(Note: This story appears in the May 2022 issue of ED Magazine)
Adia Foster, vice-president of solutions for Go BEST!, used her prior experience in manufacturing and distribution to create Go Best Bundles, the online get-it-all purchasing platform for Go BEST!
ED Magazine spoke with Foster about all Go Best Bundles has to offer.
ED: For those who don’t know, what is Go Best Bundles?
FOSTER: For the first time in history, club operators have the ability to leverage the buying power of literally hundreds of locations by joining forces and driving costs down. Anyone can use our online platform, GoBestBundles.com, to save, but we’re so much more, with national contracts on everything from frying oil and CO2, to paper towel dispensers and printers. There are added incentives for members of ACE, as well as state and local organizations.
ED: Your background, prior to joining Go BEST! involved manufacturing and distribution, among other things. How were you introduced to that field, and how has your previous experience made Go Best Bundles possible?
FOSTER: I was on the other side of the table and saw how industries and businesses teamed up — everyone from casinos to Home Depot — to get our pricing down. When I joined Go BEST! and learned the clubs had no such group, I said, I can put this together, and in six months, I did.
ED: What do you find are the most common misconceptions about buying groups, and how is Go BEST Advantage different from other groups?
FOSTER: Most people don’t even know they exist, or think they don’t cater to their industry specifically — which for nightclubs and adult entertainment, was kind of the truth until now! Some feel they won’t be able to choose the products and brands that they want, or that they’ll just be paying a middleman for something they can do themselves, but I can assure you that’s not the case. We add SKUs every day based on feedback from clients, do all of the market research and price negotiating for you, and still save you significant money.
My goal is to use my connections and affiliations to grow Go BEST!, allow the clubs to save more money, and give a voice to the adult entertainment industry that it never previously had. — Adia Foster
ED: What is it like becoming an executive in a company that is associated with adult entertainment at this stage of your career?
FOSTER: We spend a lot of time exploding the stereotypes of what adult entertainment is, but I had my own preconceptions at the beginning. In my interview, Jason Mohney challenged me to create a proposal for why a fictitious business that had nothing to do with us would partner with the Hustler Club Las Vegas, and I learned a lot as I built the case. What surprises me most is that it’s fun! No two days are ever alike, and that’s something I really love about a job.
ED: You’ve attended ACE meetings, worked with adult industry executives and regularly visit gentlemen’s club clients. Do you feel that being a woman and/or a minority gives you a different perspective on the industry?
FOSTER: I feel I view it through a different set of eyes, and that helps me come up with solutions that someone else might have missed, yes. I was accustomed to being the only person who looked like me around a conference table in the janitorial/sanitation business as well, and I can say a hundred percent, I have been subjected to far less harassment and discrimination in the adult entertainment industry than I have in the corporate world.
ED: What’s next for Go Best Bundles and Go BEST!?
FOSTER: My goal is to use my connections and affiliations to grow Go BEST!, allow the clubs to save more money, and give a voice to the adult entertainment industry that it never previously had. But our objectives reach into other sectors as well, and we’re ambitious enough to earn government contracts, you name it. One area that also matters to me is community outreach. My colleague, Andrea Woods, who used to work in local government now heads up our community efforts in Las Vegas, from celebrity fundraisers to disaster relief and vaccination drives. We want to inspire others to do the same.
For more information, visit gobestbiz.com, call (866) 258-8055 or email Elevate@GoBestBiz.com. Don’t forget to check out the stories on Go BEST! team members Jason Mohney and Kelly Skillen.
