Meet Ronier Golightly | Motor City Popcorn

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ronier Golightly and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ronier, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I’m originally from Pittsburgh, PA and moved to Detroit as a youth where most of my family sought jobs in the auto industry. Back in Pittsburgh, my great uncle Fred owned a bar named Golightly’s which is my last name and the vision of seeing my last name on a marquee in lights never left me. I was always proud to tell people that my uncle owned a business and for some time, my mother was involved in running it as well. I always wanted to emulate what my uncle put together.

As a teenager I worked at an Italian restaurant, starting off as a dishwasher and eventually working every position in the back of the house up to working on the kitchen line. That gave me a passion for working in the food industry and wanting to run a kitchen. Years later I dabbled into the music industry as I landed positions with radio stations with on-air positions and working for two major record labels doing radio and retail promotions.

By working these two industries, I was combine the experience of working in the food industry and utilizing promotions and marketing from the music industry to create the business that I have today.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I started Motor City Popcorn in 2012 after visiting Chicago and coming across a popcorn retail location that had a line stretched down the street outside. I wanted to know what was the buzz about this brand and how could we get that concept in Detroit. As the city was emerging from the historic bankruptcy filing, I wanted to create a brand that was universally accepted and could create a positive image for the city as needed.

Originally I began to sell popcorn from home, posting flavors on social media and eventually was able to open a retail location in the lobby of Cobo Center. From there I moved the business to Fraser, Dearborn, Livonia and finally back to Detroit on west 7 Mile Rd near Livernois. Being a part of small business programs helped to learn how to maintain expense reports, gain sells, and market the business among other items. Overall it has definitely NOT been easy, there are times when I would look to quit, but I’ve stayed in the game. I was able to stay in the business thanks the programs and organizations that I’ve been a part of and thanks to friends that have came to support by working in the store as needed.

What I’ve learned over time is know our limits, once I took an order that I knew would be a challenge to fill and I accepted anyway. The order wasn’t finished in time and the customer was upset, rightfully so. It damaged my relationship for years with this business and I try to make sure to not repeat that mistake.

I want to public to know that Motor City Popcorn strives to make great products but more importantly I want to have a great business. Being a part of the community, engaging with the public and becoming a place that people feel at home is important to me.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Since I personally have a lot of friends that are business owners, I would show guests places that my friends own such as Waffle Cafe Detroit, Pizza Cat Max, Spudheadz, The Lockeroom, Hazels Place, The J Spot and more. I would take them to The Motown Museum for a tour, to Belle Isle, Charles Wright Museum, walk on Main St in Royal Oak on a weekend night but truthfully my favorite spot for a burger is in Royal Oak – Red Coat Tavern, sorry Detroit but that’s my spot!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to shout out Lisa Coleman who I worked under at Arista Records. Lisa was my boss but in due time she was more of a big sister and I’ve always credited her with getting me on track. I used to joke that no one could yell at me like how Lisa did, but she has always been an inspiration for me to work the way i do.

I would also shout out the many organizations that I have been able to work with that helped to guide me in this business such as Build Institute, TechTown, B3 Elevation, Foodlab Detroit and Launch Detroit.

A great book that heavily influenced me was Who Moved My Cheese? I joke that it’s book centered around two mice looking for cheese, but once you look into the meaning of it, it’s a great read and motivational to get moving in life.

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