Maverik Inc. Named Convenience Store Decisions' 2013 Convenience Store Chain of the Year
Salt Lake City, Utah (PRWEB) July 18, 2013 -- There are many common characteristics that comprise Convenience Store Decisions’ (CSD) Chain of the Year winners. They are retail leaders, innovative marketers, committed to employees and completely driven by a service-first mantra to satisfy their customers.
Maverik is CSD’s 24th annual Convenience Store Chain of the Year award recipient for 2013. The company and its employees will be honored at an invitation-only gala during the NACS show in Atlanta on Oct. 13.
“Maverik quite simply encompasses everything a convenience store chain should be: innovative, fun, daring, and exciting. But, what stands out most of all is its unwavering dedication to the customer experience,” said John Lofstock, editor-in-chief and editorial director for the Convenience Store Decisions Group. “Though many companies spend countless hours trying to promote their brand, Maverik has created a unique ‘adventure first’ culture in the community and at the center of this adventure culture is Maverik.”
Under the direction of Mike Call, Maverik’s Chief Adventure Guide, and Brad Call, vice president of Adventure Culture, the Utah-based chain has created a dynamic brand that intimately connects with customers of the Mountain West.
“We are strong believers of promoting our adventure image through touch marketing where we interact daily with our customers in their own communities,” said Brad Call. “I believe the key to survival for all companies, however, is really knowing the customer, understanding their desires, and utilizing deep, sophisticated targeted marketing to reach them. To that end, we have created the most robust app technology and best loyalty program in the industry. We’re good, but not yet great. The future is exciting.”
Today, Maverik fuels adventures in more than 250 locations across 10 western states. It is known for its premium BonFire foodservice line – made fresh daily in every Maverik store – and extensive line of propriety products such as Bundles, cinnamon rolls, breakfast sandwiches, burritos, hoagies, Chill Latté, Glacier X Sports Drink, Mt. Mavalanche Frozen Yogurt and more.
In the community, Maverik supports hundreds of local events with giveaways, product sampling and selling, and promotions featuring the Maverik Monster Truck and Big Air – Maverik’s own hot air balloon. The company also has teamed up with the Maverik Events Center in Salt Lake City, the Real Salt Lake soccer team, and numerous college teams to promote Adventure’s First Stop.
“Our commitment to truly understand and serve customers has led us to take a fresh, new perspective to the way we approach every aspect of our business,” Mike Call said. “Thrilling specific customer segments is our mission and appealing to those customers drives our effort. From business objectives to cultural values, organizational structure, product and service selection to investment priorities, we focus on customers’ needs. From growth strategies, interaction with business partners to how we operate our stores; all are designed for our chosen customers. We call it becoming ‘Customer Fanatics.’ We’re somewhat early in this journey, but we’re definitely headed in the right direction. Serving customers this way requires a new mindset, a determination to overcome traditional influences and it’s totally a blast!”
A new Call family member recently joined the Maverik adventure team. Crystal Call Maggelet, the daughter of Jay Call, founder of Flying J, recently made a majority investment in Maverik and is now on board providing additional growth capital and strategic direction for the company.
Long History of Community Engagement
Maverik has been a part of the western geography for three generations. The company was founded in 1928 by Mike and Brad Call’s grandfather, Reuel Call, who opened his first gas station in Afton, Wyoming. Reuel Call decided to take gasoline to the people at a time when few customers were coming to the station – primarily because very few people had cars. He rigged an old Ford with a pole running across the dashboard and attached two barrels on the outside of the two front car doors to bring gasoline directly to farmers to fuel their tractors. The foundation for the innovative spirit that continues to thrive at Maverik today was born in those early years.
In commercials, advertisements, and in-store marketing materials, Maverik is portrayed not as that place one has to stop to pick up things to and from work, but as the first place to stop between daily adventures.
The company's recently supercharged Adventure Club Rewards program is truly ahead of its time with industry-first features such as a real-time virtual punch cards and weekly sweepstakes prizes that customers can enter to win using Trail Points earned with every purchase. The Adventure Club is also integrated with the new Maverik App that puts all the features and benefits of the rewards program at the customer’s fingertips along with a host of other unique features.
The Maverik Black ACH debit card, for example, offers customers a 6-cent discount off the pump price every time the card is swiped. However, Maverik did not stop there. It developed a patent pending benefit called Competitive Price Match by partnering with Gas Buddy to track local competitors’ fuel prices in the market. If Maverik is not the lowest pump price in the marketing area, Competitive Price Match rolls the price back to the lowest competitor for Black debit cardholders.
"It is this kind of innovation and connection with the customers that sets Maverik apart from its peers," said Tom McIntyre, Group Publisher for the Convenience Store Decisions Group. "The Call family's leadership in building a dynamic company so committed to its employees and customer service is another reminder that family-owned businesses continue to be such an important part of our industry.”
Maverik will be honored during an awards ceremony at the exclusive Commerce Club in Atlanta on Oct. 13. Seating is limited for this invitation-only affair. For ticket information, contact Tom McIntyre at [email protected] or John Lofstock at jlofstock(at)csdecisions(dot)com.
ABOUT THE CHAIN OF THE YEAR AWARD
CSD’s Chain of the Year award annually honors a convenience store or petroleum chain that has established itself as a superior retailer and innovator in its markets of operation. CSD’s first Chain of the Year award was given to Wawa Inc. in 1990. Maverik Inc. follows 2012 Chain of the Year winner, Tedeschi Food Shops. Other past winners include Sheetz Inc., 7-Eleven Inc., Krause Gentle Corp., Amerada Hess, Exxon Mobil Corp., Petro-Canada and Kwik Trip Inc.
PAST CHAIN OF THE YEAR WINNERS
- 1990 – Wawa Inc.
- 1991 – SuperAmerica
- 1992 – QuikTrip Corp.
- 1993 – Casey’s General Stores Inc.
- 1994 – Sheetz Inc.
- 1995 – Diamond Shamrock Corp.
- 1996 – Mapco Express
- 1997 – Speedway Inc.
- 1998 – Krause Gentle Corp.
- 1999 – Dairy Mart Inc.
- 2000 – Amerada Hess Corp.
- 2001 – Huck’s Food & Fuel
- 2002 – Petro-Canada
- 2003 – Exxon Mobil Corp.
- 2004 – Kwik Trip Inc.
- 2005 – 7-Eleven Inc.
- 2006 - Valero Inc.
- 2007 - Alimentation Couche-Tard
- 2008 - Chevron Inc.
- 2009 - Nice N Easy Grocery Shoppes
- 2010 - Rutter's Farm Stores
- 2011 - Thorntons Inc.
- 2012 - Tedeschi Food Shops
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Melinda Meier, FUEL Marketing, (801) 484-2888, [email protected]
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