CEBU, Philippines — Businessman Regan Rex T. King, the chief operating officer of 6R Group of Companies, was appointed as the overall chairman of the 2024 Cebu Business Month (CBM 2024), bringing his leadership expertise to the broader scale and pursuing selfless service to promote economic growth, innovation, and collaboration within Cebu’s business landscape.
In his capacity as the overall chairman of the upcoming CBM 2024, Regan commits to championing selfless service, fostering economic growth, stimulating innovation, and encouraging collaboration among businesses in Cebu. His vision extends beyond individual success, aiming to create a thriving ecosystem where businesses flourish collectively.
CBM, the annual flagship program of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), stands as a pivotal platform aimed at inspiring, promoting, and nurturing the growth of Cebu businesses.
CBM’s series of events and activities catalyze local businesses to showcase their products and services, exchange ideas, and explore avenues for expansion.
Over the years, CBM’s core focus has revolved around Tourism, Information and Communications Technology - Business Process Management (ICT-BPM), Entrepreneurship, and Creative Industry sectors.
Regan has been an essential figure in various esteemed associations, notably contributing significantly to alumni networks such as the Sacred Heart School for Boys and Jesuit Alumni Associations. His leadership prowess extends notably within the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, where he played key roles as the CBM 2012 and 2019 Chairman of the Ways & Means Committee, showcasing his instrumental role in orchestrating successful events.
Furthermore, Regan has held key positions within the Chamber, notably as Vice President for the Business Development and Management Services Division in 2014 and, more recently, as Vice President for Business Advocacy and Policy in 2023. These roles underscore his unwavering commitment to driving progress and strategic direction within the Chamber.
Aside from sitting as the CEO of 6R Group of Companies, he also holds significant positions as CEO of 6R Mercantile Inc., Board of Director/General Manager of RDAK Transport Inc., and Managing Director of RDAK Global Motors Inc. (Harley-Davidson of Cebu and Davao).
Regan’s dedication to disaster risk reduction initiatives within CCCI, his involvement in humanitarian efforts with organizations like the Philippine Red Cross – Cebu Chapter and the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation, along with his commitment to education and heritage preservation, exemplify his multifaceted approach toward community welfare and growth.
With an extensive background in organizational leadership across diverse sectors, King brings a wealth of experience, visionary leadership, and an unwavering commitment to progress to his new role as Overall Chairman for CBM 2024.
His passion for driving collaboration and fostering growth makes him an indispensable asset to the Cebu business community.
Model Entrepreneur
At 16, Regan got his first set of wheels. But he wasn’t simply handed a key to some shiny new car. Instead, his father Ricarido Delfin A. King gave him a fiberglass body kit for a Jeep Wrangler replica with surplus chassis and engine.
With the help of some mechanics working for his father’s company, Regan assembled the parts and improvised to make the vehicle look like the real deal. It took about a year and a lot of patience before he could drive it.
That exercise taught him an important lesson — that he has to work hard to get what he wanted.
His parents founded the 6R Group while his grandparents founded King’s Quality Foods Inc., Nito’s Auto Supply, Inc., and King Group of Companies.
Aside from hard work, Regan believes knowledge, high emotional intelligence and adversity quotient, integrity, and a lot of prayers are critical to the success of a business.
He is also driven by the passion to continue the family legacy of service and sharing blessings. Like his father and his late grandfather Juanito I. King, he wants to grow the family business further, diversify operations, and put up more businesses to create more jobs, help as many people as possible, and build strong communities.
Regan said he has always wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps. Their line of business appeals to him because he loves to tinker with machines and other stuff, add to that his fascination with the TV show MacGyver, which was about a genius with superior engineering skills.
Being the firstborn son of a Chinese-Filipino merchant family, Regan grew up feeling the pressure to prove himself worthy of filling his father’s shoes.
There was added pressure to beat the third-generation curse. A Chinese proverb, which roughly means “wealth does not last beyond three generations,” assumes that the first generation builds the business, the second generation maintains or expands it, and the third generation squanders it.
But with how Regan’s business is doing now, he may have already proven the adage wrong.
Regan was trained for his important role in the family business early. His father used to bring him to the office and truck yard during school breaks and give him minor tasks.
“We were given the Spartan training so that we will learn to survive the challenges that we’ll face as we grow up. We were taught to work hard if we want something or if we want to be successful. We were taught that learning is continuous. We were also taught to learn as much as we can from the arts to sciences and even personality development,” he said.
Regan obtained an AB Political Science degree from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1997 and later earned an Ateneo-Regis Master of Business Administration.
Instead of proceeding to study law after completing college, Regan came home to Cebu and joined the family business. It was a difficult time as his father’s trading company was mired in liquidity problems caused by the Asian financial crisis.
He witnessed firsthand how his father, preserved his credit standing and safeguarded family integrity, struggled to pay his company’s dollar-denominated loans that ballooned because of the massive peso devaluation.
“As the eldest son in a Chinese family, I felt obligated to help my Dad in our business. I don’t regret my decision because it was a great experience to learn how to survive a business crisis. These things are not taught in school,” he said.
Regan said the experience, as well as the failure of some businesses that he started, helped him develop his emotional intelligence and adversity quotient, which are critical to business success.
“I felt like I was on a battlefield and all our survival skills were put to the test. This was where the Spartan training I received from my parents came into play,” he said.
Regan started working in the repair yard because he wanted to learn the ropes, work with the rank-and-file, and rise through the ranks instead of using his privilege as a child of the owner to land a higher position.
It was from the repair yard that Regan was kidnapped for ransom in 1998. Despite the kidnapping, Regan maintains a positive outlook on life.
“I always look at the positive side of things. Instead of blaming God or becoming a recluse after my kidnapping, I looked at it as a life experience,” he said.
He has also resolved to never give up. A company that he and his wife Roselle started, Jolli Traders International Inc., developed its brand of baby diapers but went bankrupt in the early stages. They lost a great amount of money and had trouble meeting their obligations. Regan said his father, who had given him the capital, partly bailed them out and told them to shut down the company.
But Regan and his wife persisted, restructured their loans, and took their business to areas outside the urban centers. Jolli Traders has since expanded its offerings to include other fast-moving consumer goods like wet wipes, dishwashing liquid, and fabric softeners.
“Based on that experience, I learned that life is like a bouncing ball. There are ups and downs. When you’re down, there’s nowhere to go but up. The ball bounces up. The harder you fall, the greater the learning experience, and sometimes, the ball bounces up even higher,” he said.