,” he said. “By April/May we had that thing up and rolling – pretty exciting times.”
The excitement of constant change continues, though most mornings begin in similar fashion. Rybloom arrives and gets some coffee, which he takes back to his office as he checks the numbers and completes labor reports.
Getting a refill works in well as he touches base with the various department heads, including making sure the bakery’s looking good before he pops up front to see what’s going on or to consult with Phil Conner or Barb Nobles, assistant managers.
He may do one more quick tour of the store before he starts his day, because many times his work takes Rybloom outside the store doors and into the community.
“They really encourage us to get involved in the community,” Rybloom said, “and I’ve enjoyed it.”
It takes a certain type of person to say that and mean it.
While Rybloom came to Silverton well versed in the workings of the business, the community involvement piece was something new – something that for him turned out to be like icing on the cake.
He considers serving on the boards of service clubs and community organizations like Rotary, Silverton Area Community Aid and the Chamber of Commerce “the fun part of my job.”
“We’re rolling out with Homer Davenport festival again and things are working well with those folks and with Rotary,” he said. “I just really enjoy it. It has made me understand how important the community is; and it’s such a joy to be able to give back to it this way; to have the latitude Orville gives me to take part to such a degree.”
Perhaps more than this is the satisfaction Rybloom has found in helping young people get off to a good start in the workaday world.
“In my 21 years in management, thousands of young people have come through our system and gone on to have bright futures,” he said. “Nothing’s better or more rewarding than knowing I have helped them along the way.”
