#205: Tom Reilly - VMI Sports, PEZ Collab, and Two Mystery Canned Beverages

Tom Reilly, president of VMI Sports, brings a perspective from all over the industry, and he’s got a lot of educational things to say. Two decades spent at GNC, then in natural food distribution at UNFI, and eventually as a purchasing director and director at Lone Star Distribution gave him an unusually complete map of how supplements actually move through the market. VMI grew out of that experience, launched as a house brand for Lone Star in 2012 before Tom took it full time in late 2015, and has been grinding ever since — bootstrapped, profitable, and growing every single year. In Episode #205 of the PricePlow Podcast, Mike and Ben sit down with Tom to cover the full arc: how VMI got started, what distribution taught him that brand founders usually learn the hard way, the evolution from specialty sports nutrition into grocery chains, the K-XR pre-workout legacy, the PEZ collaboration strategy, and some genuinely exciting teases for what’s coming in 2026, including two canned beverages that are neither energy drinks nor protein sodas. This is a good one, and Tom’s willingness to mentor others shines through, as we learned a lot in this one – and we guarantee you will too. Subscribe to the PricePlow Podcast on your favorite platform and sign up for VMI Sports news alerts before diving in — you won’t want to miss those can reveals when they drop. https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/tom-reilly-vmi-sports-205 Video: Tom Reilly of VMI Sports on Distribution, Grocery, PEZ, and What’s Next https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIkHJOngDPk Detailed Show Notes: Tom Reilly and VMI Sports (0:00) – Introductions (0:30) – Tom’s Background: GNC, UNFI, and Lone Star (3:00) – Building VMI from Within Lone Star (7:45) – Going Full Time: The 2015 Pivot (10:30) – Business Wisdom from Distribution (13:00) – Consumer Education and Supply Chain Reality (18:00) – Vision Meets Innovation: The VMI Name (23:15) – K-XR: Origins and the Miami Vice Flavor (25:00) – K-XR: Three Caffeines, Grocery, and the High-Stim Formula That Works (30:15) – Winning on the Grocery Shelf (33:30) – Packaging Evolution and the PEZ Aesthetic (36:00) – More on the PEZ Collaboration (41:15) – Pump & Flow: The Sleeper Hit with Hydronox (44:00) – Protolyte: Ahead of the Hydration Curve (47:30) – Acquisition, Retention, and Brand Philosophy (52:00) – Staying Independent: VMI’s Long Game (54:30) – Two Canned Beverages Coming in 2026 (57:30) – K-XR RTD and the Beverage Category Landscape (1:01:30) – Distribution Realities of Canned Beverage (1:05:00) – Wrap-Up and What’s Next Where to Follow and Learn More Connect with Tom Reilly and VMI Sports LinkedIn: Thomas Reilly LinkedIn: VMI Sports Instagram: @tom_vmisports (Tom Reilly) Instagram: @vmisports (VMI Sports) VMI Sports Website VMI Sports on PricePlo… Read more on the PricePlow Blog