Alex Rincon, Jr., known by his friends as “Papu”, always knew he would start his own business someday. It wasn’t until after graduating from Carroll College in 2004, and managing multiple retail businesses, that his business idea began to take shape.

While attending Carroll College, Rincon obtained a triple major, including a B.A. in Business Administration with a special interest in Marketing, Management and International Business; a B.A. in Spanish Language and Literature; and a Multi-Disciplinary major in Visual Arts with an interest in Graphic Design. In his spare time he enjoyed all that Montana had to offer including, snowboarding, hiking, fly fishing and much more. It was this love for Montana’s outdoors and lifestyle, along with his diverse scholastic background, that brought fourOsix to light.

In 2007, Rincon opened fourOsix in downtown Helena, a lifestyle and retail store that promotes art, music, style, forward thinking and Montana living. The name “four ‘O’ six” represents all of Montana, as (406) is the only area code for the state.

In the beginning, Rincon assembled a team of professionals, including advisors from SBA’s local SCORE Chapter to help get his business idea off the ground. With his stubborn “not going to give up attitude” and ample planning, Rincon fashioned a sound business plan and secured the needed funding to launch his business venture.

“Some people see problems- I see solutions for those problems,” says Rincon, referring to the challenges of starting a business. “It took some people time to see and understand my vision for a retail store that is also a lifestyle store and a socially aware business.”

Rincon’s business model has always been to build a successful brand while simultaneously making a positive impact to its local community and economy.

Rincon jokes about not running his business as the ideal for-profit business, but rather tends to run it as a non-profit venture, by investing most of its profit back into the community in and contributes time and resources to local schools, and by organizing & funding art, music and recreation events around Montana.

While maintaining its stance on supporting the community, fourOsix has indeed made a name for itself. While stopped at a stoplight in Montana it wouldn’t be uncommon to find the fourOsix logo on nearly every other vehicle. Due to the success of its own brand fourOsix recently began doing their own on-site screen printing which allows customers the opportunity to customize their favorite fourOsix branded clothing.

Rincon has had a great year, after being named SBA’s Montana Young Entrepreneur of the Year, he was selected to participate in an exclusive event at the White House called Champions of Change. This program highlights stories and examples of citizens across the country that represent President Obama’s vision of out-innovating, out-educating, and out-building the rest of the world through effective projects and initiatives that move their communities forward.

Rincon humbly admits being an inspiration to other people, including the usual younger generation that shops in his store. “I get to talk to my customers about what it’s like to own my own business and talk to them about dreaming big and sometimes just going for it,” Rincon said. “More than just the success of my business though, I love being able to really have passion for what I do.”