Robert Taylor, Jr.

Class of 2021

Execution is everything, according to Robert Taylor, Jr., CEO of brokerage Burdette Beckmann, Inc. (BBI). Robert is the son of Candy Hall of Famer Robert Taylor, Sr., and wants to be remembered for being his father’s son.

Robert was born on April 6, 1961, in Savannah, GA, to Ella Sheryl (Sherry) and Robert Sr. He grew up with his sister Robin, recalling holiday celebrations at his grandmother’s farm and taking trips out West for family vacations.

He attended Hollywood Hills High School, in Hollywood, FL, graduating in 1979. After earning a double major in business and Spanish from Samford University in 1983, Robert started working retail for BBI, assigned to service inner-city stores.

Initially Robert wasn’t interested in the family business, but with limited options after graduation, he began learning the business and slowly started to understand the vision his father had always had for the company.

By 1985, Robert was working as an account rep in the Miami market and in 1990 he was promoted to account executive for the company’s vending and c-store operations.

He married Elizabeth in 1988, at the Sheridan Hills Church, in Hollywood, where they met while she was still in college. Together they have two daughters, Shelby and Brantley.
Robert took on the role of vice-president of special markets in 1995 and was named president of the company in 2010. He recently transitioned to CEO.

Since taking on a leadership role at BBI, Robert has kept the focus on confection, expanding the brokerage in both traditional and non-traditional formats. He has also convinced many clients that giving back to their local communities adds significant value to an organization’s associates, culture and performance.

Active in the industry, he has served on the NCA board and the Sweets & Snacks Expo committee. He has also been on the broker advisory boards of Bazooka Candy Brands and Haribo of America.

He is the 2017 recipient of the Hispanic Unity of Florida’s American Dreamer Award, and in 2018 he was given the FPL Board Leader of the Year for his work with the Broward County Habitat for Humanity.

He also extablished a young leaders program at BBI to prepare the company’s youngest associates for success. He also set up mentoring and internship programs to bring in and develop the industry’s next generations.

In addition to his father, key people at BBI have taught Robert critical lessons: Jack Anderson taught him to always be positive; Paul Van Vleck taught him how to grind through difficulties; and Bryan Shade, a 2015 Candy Hall of Fame inductee, taught him the ABCs of selling – Always Be Closing!

Away from the business, Robert has a self-proclaimed obsession with books.