Welcome to #HOMETOWNHUSTLE – a SweetwaterNOW exclusive series where we highlight hardworking individuals in our community.
This month we sat down with Robert Berg, manager of Arctic Circle in Green River, a man who has spent 33 years working his way from cook to the guy who runs the place, and who has quietly become one of the most community-invested people in Sweetwater County.
The Backstory
Not many people can say they’ve given three decades to the same restaurant. Berg started as a cook in the kitchen and, just six months in, saw an opportunity when the assistant manager walked out the door.
“I went to the manager and talked to her about becoming assistant manager,” Berg said.
He already had the background for it. Before Arctic Circle, he and his brother had run R&R Service, a mechanic shop across the street, and he’d previously worked as an assistant manager at Mini Mart. Management wasn’t new territory; it was familiar ground.
By October of 1995, when the store manager left, Berg stepped into the role he still holds today: general manager. His wife joined him along the way and now serves as one of the assistant managers.
Most people in town assume they own the place. They don’t. Arctic Circle’s Green River location is corporate-owned, but the way they run it, you’d never know the difference.
“Most people in town think that we own it,” Berg said. “Everybody does.”
Mechanics Were Always the Plan, Until They Weren’t
Berg’s path to fast food management wasn’t exactly a straight line. From age 12 to 18, he was doing mechanic work alongside his dad and brother at the family shop. When his dad passed away, he and his brother took over the business.
But somewhere along the way, the wrench lost its appeal.
“I wanted mechanics as a hobby, not as a job for the rest of my life,” he said.
33 Years of Change
Three decades is a long time in any industry, and Berg has watched the restaurant business transform around him. The biggest shift, he said, isn’t the food or the customers. It’s technology.
“A lot of the stuff we used to have to do as far as paperwork and order taking, you had to physically do the work,” he said. “The computers take a lot of the mundane stuff out of it.”
Month-end accounting, which once tied up two or three people for three hours, can now be wrapped up by one person in about 90 minutes. It’s a change Berg welcomes, with one caveat.
“Technology’s definitely simplified things,” he said. “As long as the technology works.”
All In on the Community
The list of local causes and events they support reads like a community calendar. Riverfest, Flaming Gorge Days, Cowboys with Cancer, the Green River cleanup, karate tournaments, soccer, basketball, football, and theater programs at local schools. His wife handles most of the school-side relationships personally, running shake fundraisers for student councils and individual fundraising nights for every elementary school in the district. Every event the fire department organizes gets courtesy cards from the restaurant.
“Probably tons of things that I can’t even remember,” Berg said. “I used to keep a list.”
That community presence didn’t happen by accident. About 15 years ago, an area representative got Berg thinking about local store marketing, getting out, getting known, being part of the fabric of the town. It clicked.
“The best part of it is just getting to know everybody in town,” he said.
His kids growing up could attest to that. “They used to actually complain, ‘You guys know everybody. We can’t do anything. We can’t get away with anything without you guys finding out.'”
Employee Growth
As rewarding as being able to give back to the community is, Berg said watching his employees grow has been just as rewarding. For many employees, it is their first ever job.
“Being able to teach them and mentor them is awesome,” Berg said.
But all good things come to an end and it is hard for him to watch employees leave for college or other career opportunities. He said it is always special when former employees come in just to say hi and visit with them.
“Employees here, past and present, are like a family of their own,” Berg said.
From the Restaurant to the Council Chambers
Community involvement has a way of compounding. One board leads to another, and another, until you look up and realize you’ve been serving the public in some capacity for the better part of two decades.
It started when Janet Hartford, then director of the Chamber of Commerce, asked Berg to serve on the board of directors. He stepped outside his comfort zone and said yes. Eight years on the chamber board followed. Then Mayor Hank Castillon tapped him to help lead a combined URA Main Street board, a six-year commitment. Appearing regularly before the city council to request funding and advocate for those organizations eventually raised the obvious question.
“It just kind of progressed to, okay, I’m gonna run for city council,” Berg said.
He’s now in his third term, ten years of elected service on top of everything else.
Advice for Other Businesses
For anyone looking to build the kind of community presence Arctic Circle has built in Green River, Berg keeps the advice simple.
“Step out of your comfort zone,” he said. “I think most people are naturally introverted, and you just gotta put yourself out there and meet new people. That’s what makes a business successful.”
So if you haven’t already, be sure to stop by Arctic Circle.
- Address: 445 E Flaming Gorge Way, Green River,
- Hours: Open Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
- Phone Number: (307) 875-4582
