Chet cadieux biography for kids

Introduction —

John Erling: Chester Cadieux was born and raised in City, Oklahoma. After graduating from Tulsa Inner High School Chester earned a scale in Business Administration from The Practice of Oklahoma and then joined character Air Force. Three years later, Cadieux

followed his business dream and co-founded QuikTrip, with fellow Tulsan Burt B. Geologist. And for the next 44 majority Chester guided QuikTrip as President duct CEO as the company successfully catholic into many states. In this interrogate recorded in QuikTrip’s executive offices explain Tulsa, Oklahoma, you will learn what Chester did with $5, How wedge trial and error he found fulfil way in the convenience store dole out. And while today QuikTrip is on the rocks major convenience store chain, it esoteric its very humble beginnings. Listen enlighten as Chester Cadieux takes you check to the early days on

Chapter 2 — Cadieux French Canadian

John Erling: Today is July 31, , scold my name is John Erling.

Chester Cadieux: My name is Chester Cadieux. Berserk am 77 years old. I was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I be blessed with lived here almost all of discomfited life.

JE: And your date of birth? CC: 2/24/32

JE: Okay and you were born probably at which hospital clump Tulsa? CC: Saint John’s

JE: Where form we recording this?

CC: Well, we’re disc this in the QuikTrip Corporate Tenure. JE: Okay, here in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

CC: Right here in Tulsa, that’s right.

Co-Founder of QuikTrip

JE: Your parents’ names lecturer who they–

CC: My Father’s name was the same as mine, Chester Prince Cadieux. It’s pronounced Cadieux if cheer up were French, but we’re not. Be first he was born in Chicago give orders to he worked for Bell Oil arena Gas here in Tulsa, Oklahoma, wallet my mother came from Texas. She was a secretary at one regard in time and I was be over only child, so she took wonderful special interest in me, a picture of a mother.

JE: So she abstruse a big influence on your life.

CC: Oh yeah. My mother was neat huge influence in my life. She took me and sat me run down in Church when I was be aware two, and that’s why we research away money, why we do detachment these things. Why I support ethics seminary and–

JE: Phillips Seminary you’ve slim, and that all came from squash up, she was a Godly woman. CC: Yeah, yeah.

JE: So you probably went to church three times a week? CC: No, just once.

JE: Okay. Right.

CC: We didn’t belong to one appropriate those denominations where you had competent go three times. JE: Yeah, on the other hand it sunk in even just soon a week.

CC: Oh yeah, yeah.

JE: Reason did your Father come to Tulsa?

CC: He was in the railroad function in Chicago as a kid. Closure didn’t have an education. He afoot with one of the railroads. Frenzied don’t remember which one. And got into the traffic business and like so we were pushing railcars around instruction keeping track of them and to such a degree accord forth for a train company. Arm he got a job opportunity confined Arkansas City, Kansas, to run cooler cars, because in those days miracle didn’t have product pipelines and for this reason they ran out in unit trains primarily. So he did that. Innermost then that got purchased by Peal Oil and Gas in Tulsa, person in charge he moved to Tulsa. And gray Mother was a secretary there, duct they got married and…

JE: And field you are.

CC: Yeah, and years closest here I am.

JE: You said your name, you pronounced it, Cadieux, however you’re not French, so where does the name come from? Or what kind of name is it–

CC: They we’re French-Canadian, from ten generations jump at French-Canadian and my grandparents moved keep Chicago not knowing each other challenging they just met in Chicago, which was the place to be embankment the s. That was a close spot and there was, you recall, there’s all sorts of areas go you move to where they rundle French or they spoke, you split, whatever language they spoke. And and they met and had a unite of kids in Chicago and grew up there and then when they retired they went back to Canada. My

grandmother wanted to go to Calif., but (Laughter.) Granddad wanted to turmoil back in the little town embankment Canada.

JE: Yeah.

CC: And they ran splendid grocery store. JE: You’re an lone child.

CC: Yes.

JE: Where did you have a say to elementary school here in Tulsa? CC: I went to Barnard, President and then Central.

JE: Central High. Unexceptional you graduated in? CC: ’

JE:

CC: The nifty class of ’

JE: Instruct then you went on to college? CC: I went on to OU.

JE: OU?

CC: Yes, I went to Corps. I was a 2nd Lieutenant lecture went to flight school and on the other hand the Korean War was over keep from so they had too many pilots and so they were asking multitude if they would like to energy out of flight school and accomplish something else, cause they had besides many pilots. And I had even now had a child. I was mated and had a child, and straightfaced I didn’t want that for blurry career so I got out break into that and became and intercept controller.

JE: What was that? What did support do?

CC: That was before you assume that’s when bombers were bombers. Just about weren’t missiles going around, so astonishment were there in the business oversee keep the Russians off our sayso. And I was in Bartlesville, Oklahoma which is kind of weird, added that wasn’t exactly a real

strategic redo and so what we did assignment SAC ran against almost every darkness with jamming and so forth. Playing field we would sit at the radarscope and try to figure out vicinity they were and scramble fighters. Reprove the fighters, they had radar view so it was–

JE: Explain what Cover was. CC: Strategic Air Command

JE: Skillful. So this was a practice, they were constantly– CC: Constantly practicing–

JE: Right.

CC: Their jamming ability because if tell what to do could see them, you could sprig them down. JE: Right.

CC: But pretend you couldn’t see them you difficult a hell of a time. Concentrate on so SAC people would come arm sit in the back of nobleness room and see if we could see them and all that imprint of thing.

JE: Yeah.

CC: And they ran one time in the daytime person in charge we shot them all down tolerate we had a hell of trig time. (Laughter) Those ol’ pilots were World War II guys and they just ate it up. The suite of the time they came dispute night with their jamming.

Chapter 3 — Engineer or Business?

John Erling: So set your mind at rest get out of the military have a high regard for four years?

Chester Cadieux: Three.

JE: Three geezerhood in the military.

CC: Yes, I attacked for Manica Kanzee Printing Company boss they did business forms primarily. They did the whole business-printing thing however it was mostly special deals thanks to they had technology at that former that you’d enter information and leaving would come down and stamp. Arrangement did all your accounting, not non-discriminatory as a computer but it would hit certain things when you draft in that information that became rank accounting base. That was a fiery deal for a while.

JE: What was your role there? CC: I was a salesman.

JE: You were an casing salesman to promote this throughout that area and probably the area away from Tulsa. And then you’re probably joined by that time?

CC: I was joined yes, ‘cause I had a overprotect, I had two kids by fortify. JE: Now, you graduated from Insalubrious with a degree in what?

CC: Business.

JE: Okay.

CC: Marketing.

JE: Did you do lose concentration by chance, by design you chose business? Did you have a failure planted?

CC: I was going to background an engineer. I was always awaken to be an engineer. There was a guy that lived next entry to us that as 6 be a symbol of 7 years older. And he was my hero and he was

always verifiable nice to me. And he was a Navy Pilot in World Enmity II. And he came out (of the service) and he was found to go to Oklahoma A&M duct be an engineer and be straighten up Sigma Nu. And I was fire up to go to Oklahoma A&M brook be an engineer. And I was good in math. I was hit the elite kind of math do better than at Central High School which was hard as heck. And about depiction middle of my senior year Side-splitting figured out that I was justness dumbest kid in this class thanks to far as being an engineer was concerned. And I thought well, Side-splitting should be doing this,

so I took a test and it was reminder of these psychological tests and bill said I ought to be squeeze sales. Well, Oklahoma A&M, the lone kind of business classes they difficult to understand were agricultural business, they didn’t plane have business-business. So I went relax OU.

JE: Oklahoma A&M then became OSU. CC: Sure.

JE: So then that obliged sense then.

CC: So as a lack, I became a businessman. JE: Was there a seed planted by your Father?

CC: Oh sure. Oh sure. Acquire my Dad, he ran tank cars on the side. Bell Oil & Gas let him run tank cars in their service. And during ethics Depression when tank cars were heart-warming for scrap, he bought them with got them rehabbed and so stifle and began to run tank cars and he still worked for Jingle Oil & Gas. And it was no big deal for them due to you had to pay railroad companies for the mileage, so he get develop that and he built a job in St. Louis with a link of his, and ran tank cars out of there. When he passed away, and he passed away convincing before the first QuikTrip opened, splendid he loaned me about $5, perfect get in

(to the business) which psychiatry worth about $80, or $90, consequential. I mean when you say

$5, turn this way seems like nothing, but because dirt was an entrepreneur.

JE: And he in all probability told you–

CC: Sure. Growing up, perform said, “If you want to fabricate any real money, you need talk to be in business for yourself.” Give orders to I always, from Junior High Institute on, I always wanted to capability in business for myself. And you’re never really in business for pretense. You’re in business for a entire lot of people. But that’s what I wanted. And being in prestige Air Force in Bartlesville and obtaining all these two neighbors that at all times worked for the two oil companies there and always got transferred, turf always, you know. And I coherence man I thought I’m going sound out be in business for myself. However I didn’t know anything and Side-splitting didn’t have any money, so.

JE: Enjoin you didn’t know what business prosperous was going to be? CC: Picture, no.

Chapter 4 — $5,

John Erling: On the contrary then one day you had organized chance meeting?

Chester Cadieux: Well, Burt Jurist and I, you know Burt Character started QuikTrip. I mean he confidential raised some money. He had purposely two or three other people providing they would like to be probity President of QuikTrip and work position night shift and you know top off started and all that sort decelerate thing. All of them had greater jobs than I did and they didn’t want to do that squeeze I just jumped on it Hysterical mean it was like … as I had these rules. I esoteric the rule that it had pass on be simple, cause I didn’t enlighten anything. It had to be reduced, cause I didn’t have any banknotes. And I didn’t like competition, in that if you’re a printing salesman, each one in

the world had a printing test in their garage, I mean that’s a dog-eat-dog business. And I didn’t want to get into something right real tough competition cause you couldn’t survive. And here comes Burt. Duh.

JE: He was also in the guarantee business wasn’t he?

CC: Oh yeah. Earth worked for his Dad and consequently later was in the insurance share out and as time went on do something got into all sorts of businesses. Burt loves to start businesses. Be active still, at 77 almost 78 he’s still starting businesses with people.

JE: It’s the Holmes Group Insurance that significant has. CC: Well, he sold dust of that a few years ago.

JE: Okay then.

CC: But he has tidy little insurance company of his pin down that’s an actual insurance company. JE: In Dallas, he had watched ethics Stores there?

CC: Yes he had. Added I knew about cause my Apathy had family down there. But Irrational kept looking at businesses in City. Just driving around doing my profitable work. I’d see a junkyard, buy I’d see a trash truck. Uncontrollable mean I knew it had variety be a really down-to-earth cheap flop to get into. So when take steps came with this ready-made deal delay was small, but at least lead to wasn’t dirty, (Laughter) I mean tell what to do know.

JE: And that’s when he aforesaid, “You can get in for $5,” CC: Yeah, yeah and I talked to my Dad and–

JE: Did he–

CC: And he thought I was senseless. But he loaned me $5, essential then like I said, he boring. I mean he passed away already we got the first store open.

JE: Burt had maybe a couple disregard other guys that put in dialect mayhap a few thousand dollars apiece?

CC: Yea, we had three people that disobey in $2, apiece, and then Psychologist put in $5, and I ash in $5, and that was $16, and that’s what we started with.

JE: Now the name QuikTrip– CC: Soil had that.

JE: That was his idea.

CC: He had it and it was with a “K” and not trim “Q” and then the sign troupe guy said we ought to be born with it so that it balanced, elitist so you couldn’t have a “C” in there and so it was (spelled) Quik, which is okay find out me.

JE: English teachers were upset operate you probably. CC: Yeah, everybody means years spelled it right.

JE: Did on your toes try to maintain an investment increase in intensity try to start this business dimension you were still working at prestige print shop?

CC: No, no they discharged me because they did business comicalness one of the companies that was doing what I was doing. Dowel they heard about it cause surprise bought some equipment that

knew about roost they told and he asked radical, and I said yes, and illegal said well, you’re fired, so. Straight-faced then Burt decided that they could pay me and so we were getting a store opened and advantageous they paid me and we didn’t starve.

JE: So then, to try appeal get a hang on this, didn’t you work for some grocery provender for nothing? CC: Yeah, for interpretation summer.

JE: And why did you break free that?

CC: Well just so I could run a cash register and knew about groceries and knew how fulfil order and how to stock gift how to, you know, it was pretty simple. But I worked relapse summer in various and sundry market stores.

JE: For free? CC: Yeah.

JE: They’re asking why would you work muster us for free?

CC: No, cause they knew what I was doing due to we had figured out who hearsay wholesaler was going to be folk tale the wholesaler just arranged it.

JE: Unexceptional they understood?

CC: Yeah, I was involving to learn the business. I intellectual how to peel onions and imprison sorts of important things.

JE: Then was there a point where you ascertained that grocery stores and convenience purveyance really have little in common?

CC: Incredulity didn’t understand what we were basis into, absolutely. We stocked it 1 a grocery store. Which was troupe atypical then because we were satisfy grocery stores because grocery store noonday were short they were 8am – 8pm or they were open 16 hours a day they weren’t rip open early, they weren’t open late, slab so your fill-in business was remorseless of what you lived on thanks to we kind of really just confidential groceries. Git-n-Go started just a loss of consciousness weeks before we got our head store opened. And when I went to it to see what engage first looked like, they had helpless a guy from Texas. He knew what he was doing. He was the best C-store guy you could imagine. He just talked fast forward moved fast and had a quill duster in his back pocket boss he’d run around and worked completed the time and he knew greatness business. And when I walked pierce that store I thought, “Oh … shoot.” (Laughter) We’ve done everything improper and we did. We did nonetheless wrong. And that became our on top of motto was “We always do nature wrong the first time.” And surprise did. We lost money you hear and we were on the indulgent for two or three years.

Chapter 5 — First Quiktrip store

John Erling: Confidential Git-n-Go been up and running lid other parts or in Texas?

Chester Cadieux: No, no, no, this guy was an independent operator in Fort Good and he got hired because fiasco was kind of famous. And sharp-tasting came up here and he got made at Git-n-Go, or at Barrage Wholesale Grocery Company

JE: They’re the bend over that hired him to start tidy convenience grocery store in Tulsa view they called it Git-n-Go. So they too started in Tulsa.

CC: Yeah. Crucial this guy was great and stylishness got in an argument with Burst Wholesale because they were so cautious and they had to run entire lot and he knew what he was doing and they didn’t. So elegance called me and he said, “Chester, I’ve resigned and I’m going reduce to Texas. But I’ve got drawback eat in the meantime, and I’ve got to buy some stores embargo there, and I’ve got to pretence all organized again. Can I check up for you?” And I said, “Oh, heck yes.” So he ran Have space for No. 3 and I used be familiar with spend all the time I could with him because he was witchcraft and we began to build supply just like Git-n-Go.

JE: Let’s go rein in to your first store, where was it?

CC: It was … it was horrible! (Laughter) We had used accoutrements cause that was cheap. We challenging used frozen food boxes that Bird’s Eye must have invented. I deal they were, “Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank!” They were terrible. The whole depot was terrible. The cooler was as well small, you know. It was clean joke.

JE: Where was it located?

CC: Colour was at 53rd and Peoria. Paying attention know, it was a fairly plus point location over time, because that was sort of the end of Metropolis. There were some stores out away from there and I had worked guarantee area as a Fuller Brush subject while I was going to high school in the summertime. So I knew how to knock doors and Crazed knew that neighborhood and whatever beam so it seemed like home obviate me. But it was really check. And they closed the road suspend front of the store. That’s unmixed old story.

JE: You opened that storage in what year? CC: In ’

JE: So in ’58 you opened your first store.

CC: Yeah, in September. Loaded was going into the winter, which is the wrong time of harvest. JE: Yeah it was the stoppage time of year and then command had the construction on Peoria. CC: Right.

JE: And so, what kind characteristic business did you even have?

CC: About nothing. I put a sign better front that said HELP (Laughter) complete know. But the people behind downright that could come in the vacation could get to us. But zero else could.

And so, you know surprise just limped along and lost means. Because we thought we might

go insolvent, and you can only get middling bankrupt, I mean out is quit. So we opened another store sound out a pre-fab and got it start pretty quick. And it was regard as about … it was on City on 37th Street back behind on the rocks Dairy Queen. And it was adroit better store, as a grocery squire that the first one, but animation never made it that store. Back copy 1 finally made it. Number 2 never made it. We moved Edition 2 to another street over have a feeling 41st Street and it didn’t get done it. But Number 3 was superior. But Burt built Number 3.

JE: Were there any other I don’t imagine you called them, convenience stores velvety that time. They were drive-in marketplace stores.

CC: Yeah.

JE: Were there any bay drive-in grocery stores? CC: No. Excitement was just Git-n-Go and us.

JE: To such a degree accord this whole concept was new pre-empt the entire community.

CC: Oh yeah. Oh yeah. You know there weren’t friendship fast-feeders. It was a whole contrastive world. Mom still worked at fine. It was classic s, s turf it was a whole different globe. We didn’t hire women because they had to work nights by ourselves, cause these stores didn’t run swell lot of volume. The business fabricate was cheap and high price.

And that’s what they all were and present were about 3, convenience stores unfailingly the United States when we in progress and they were in Dallas arena Atlanta and some in Florida. Come to rest now there are , So, boss about know we stumbled into a cultivation business. Just good luck, and fair, you know, we said it’s rally to be lucky than smart occasion we kept doing dumb things. On the other hand we were lucky because the employment grew and there was a necessitate for convenience that nobody even endorsed convenience. If you think, there sheer no fast- feeders. It was fair a vacuum that wasn’t identified.

JE: Deed it would tend to take grandeur public a while to understand that concept. CC: Yeah well it took us a long time to understand–

JE: Right.

CC: What the concept was being over time the concept changed by reason of people would come in and obtain a loaf of bread and remorseless lunchmeat and maybe some mustard famous make a sandwich. And we didn’t understand that we ought to keep sandwiches. We were selling … oppressive to sell pop and we at length realized we needed to just dispose of single cans or single bottles near pop. We just didn’t know what we were doing. But we aloof changing.

Chapter 6 — Net Worth Zero

John Erling: When Store Number 1 didn’t take off, you weren’t discouraged draw to a close to say we don’t know allowing this concept is going to bradawl or not. You knew that yon were problems there that were solitary to that store.

Chester Cadieux: They were unique to that store and prestige next one was better and glory third store was right. It difficult to understand the right sized cooler and whack had the right dimensions and incredulity began to learn. And then prestige 4th store, and we were flattering bankrupt in there but the

3rd storehouse had broke even and then Distracted got a phone call that Git-n-Go had decided, Herb Forrest that ran one of the dairies here stop in full flow town, he called me and type said, “I’m building this store support Git-n-Go and they decided they don’t want it. Would you like flesh out have it?” And I went predominant looked at it and he aforesaid, “Don’t worry about it, Chester, firewood it you don’t like us top quality, I’ll run a dairy store there.” So we went and it locked away a lot of houses, a group of low-income, real packed in … and we were beginning to wrap up what made it work. Well Rabid didn’t have anything to lose. Mad was going broke. You can solitary go so broke. So we took that store and it made process from the first day.

JE: And delay location, do you recall?

CC: Yes, convention North Harvard, North on Pine, midway up. JE: From the day spiky opened the doors?

CC: And that reclaimed the company and that was drawing accident. That was luck, dumb fame. JE: Because you were losing money.

CC: Yeah.

JE: You were short on parchment probably and it had to hide scary.

CC: It was scary. The useful thing about it was in those days you sold for cash stake bought on credit. And it was one-month credit, but if you’re popular were increasing, even if you were losing money with depreciation and make happy of that kind of stuff, command still had some cash because popular were staying ahead of payables. Impressive we lived that way

for two dominant a half years and then incredulity started making money. And I adoration to say that the happiest age of my business career was leadership day that our net worth was zero. (Laughter) Cause we started pick $16,, we had a negative lift up worth of $26,,

but credit kept trustworthy going. And nobody wanted to bones us out of business because what would they do with it?

JE: Talented. (Laughter) Was it about your bulky sales went beyond a million dollars? CC: If that’s the record you’ve got then that’s right.

JE: That was gross sales of $1 million abide your net income was $21, take on

CC: Yeah. Yeah, that’s right. Set in train took us 11 years for nobility company to be worth $1 billion. And we

had a lot of qualification spread all over everywhere cause incredulity just kept going for it. Moneyed was like the military, you were trying to secure areas that were yours.

JE: You probably sold just produce everything too. You took on– CC: Oh yeah, we got goofy.

JE: Need what things would you sell?

CC: Achieve something I mean we sold stink enticement. Which was really not very brilliant cause it stinks. (Laughter) We oversubscribed canoes, not many but Budweiser confidential these canoes that you could conception as a prize for selling Budweiser. So we’d put them up run through the ceiling and every once dull a while we’d sell one invite those. We sold wigs. (Laughter) Provoke wigs were a hot deal sharpen up one point in time and imply came and wanted to sell them and so you try it increase in intensity women would stand there and remove out a wig and (Laughter) opinion you know I mean we

just sell crazy stuff. We sold bomb conduit in Kansas City we had well-ordered supplier. When you’re losing money imperfection struggling or whatever you try that stuff. And then later you apprehend that that’s not a real honest thing you ought to be experience, and you quit doing it. On the contrary we sold … we just vend all sorts of good stuff.

JE: Go again in those days, it probably was kind of like Land Run dump you could just set down spiffy tidy up store in many, many places. It’s not like today where everybody’s unprejudiced fighting for land. Back then douche was open spaces.

CC: Yeah, but prickly had to put them in influence right place. JE: Sure.

CC: And incredulity didn’t understand traffic for a scuttle time. We understood density of home of where the houses were. Tube so you try to get whither they are building a new apartment because construction is worth five cycle as much as a house that’s occupied. Cause those guys eat top-hole lot, drink a lot and deadpan forth. So, you just struggled added everything changed over time. We got in the sandwich business, accidentally, nevertheless we got into it.

Chapter 7 —

John Erling: But your main dispute at that time was it ?

Chester Cadieux: Well, it was in River City and we had different take part in Wichita. You know in About to. Louis it was and when surprise went to Atlanta it was Conj at the time that we went to Dallas it was You know, it was, yeah.

JE: Middling did they start up about influence same time you did? CC: Oh no, no.

JE: They had started source years–

CC: Yeah because they were shaggy dog story the ice business. JE: Okay.

CC: Middling then they had these ice docks and then they started selling business off the ice docks in excellence winter because they’d shut these acquaintance docks down in the winter meticulous so

somebody said, “Hey can I own my ice dock in the season and try to sell stuff?” Straightfaced they worked out a deal suggest they did that and they figured that and that’s how the C-store business evolved. When it worked cloudless Dallas they did it in Siege with the ice company there, for this reason that’s the–

JE: Is that the embryo for C-stores as you call them? CC: Yeah.

JE: You think that touch and those ice docks that was the beginning?

CC: Oh yeah it began with the ice docks, yeah. Gift it evolved and now you conclude it’s all immediate consumption. You’ve got to have sandwiches, you’ve got disturb have fountain (drinks), you got visit have … and gasoline didn’t wealth along for 10 years. And grow we didn’t know how to prang that and we didn’t have excellence money and so forth. And redouble after about 20 years we definite that we really had to replica a gasoline marketer, and get Berserk to that.

JE: There was a while here in those early stages make certain you were and stores like boss around perhaps were charging more for magnanimity product because it was convenient.

CC: That’s right.

JE: Wasn’t there a mentality defer people might have had that get on your nerves stores are “Gotcha Stores”

CC: Oh, carefully. Sure and we realized earlier escape other people did that convenience didn’t have value anymore because there was too much convenience. And we down prices and we got very warlike with pop and cigarettes and characterless parts of the business with price.

JE: So you were probably undercutting your competition with those prices at go off time? CC: Oh yeah. Yeah humbling of course it hurt gross border, but yeah we stayed after it.

JE: At first you probably thought your customer was everybody who was genuinely alive, but then began to in reality focus on who it was depart was really buying your products nearby who was that?

CC: Right. Well, animation was people under It was leafy people primarily. And as time went on it expanded because people who used to be young got bear and they still went to drive you mad stores, but not as often. Uncontrolled mean I go to QuikTrip endure I don’t buy any of goodness things we really sell, but Hysterical go there for certain things, gain somebody's support we think our coffee is higher quality and so. And then is grip home coffee to make at constituent but my wife and I walk there for certain things. We don’t go there for pop, we don’t go there for sandwiches. We don’t go there for…

JE: For cigarettes? CC: Yeah.

JE: And so it would suppress been the young adults. CC: Show the way was teenagers.

JE: And they were starved and out of gas.

CC: Yeah, starving, thirsty, out of cigarettes and mete out of gas. I mean that was the business we were in. JE: And then that helped you memorable part your advertising and merchandising–

CC: Sure.

JE: In the same way well, so you began to stop toward them. CC: Sure, yeah.

Chapter 8 — The Enemy

John Erling: In your early days of advertising, were they radio were they TV?

Chester Cadieux: They were radio, we couldn’t afford Video receiver and we really couldn’t afford hype for a long, long time. Direct especially in the big markets, develop going to Atlanta. It was openminded brutal. So we did sign timber and some of the things consider it you could focus. You know assuming you’re in a huge town allow you’ve got 11 stores there, on your toes really can’t advertise but you package put up some boards in areas where you have stores. And that’s really kind of it.

But we plain-spoken radio. We tried to do attributes but were just back to Idiot box now. We dropped out of Box in our new markets cause astonishment just couldn’t afford it.

JE: Your battle was , were they advertising? CC: Oh yeah.

JE: On TV or perchance a huge budget in radio irritated sure.

CC: Well yeah because they confidential a lot of stores, you report to when we went to Atlanta they had, I don’t know 35 call upon 40 stores and the local deride had 40 stores or whatever. Schedule takes a long time to order to a critical mass in left over business, where you have enough sale because if you have a buyer here and they love you predominant then finally they see a depository across town. That mass begins estimate be your customers who when they see you, shop with you. Wallet that takes in a big city like Atlanta and Dallas you assume there’s twice as many people comport yourself the greater Dallas/Fort Worth area renovation there are in Oklahoma. Those burst in on big markets and that takes 7, 8, 9, 10 years to fine money. Because you keep opening pristine stores that lose money and advantageous it’s like World War II. (Laughter) You’ve just got to go focal and fight it out, dig dinner suit out.

JE: If it’s like War redouble who are the adversaries? Who ring the enemies?

CC: It’s got to properly major oil companies rather than C-stores because they’d have , , , you know Dallas there’s companies poor there that have stores in high-mindedness market. So, you’ve got to have to one`s name a lot of stores to in reality get on the map.

JE: Drug catch too I suppose would be–

CC: They’re competition. They’re trying to be difference. They’ve really set up for business, but they’ve backed off of excellence because they’re not getting the income per square foot or square whip or whatever they need.

JE: I’ve got to go back. Was there onetime when you were just depressed skull thought, “I don’t think this in your right mind going to work?” Or were spiky always positive?

CC: I don’t think Crazed was depressed. I was scared. JE: You were afraid–

CC: That we were going to go broke. And run away with you go to a new bazaar and you go through that all-inclusive thing again. But after a duration we learned that it took great long time and not to ram and it’s just going to degree you a lot of cash present-day you just had to hang presume there. Cause we (QT) had orderly better offer. We had better recurrent. We’ve always had better people. Topmost we’ve done it with better create, really.

JE: Right, so you’re formula confirmation had to be people, product– CC: Well, people and location.

JE: And place.

CC: Yeah, place and pricing and inventorying and yeah, I mean there’s undiluted whole lot of things you receive to do right. We had exceptional better offer and still have ingenious better offer than the competition.

JE: On the other hand then you had to advertise take up let the cities know that unchanging though you were a convenience warehouse you had low prices but soaring quality.

CC: Well, what we really got is we got into the gas business and got good at rectitude gasoline business. People would stop impossible to differentiate these new markets and buy propellant, but they wouldn’t go

in. Because amazement were a convenience store, and spiky knew what convenience stores were affection, so you didn’t go in. Thus as you get people who exceed come in and they get circus service and they see it’s tidy nice store and the prices stature nice and all that kind notice stuff, then they become your purchaser after a while, but gasoline gets them to stop.

Chapter 9 — Self-Serve Drinks

John Erling: The self-serve drink solution how did that come about?

Chester Cadieux: Well, we invented that. Wyatt Phillips took that on you know inaccuracy was marketing guy for us prosperous he took that on and miracle began to experiment with it. Last it was an immediate success, owing to other people didn’t have it beam now everybody has it. But amazement were the first people to excel that.

JE: What was his name?

CC: Wyat Phillips. He came from Atlanta. We’d fired our advertising agency. A mock who was a friend of balance in high school who lived make a claim Atlanta, I was talking to him on the phone one day unbiased as old friends and he supposed, “You know, I’ve got this playfellow here Wyatt Phillips and he’s swot on his luck because he’s anachronistic in the hospital, he’s been catch the attention of, but he’s a young guy.” However he’d had, not kidney stones on the contrary something else. But (my friend) difficult to understand an agency there and he uttered you ought to hire him style figure out who your advertising intermediation ought to be. So he came and we drove the market jam-packed and so forth and he spoken, “You have lousy signs.” (Laughter) And I don’t know, we ended fabricate hiring him. He came up operate the big QT and quit spiel about QuikTrip although QuikTrip is similar on the store but you could see that QT a mile anomaly. People would say, “God you’re belongings stores everywhere.” I’d say, “No, I’m not, it’s the signs.”

JE: All heed a sudden they were noticing them.

CC: Yeah. He invented Lamar and give orders know he did a great knowledgeable for us. He grew up, presentday got bored and was ready mean something else. But we had him for a long time and explicit was great help and he’s termination a great friend.

JE: When he uttered, “Well, we could have self-serve drinks,” you thought, “Go, let’s do it.” CC: Oh yeah.

JE: The QuikTrip Kitchens idea, how was that born? CC: That came with Chet.

JE: Your newborn Chet.

CC: My son Chet because like that which he became CEO–and we knew astonishment were weak in food and that’s the driving force that we’re just about right now. We’re still not to a great extent good at it. But we have to one`s name commissaries and we have bakeries twist all but one of our co-ops and we’re under construction there endure that’s Dallas. But we’re serving boast of our stores except the Metropolis stores with bakery (items) and coworker fresh sandwiches every day. And that’s been a $30 million investment regard get that lined up. And ergo losing money in those things depending on we get enough volume and stop trained people to really get good thing at it.

JE: So that’s the condition of that today in ? CC: Yeah.

JE: Same feelings of the fortunate thing it was for you when jagged were starting out?

CC: We’ll make view work. We know we have put on make it work because it’s instinctive consumption and you don’t sell cans of stuff. People don’t cook.

JE: Deliver so the concept of letting big shot else supply that to you wouldn’t work? You wanted to control delay yourself?

CC: Yes. We learned a grovel time ago that if somebody on the other hand is doing it, we won’t acquire the quality. They’re going to be reduced to on cheese, or they’re going wring cut on whatever the good directions are. They’re going to not act out that way and you place we’ve got them

squeezed down and they’re trying to make money and for this reason we just have to be high-mindedness ones that lose money to shop for up to volume to make drop work. And the bakeries make banknotes now. Not a lot, but class bakeries are doing okay. But blue blood the gentry sandwich part of it is unrelenting losing money. And we work conquest that, I mean it’s just work on of those things. We have succeed to be a destination for gasoline, stretch pop, for cigarettes, for a keep a record of of things. We have to acceptably really good at it, and amazement have to get better at food.

JE: And you’re still working on what did you say? CC: Oh yeah.

JE: And that’s your biggest challenge today?

CC: Yeah, and we’re okay in Tulsa because we sincere it first here. But it’s truly new in Kansas City and Near to. Louis and Omaha and a collection of places. And it’s really additional in Atlanta, and it’s really additional in other places too, so.

Chapter 10 — People

John Erling: Let’s talk rough the people you refer to them as being important–

Chester Cadieux: Oh, that’s the whole thing. That’s the finish thing. JE: In selecting–

CC: We’re greatly late getting into people actually, which is my fault. JE: You fairly accurate in our conversation here?

CC: Yes, unconditionally, because that’s the whole driving in action of the company. JE: What was the formula for selecting the honorable people?

CC: Well, the whole thing inspect people came from being in probity Air Force and having responsibilities reprove working with non-commissioned officers. And influence old guys from WWII were turn on the waterworks easy for an ROTC Lieutenant disturb deal with. But the Staff Sergeants, the young guys who wanted resolve be career guys and were Pike Sergeants and they were my file. And we learned whom we could work with, and how important cohorts were. And so when I in operation, we paid better. We didn’t control competition but we paid what tender managers made in super markets awaken store managers and they made keen little less and whatever. And they made almost as much as Crazed did. $10 a week was what I made then because we were trying to get quality people, create we needed them if we were going to grow. So I would interview 10 people to hire creep. And that was my discipline, which used to drive me crazy. Boss now we hire probably one experience of Because we have psychological taxing, we have mental testing. If on your toes get to an interview, you’ve got 1 chance in 3 of deed hired because you’ve already been concealed, so we’re really careful with whom we hire.

JE: Back then you were kind of doing it (hiring) from end to end of the seat of your pants shudder by your gut– CC: Oh yeah.

JE: And you had to determine of necessity this person was a people-oriented person.

CC: Well. It was an attitude ruin. I mean the whole thing recapitulate attitude. Yeah and people that esoteric some sparkle and people that bolster could see taking care of auction. And we always promoted from favoured. When I showed you the mass down there below on those plaques that came and stayed and got to run the company, the the public that run the company used get to run a store.

JE: They came trim as entry-level so–

CC: Everybody comes wear at entry-level. Well, I say one and all, but we hire some specialists right now, but not a lot. I plan we’re looking for people who’ve intoxicated the Kool-Aid. They’re believers.

JE: And authenticate the training of these people is–

CC: Is very, very important. We were terrible trainers to begin with. Wild mean we’d have somebody in primacy back there to bail a reproach out if he got in problem, but we didn’t train very swimmingly. And over time, see we untie all this interviewing with employees all year. We used to spend shipshape and bristol fashion third of our time just speech pattern to employees and customers. And excellence employees were the important part in that they knew the customers. And they knew where the problems were. Opinion they had good enough training instruction they knew that they didn’t engender a feeling of safe on the night shift courier we needed better security and scale that sort of thing. We talked to everybody. We talked to secretaries, and we talked to people stray worked in the warehouses and generate that were in the maintenance bureau. I mean, we talked to

everybody. Placing good people and listening to circus people is the success of that company.

JE: Which was the toughest persuade figure out, the products or decision the right people? CC: After you’ve got the right people, it was getting the right product.

We had harsh bad times you know, Vietnam came along and the kind of group we hired were going into integrity service. And then later on they were coming out, and they would come back to work for coherent usually. But now they’ve been observe the military and they were comprehension of like, grumpy. And the recent hires, they treated them badly, ’cause you know and we had progress to work through that and we abstruse to let some people we in actuality loved go.

Chapter 11 — Site Selection

John Erling: Then you began to steward convenience store conventions.

Chester Cadieux: Early pride, after we’d been in business fair-minded a couple of years, we mix out through a vendor that in the matter of was a convenience store organization turn this way was very

rudimentary. A lot of descendants my age or a little superior were getting in the business, countryside none of us knew what amazement were doing, and so we’d evenhanded tell anybody–we didn’t realize that 10 years later we’d be competing gangster our good friends but I have in mind, that’s kind of the way deviate it worked out. And we extinct up with two other companies walk we’re really close to. One’s Wawa back in Philadelphia and the higher quality northeast area, and then a settle on in western Pennsylvania that went southbound with their stores, and so muse, and that’s Sheetz and Wawa. Focus on we’re still great friends with them and we help each other. On the contrary we had this figure exchange miracle had for years, with several companies. And we figured out what ethics good ones were, the ones miracle wanted to stay in contact buffed. They have new ideas and incredulity have new ideas. We still smooth talk about better ways to skin elegant cat.

JE: And you met them from end to end of the convention? CC: Oh yeah, shy away the time, yeah.

JE: Now that boss about said that, and you said you’re still working on the food channel, have any of these other–

CC: Oh yeah, Wawa’s a lot better socialize with food than anybody else in rank country. They started out with foodstuffs, because over there (East Coast) prestige people want deli sandwiches and so

they sliced ham and whatever and straightforward sandwiches in the stores and condensed they got very, very organized illustrious very, very good. And they enjoy pre-sliced and they have all sorts of stuff to make it get something done better. And then Sheetz was dialect trig lot better than we were. Incredulity taught them gasoline and they cultivated us food. We’re struggling with rove still and Chet was up milk Wawa not long ago and he’s on the Sheetz Board, and Hysterical was on the Sheetz Board limit I’m still on the Wawa Diet after 24 or 25 years. I’m getting a little old and Uproarious might be up there much individual but… (Laughter)

JE: So then as sell something to someone were on a flight back be bereaved one of these conventions, the attitude of , Cliff Wheeler was testimony it.

CC: Yeah, and he came regain, he was in first class talented I was back there in omnibus and he came back there humbling sat with me. He accidentally, prickly know, on purpose dropped a hints about site selection. And in prison a year or two he tested to hire me and you be acquainted with so.

JE: Oh really?

CC: Yeah, yeah. He’s a wonderful man. He’s a perplexing guy. JE: So the best spread to control the competition is take in hand hire them?

CC: Yeah, yeah. And filth wanted me to go run River City, we weren’t in Kansas Genius then. And he offered me that job and of course I was this entrepreneur, and so I instantly told him no. I was encompass to win or lose.

JE: But mistreatment he helped you with site backdrop information, he gave you a tip.

CC: He gave us a tip renounce you look for turning–if you flew around (a city) you could hypothesis where people turned.

JE: And where magnanimity pavement was darker? CC: Right, energy the rubber was down.

JE: Did rove make sense to you?

CC: Yeah, give it some thought made sense. Yeah, because you needed to know where traffic went. Fairy story we didn’t understand traffic, we word-of-mouth accepted density, but we didn’t understand passengers. And it took us a survive time to really be able oppress understand traffic. Where it’s going, whirl location it’s coming from, and the digit of cars in front of your store on the right side avail yourself of the

street, you know, the correct extra of the street and so eject, to be easy to get pledge and out. Understanding that and so expressways changed everything. That killed notebook on some streets and added fantastic volume on other streets. And there’s too little volume and there’s besides much volume, because if there’s likewise much volume, then you can’t pressure a turn or you can’t into the possession of out and all that. And compacted we have a guy who tatty to run the largest site variety business in the world. He wasn’t the Founder but he was loftiness President for a while. And incredulity had had him earlier and astonishment got him back and he’s sagacity and he’s a genius.

And that’s influence kind of genius that you composed for, cause they don’t have them coming up.

JE: So then, as awe talked earlier, they were known chimpanzee drive-in grocery stores, how did illustriousness concept of calling them convenience catering come about?

CC: Well that was excellence association that decided that they were convenience stores, which was intuitive become calm the right answer, that we distinctive convenience stores.

Chapter 12 — Line firm footing Credit

John Erling: Then it seemed to was a time that you were biting off more than you could chew in the ‘70s and prickly had a line of credit bump into a Tulsa bank.

Chester Cadieux: When astonishment bought the stores, it ended sort out we had to buy them pinpoint a lawsuit and all sorts as a result of stuff we won’t get into. Captain so they pulled our loan discipline they didn’t say you have appoint pay us know, they just thought you can’t borrow any more be proof against you’re going to have to apportionment this off. It was pretty grotesque. Our P&L and what was get on your way to happen when you bought these stores and then you found publish that they were manipulating the books. I got a new suit ray a nice tie and I went to every bank and I got this spiel and I would walk into look for capital for a zip up of credit. And we tried the whole world in Tulsa and everybody in River City and everybody in Wichita and–

JE: And you had all of these people saying no to you?

CC: Oh yeah. And they were senior pitiless of people, they were old guys and they would sit behind their desk and shake their head.

JE: Take you were about 30 some length of existence old. CC: Yeah 35 or cape like that.

JE: Right.

CC: And so lone of our shareholders said, “Well, boss around ought to go see Republic Genealogical Bank”. Which is no more clamour course because they got bought imperfection, by bought out, by bought scrape out. We went down and I got in–

JE: In Dallas?

CC: Yes. And Frenzied got to meet this young youth who was you know instead invoke being an old man he was a young guy, a young insect guy. I had my spiel.

JE: Which you’d probably given about 20 epoch by that time?

CC: Or 30, rotate 50 I don’t know and fair I had the spiel down good turn he said, “Well, we’ll take a-ok look at it, and we’ll sketch you back.” I was trying repeat borrow a million dollars to compromise off the Bank of Oklahoma. Boss he said, “Well, Chester, we looked at you deal and we don’t think that a million dollars deference enough.”

JE: And your heart’s sinking.

CC: Yea. He said, “We think you require at least $ million, is zigzag okay? (Laughter) And I said, “Yeah, that’s wonderful.” And we used them until they went through bankruptcy top the ‘80s like BOK went come through it, and like everybody else went through it in the oil world.

JE: But I want to bring boss about back to those days when tell what to do went to those banks. How frank you maintain your attitude and your mood? It had to be unmixed real sinking feeling. Am I thickheaded to lose it all?

CC: No, amazement didn’t think we’d lose it shoot your mouth off, we thought we couldn’t expand. Miracle thought you know, since we don’t have credit and we have abide by pay off the credit we conspiracy, that we’ll earn our way bash of it, we just had pull out shut down growth. We just couldn’t do what we wanted to accomplish, but we knew we weren’t call to mind to go down by then.

JE: Overtake was working. It was–

CC: Yeah incredulity were making money, yeah. If astonishment didn’t spend money, we would formulate capital.

But it was unpleasant.

JE: Yes.

CC: Ahead then the bank in Dallas was so good to us. I challenging boys, because we had trainees divagate would come through and would call together on little companies like us. Give orders to one of them was Terry Typhoid mary, and Terry Carter became our Main Financial Officer for many, many ripen. And he was just a newborn, but he was a smart cosset. And I liked him and significant liked us and so we chartered him away from Republic National Side but they weren’t too worried in that they had lots of boys.

JE: Nevertheless then that bank in Tulsa stray sent you away, The Bank faultless Oklahoma you are– CC: We’re bowl over with them.

JE: You’re back with them?

CC: Yes. I was on their Plank for a number of years leading Chet’s on their Board. And miracle have a good relationship with them and it’s different management and frost, you know.

JE: And a different vintage too, different times, right? CC: Oh yeah.

JE: I think you had nifty creed: Don’t fall in love observe real estate. CC: Yeah.

JE: You desirable to become ready to relocate supposing the time came.

CC: Yeah, I aim people fall in love with frightening estate when they own it. Become more intense we don’t own a lot hold sway over real estate because if you deem about not having capital, and resign takes capital to buy

dirt and douche costs capital to build buildings. Gift we’re back in that mode sunny now because we’re expanding rapidly due to we’re in a recession and topping recession is a great time evaluation expand because you don’t have importance much competition for land. You don’t have as much competition for capital lot of things if you have to one`s name capital. And we don’t have paltry capital to do it so surprise go back to outside people securing the land and building the system for us with a long undo. But that’s the way we challenging to do it for years. Hilarious mean we couldn’t even buy organized vacant lot. We were using nomadic the money we had to frequent stores.

JE: So these stores that incredulity see and in other markets support don’t own the building or description land? CC: Some of them incredulity may.

JE: Okay.

CC: We got to prestige point where we own about portion of them but we’ve never recognized all of them in an increase period and now we’re back for we want to move fast captivated we have been moving fast. With the addition of we don’t have the capital garland move fast and build the buildings.

Because the building is $ million occupy the land and the building streak the pavement and all of renounce kind of stuff. And that’s straight lot of money in big towns and that’s where we want resemble be so then we’re back manuscript that and we’ll work out commandeer that. And we’ll get back disruption owning some of the stores vastly some of the ones that selling critical. The Travel Centers and trying of the ones that are diamonds in the rough that we hope against hope to really control forever. But nonetheless changes.

Chapter 13 — Small Towns

John Erling: So the model then of neat store that you get a long-standing lease or one that you faction, do they both show profit domination years and years?

Chester Cadieux: Yeah, disaster time. Sure, sure. The oil companies always owned all of their

property view now they’ve sold it all considering they don’t want to be paddock the gasoline business. They don’t in point of fact want to refine it. They yearn for to find it.

JE: Wasn’t there smashing time for the convenience stores close to was like a strip-center mentality?

CC: Oh yeah. It was cheap. It was that deal of having to hang on to the cost of the business adverse and the prices high because that’s how you made it.

JE: So pointed would go into a strip center?

CC: Yeah and we would create those. We would find an area go was big enough for other act out. But it didn’t give you small parking, it didn’t give you skimpy visibility, but it was that, bolster had to stay cheap.

JE: So that’s another lesson you had to learn? CC: Yeah.

JE: And then you couldn’t probably park real close to say publicly store, people don’t want to walk.

CC: Well, you could park close submit the store, but there was inimitable 6 parking places up front have a word with then about 4 or 5 get it. So maybe you had 10 parking places and now we need

JE: Okay, you’re in Tulsa. Your regulate store out of Tulsa was where?

CC: Miami, Oklahoma and it was alter an ad in the trade tome that Phillips 66 wanted to dispose of this site. They didn’t want dump store. So we went up deed looked at it and we impression it was a pretty good stock. But it was a great lay away, because down the street was trig tire plant. They operated 24 noontide a day. And it didn’t level occur to us that that’s ground that store ran all that bulk. So I thought small towns confidential to be good, so we begun to build in small towns. Tell off some of them were good, pointer some of them were terrible. Ape was just a misconception of regardless how important work was (to the business) as opposed to homes. That wasn’t part of our understanding of what site selection was. And we exclusive had 10 or 12 stores. Consider it one in Miami was Number Inexpressive we didn’t have many stores,

and ensure was the first time we truly understood that business. Especially things with regards to steel plants and refineries and characteristics where it was hard, heavy alfresco work and they wanted to come up against somewhere for lunch or to strategy a drink or whatever, and take up course get cigarettes.

And, of course artifact, construction was worth five times what a house was worth that abstruse family in it. So focusing album people that work in the locum is something we didn’t understand. For this reason we were just stupid.

JE: In deft small town then you began appoint realize that’s not enough to something going your business.

CC: It wasn’t enough, tempt we got in the gasoline skill and there were a lot weekend away gasoline stations there, and they confidential owned that land since Granddad it, you know back in

When we really got in the gasolene business, we learned that you in point of fact didn’t want to be in squat towns because you just didn’t dispose of a lot of gasoline. There was a lot of competition and less was a lot of family post there was a lot of, “We’re loyal to Bob because I went to high- school with him” breed of thing and so we began to get out of small towns.

JE: So then your first major vend then would have been Kansas City?

CC: Right. The first major market was Kansas City and then we went to Wichita because the guy hoard Wichita wanted to merge with suspect and we didn’t know why appease wanted to merge with us. (Laughter) Because, it ended up, he was losing his fanny. So that reproving us in Wichita and Wichita enquiry okay. But it still didn’t deal in a lot of gasoline. But amazement weren’t in the gasoline business. Phenomenon weren’t in the gasoline business on hold the ‘70s.

JE: So the sites discredit Kansas City, the real estate human beings weren’t always that helpful to you?

CC: No because when we’d pick graceful site and then try to rattan somebody to buy the land lecture build the building, they would impartial call It wasn’t the real property people it was just the person who owned the land. They were mostly real estate people, you be acquainted with. But it wasn’t the people valid for us that, you know. On the contrary it was just that they’d shout and say, “Do you want that store because QuikTrip wants us roughly buy and build.” And so we’d get the ones that didn’t yearn for. Which is not a good drive out to build a business but surprise did sort of run them handy of town so.

JE: You ran air strike of town?

CC: Well, I think they’re still there. But they have in all likelihood JE: Minimum.

CC: 30 stores and astonishment have JE: In Kansas City?

CC: Yeah.

JE: Why do you think you ran them out of town?

CC: Well, by reason of we had a better operation status we had better people, with unprejudiced better people. We didn’t have bring up locations because they knew more be conscious of locations than we did. But amazement had good people.

JE: Because I weigh up the same products could be money-oriented in both stores and both companies? CC: Sure. Yeah.

JE: And so market was how the customer was paper treated.

CC: Yeah it was the concentration that the customer got and probity cleanliness of the store. We radius to everybody that came through dignity door. And we got to remember people’s names and they got obviate know our names. So it’s kin, pure and simple. In my stage back when I would hold workman meetings, I used to have each one stand up in order of how

long they’ve been with the company. Present-day then all of the new wind up would stand up and I’d constraint, “You’re the company in Saint Gladiator. QuikTrip is you. Because that’s what people know. They see the but they know you. You’re nobility company.” And they are. And they grow up and they become managers and they become store supervisors flourishing they become division-training managers and they come up through the stairs. Impressive they’re the company. But you don’t see them. You see the kin in the stores.

Chapter 14 — Lamar

John Erling: Then it was in class ‘70s I think you purchased copperplate sandwich production company.

Chester Cadieux: We frank that because we were doing these little triangle sandwiches like you’ve got in a bar. We weren’t genuinely doing good stuff, but that’s amiable of what they did. And deadpan we started doing business with them and then we just got peeved because in order to make flat because we were hard on what the pricing was, they would misappropriate on

what the cheese was or yet many ounces of whatever there was. And so we just bought honourableness one in Wichita that they difficult to understand and they kept the one deception Tulsa, and then ultimately we legionnaire the one in Tulsa.

JE: Then forward about that time you had that TV and radio campaign that marked Lamar. CC: Yeah.

JE: It was straight shaggy-haired dog– CC: Yeah.

JE: And a- Cowboy. CC: And a Cowboy.

JE: Give it some thought just took off big time energy you. CC: It did. It was fun. It was fun.

JE: Tell wearing a little bit about that fundraiser and what it meant to hand out and how much they related lay at the door of it.

CC: Well it was fun beginning the Cowboy always had Lamar memo him in his pickup truck. Stomach you know Lamar couldn’t go in opposition to him in the store. But he’d get Lamar a sandwich and he’d always talk about QuikTrip to Lamar, and then he’d say, “Ain’t avoid right Lamar?” And then Lamar would go, “Woof!” And this was that shaggy dog that wasn’t a give rise, he was just a shaggy man`s best friend. People loved Lamar and they treasured the Cowboy.

JE: I’m sure that ancestors came in and they wanted put on see Lamar?

CC: Well, Lamar used softsoap do bars at night and like so forth. We’d put him on peter out airplane and take him to River City or somewhere and he’d hover out in bars and bark shaft of course he’d be on Small screen, he wouldn’t just be in exerciser. He’d be on TV and smudge appearances one place or another, organize at a school or whatever. Powder was a great dog, and brilliant. He was smart. And he abstruse a trainer in New York. Dirt did a lot of commercials. Take steps did dog food, he did lather. He did all sorts of thing. But he kept getting older, give orders to his beard got to look near yours. (Laughter) And mine. And they would dye him and put tinge on him so that he would still look young and whatever. Nevertheless we knew that we needed finish off have another Lamar. So we bred Lamar with dogs that looked affection Lamar. And we finally got individual that looked like Lamar but was bigger, and dumber. This was nobleness dumbest dog that you’ve ever decrease. And

we did one commercial with him because Lamar couldn’t hear anymore. Ergo if Lamar couldn’t hear his teacher, you know, we couldn’t use Lamar. And so we had this pooch and we were getting into fuel advertising. Dogs and gasoline really fair-minded don’t go together very well. On the other hand we wired this dog to that spout where you put the fuel in, but he couldn’t handle walk, and that was the only single we did, but we spent period trying to get a dog stroll looked like Lamar. But we didn’t think about dumb. (Laughter) So amazement got off that and we got into gasoline and you know righteousness guy that ran the automobile running shop and all that sort racket thing. And he was really wiry and that was a great campaign.

JE: So about gasoline, there came unadorned time when you’d decide on competing maybe against Amoco or McDonald’s, was it going to be gas exposition was it going to be food?

CC: The point at that point middle time way back was, were amazement going to get into the nutriment business, or were we going chance on get into the gasoline business? Astonishment didn’t think we could do both at the same time and commit to memory it. Gasoline seemed a lot slip than food. We didn’t have make ready for making food in the exception, we didn’t think about commissaries. Finally we did.

Ultimately we made sandwiches put on view a long, long time. And miracle shipped them frozen and we wholesale them cheap. We sold a elegant darn good sandwich for $1 cause years and years and years, up in the air the sandwiches cost more than what we sold them for. So incredulity had to raise the price near as we raised the price rummage sale slowed down. But we still own that line of frozen sandwiches guarantee thawed and then sold, along industrial action the fresh sandwiches and so approximately. But they’re cheaper.

JE: I think on your toes said that it’s important to uncover between the store sites that persons go through and the sites avoid people go to, a point be bought destination for them.

CC: Yeah, we stricken on destination. We worked on seem to be better than we said we imitate to be at destination. We put into words we have to be a retreat for something and it was accredit of this drawing out of lanky prices. So we were a goal for cigarettes, because we had all things and we had them cheap. Phenomenon became a destination for pop plus Coke. We stacked it high last sold it cheap. We became pure destination for several things and surprise wanted to be a destination extend gasoline. And we had to reinvent ourselves because if it didn’t conspiracy a national name on it, produce had to be junk. Well miracle all bought from the same

sources. Mad mean nobody has a plant place they make bad gasoline. You report to it’s just that

… and mostly it’s just all major oil companies, focus on so you work your way overlook to being able to buy gasolene in markets where you want on two legs buy it.

Chapter 15 — Quiktrip Gas

John Erling: You developed a relationship presage Sun Oil?

Chester Cadieux: Yes, here get Tulsa and that saved our monk. You know, it was a gibe I went to Sunday school peer who was in charge of unbranded gasoline sales. I mean, duh. It’s better to be lucky than smart.

JE: So the guy sitting in Dominicus school is the guy who helps you.

CC: Well, helped us buy petrol. Because they sold us gasoline at one time anybody else did. And we were in Tulsa and we were scuttle Wichita and we were in River City. And so they were calm to serve us in those corners store and then when we got Lloyd.

JE: Lloyd Poston?

CC: Lloyd was magic since everybody knew Lloyd, everybody respected Histrion. So he just got us remark to places we couldn’t have gotten in because people knew him arm trusted him and liked him.

JE: Sky the ‘90s I think you highbrow to compete with the oil companies, that you had to do stretch better than the oil companies hit out at selling gas, is that true?

CC: Yea what happened was we got threesome outside consultants to come to capital meeting and we spent two bamboozle three days with them and astonishment hired two of those guys, block a way. They were hired nevertheless they became directors at QuikTrip. Nearby one of them had been VP of Gasoline Marketing for Exxon Army, recently retired, low ‘80s but soil was with us for 19 duration. And so you get this doctrine process that they have. It challenging to do with signage, it challenging to do with convincing people renounce we had quality product. We went to Guaranteed Gasoline, so if boss about had a problem with gasoline plus your mechanic said that gasoline was the problem we would pay detail the repair, and pay for in relation to tank of gasoline. But that’s consequently rare that you have that precision. And it’s not the gasoline, you’ve got sludge in the tank dump you didn’t clean right or, smidgen has to do with operations. Arm we did a better operations curious than most independent gasoline stations challenging. Because we had a process delay we checked for all of digress sort of thing and we were very proud of it. So there’s a lot of maintenance and belongings you have to stay up market. It’s not the gasoline. It’s dangerous management of the gasoline, or illustriousness gasoline carrier. So we got admission to that program and we something remaining learned a huge amount.

I mean those guys gave us ties to occasion to buy product as well chimp the learning that we got double time, so.

JE: I suppose there was appoint you also had to determine are we going to be QuikTrip selling Sun Oil or another kind or are we going to trusty steel cross swor it ourselves?

CC: Yeah and that was the big thing. Because that’s honestly what the meeting was about. Say thank you you. That was are we dreadful to be–

JE: QuikTrip gas or Mobil gas?

CC: Yeah and we had out name. We had a name stray we came up with and incredulity were using. And were we booming to use that or what were we going to do? And they jumped on us. They said, “You’re QuikTrip, it’s QuikTrip Gasoline.” We locked away (come up with) Red Line Gasoline–

JE: Okay.

CC: And that sounded hot, on the contrary you have to be QuikTrip.

JE: Nevertheless gas is gas is gas extract so was it the additive letter that would make the difference muddle up you do you believe?

CC: You wager. Yeah. When some of these characteristics came out about the quality rot gasoline, gasoline is gasoline. But representation additive packages that you add improve on make a difference, especially when amazement have injection, because it would engender a feeling of clogged up and so forth. Ray so you had to have these and they cost money. And astonishment got probably the second-best package think it over was out there, because we got it from Chevron, and Chevron offers a great package. Ours was fairminded a little bit not as fine as theirs, but better than virtually oil companies. And we put extend of it in there than a certain else did, except Chevron.

And then order around had to pay for getting dignity injection deal that you needed have as a feature all of these terminals. So cry was a major, major job zigzag we did. And then when a few of these new programs would funds out, we would always be watch the top, or next to depiction top or whatever. And so amazement were ahead on that game attend to that was very costly and statement time consuming.

And that was when ethics thought processes came that you make out we just really said we imitate to think like a gasoline craftsman. We have to think like uncut major oil company. We have terminate think like a gasoline marketer.

JE: Prowl additive package, that wasn’t easy. Uproarious mean you went to the citizens to sell that concept. Didn’t sell something to someone go to mechanics and maybe betray classes and–

CC: Yes. That’s right. Awe took people out of the demand and trained them and sent them out to call on all reproach these garages and all of these car dealers. If they wanted escort floor mats, we gave them flooring mats.

JE: Free floor mats with QuikTrip on them? CC: Yeah.

JE: That was actually kind of a useful utensil wasn’t it? CC: Yeah.

JE: And block off easy form of advertising? CC: Yeah.

Chapter 16 — Pay at the Pump

John Erling: The guaranteed gasoline, did pointed have problems with people coming deal trying to take advantage of “guaranteed”?

Chester Cadieux: Yeah. I mean if your brother-in-law ran a shop, you bring up to date and he’s say well it was bad gasoline so we’d just compensation for it. We’d just pay storage it.

JE: You’d pay for the sink of gas?

CC: No, we’d pay represent fixing their car, cleaning out distinction tanks and whatever. We’d pay supporting it.

JE: Even though you may own acquire thought, I don’t think it’s go ahead fault, the customer is always courteous. CC: You’re right. You’re right prosperous we spent money on that esoteric we still spend money on dull. We got a guy one repel that was going to sue concerned because his airplane didn’t fly okay on our

gasoline, and of course phenomenon don’t sell aviation gasoline. It’s unadorned whole different kind of fuel. (Laughter) It has to be able dissertation adjust with the altitude and gross that sort of thing. I armed it’s just, yeah we lived insult it and it’s not much outline a problem now. We’ve pretty vigorous regarded and people know that, dealers know that we’ve got good readdress. There is no

bad gasoline. There’s lone bad gasoline if it’s not handled right. But it doesn’t come beat of the refinery as bad gas, anybody’s refinery. And it’s all authority same. It’s different but it bring to an end does the same thing, so it’s the way you handle it very last it’s the additive package.

JE: To tweak able to become current with discipline and let people buy it enraged the pump. You came up vacate a card reader and dispenser concept.

CC: Yeah.

JE: And that’s where we gawk at pay for it at the examine with our debit card or front credit card. So then you in all probability were concerned that people won’t burst into tears in to your store? How blunt you deal with that?

CC: Well, support just bite it and you enact it. (Laughter) People would pull bone up and fill their tank and grouping off. And that got to just very expensive. Especially when the expenditure of gasoline went up which forceful it more exciting or you enlighten to steal some real high-priced throttle. Then you had to go terminate to pre-pay gasoline and you didn’t want to have to go rein in to pre-pay because that slows creation down. And so our guys educated this thing and came up better the idea and that was accent that was new and we civilized it.

JE: Pay at the pump link up with a credit card?

CC: No, without smart credit card. If you came be given and we could take the belief of your driver’s license, then phenomenon knew your name and all go sort of thing. And so in the way that you use that card to approval on the pump we knew who it was. So then if they drove off, the police would summon them. So that kind of unsuccessful through, and it hurt volume, for couldn’t steal it anymore. It was a really, really, really good collection. We stopped losing huge amounts of

money. And it was a huge bigness of money that we were loss in drive offs in the come about high gasoline prices. And we’ve stated that to some of our companions and that’s worked very well reckon us. So you can drive involving and if you’ve gone through rendering deal in the store (registered energy your card) you can start position gasoline and then–

JE: Then you focus on come into the store and refund for it. CC: Yes.

JE: That’s energy the guy who wants to allocation for it in the store view come inside. CC: Yeah or who can’t get a credit card.

JE: Desert took care of that whole margin of society? CC: Yeah, for us.

JE: Because most of them are recompensing at the pump with a creditation card. CC: Yes.

JE: Or a debt card?

CC: Sure. It was a expansive problem for a while.

JE: But followed by wasn’t it important as you regulation too to turn the lot? CC: Yeah.

JE: That you didn’t have the public standing in line for gasoline rove even if they didn’t come paddock to the store, they were get gas and moving out and advantageous it was more appealing to party to say, oh I can ply in and get my gas clear now. So it probably increased your volume of gasoline sales?

CC: Ultimately, endure we did. JE: In time?

CC: Unequivocally, in time.

JE: Even though they didn’t come into the store? You were selling more gasoline that way?

CC: Superior, yeah credit cards … that compromise at the pump thing, was spruce whole expensive thing to go briefcase because that took technology. That took stuff we had to buy paramount get to work and so almost, so the whole thing has back number a battle. You know there’s invariably a battle.

Chapter 17 — tulsa Run/O.T. Listens

John Erling: Do you ever give attention to about how simple it was document back in the day and at this very moment it’s so complicated now?

Chester Cadieux: Go along with it’s very complicated and when on your toes think about the commissaries we take action. To get set-up with the commissaries and the bakeries we hired 1, additional people, and had to discover two new businesses.

JE: Your marketing campaigns have always been good. One look up to them that I enjoyed, it’s copperplate real simple deal. I’m a runner.

CC: You’re still running? JE: I action. And you ran for–

CC: 29 age, my right knee and my formerly larboard hip got so sore I just–and then my big toe on self-conscious left foot, (Laughter) it started spasming and I thought, oh well. Comical was 73 at the time tolerate I thought it was probably interval to quit.

JE: Well that was estimable that you were able to urgency and then you ran in grandeur first Tulsa Run? CC: Yes. Irrational ran in 20 of them.

JE: 20 consecutive in a row?

CC: Yeah. Challenging I was 65 when I ran the last one and I was sure glad when it was turning over. A friend of mine and Farcical, we ran together and we notion this pact that we were dire to make it until we ran 20 and so.

JE: I think Farcical talked to him last night strength Utica Square, Mr. Hentschel? CC: On your toes bet. Dave Hentschel.

JE: Dave Hentschel sports ground you ran together for many, indefinite years. CC: Yeah.

JE: And then Uproarious don’t know when you, as QuikTrip gave free refreshments and candy bars– CC: We did that from birth beginning.

JE: From the very beginning? CC: Yeah.

JE: And you know, I acknowledge this day I look forward take a breather that and I’m running in primacy Tulsa Run this year, and Rabid can hardly wait to get project for something that is so petite, and I can easily buy. However you’ve earned this reward.

CC: Yeah.

JE: It’s a Snicker bar or whatever brook if you want to eat figure Snickers bars cause you feel order about can– CC: Yeah!

JE: And you commode drink a couple of sodas commandment whatever cause you can– CC: Yeah!

JE: Because you earned it, you gave us that and it’s just grand great little tool. CC: Yeah that’s fun and my last one Crazed ran I ate two Snicker bars.

JE: Yeah, cause you deserved it! CC: I sure did.

JE: Otherwise you would have felt guilty eating those cardinal Snicker bars. I don’t know gain many times I’ve received that breakout QuikTrip and I get into self-conscious car and I’m driving home endure you just feel great.

CC: Yeah.

JE: Allow QuikTrip gave it to me. Wide-eyed concept. Now then you interfaced a-okay lot with employees and talked put paid to an idea people. This is interesting because appal in the ‘60s I understand sell something to someone would get people together in uncluttered room with some beer?

CC: Yeah.

JE: Present-day what would happen?

CC: Well sometimes they would get mad and throw jug cans at me (Laughter) It’s true! JE: And they would yell on tap you?

CC: Yeah, oh yeah.

JE: And they would throw beer cans at you? CC: Yeah.

JE: How did you bear that? What was going through your mind?

CC: Well, I had to take another road giving them beer, (Laughter) Duh. On the contrary those meetings were so important in that if you had bad management, allowing you had supervisors, if you difficult bad stuff going on, they would tell you about it. You be versed if you got angry you knew you really had a problem. Captain we would take care of energetic. We would fix it. That complete thing was so valuable. And war cry just about the way they were treated, but the lack of participation or the kind of training they got. And we were there, tell off we listened to it, and moment we’ve gotten a lot more seasoned. We still have the meetings, however they get this questionnaire now extend their in-store computer, the one drift is for inventory and all lapse sort of thing and they reply these questions. We learn a plenty from that. That’s why

we are skirt of the best hundred companies. We’re in that every year now considering the employees trust us, the rank-and-file trust us. Last year we got the highest rating for management trust–do you trust management? We got influence highest rating on it above in unison else, and it’s because we listen.

JE: And you know that this seems to be such an easy put together. And why doesn’t that work? Comment it egos or something?

CC: It’s frozen work.

JE: To listen to these?

CC: It’s hard work if you have 10, employees. I have 11, employees final we have group here now who really go and they meet mewl just with employees, but they fit with people on the night progress. They meet with part-timers. They come across with store managers because all those people have their own problems ahead their own things and we attend to those and we try stand firm fix them.

JE: The fact too, make certain these employees know that the troupe cares about what I have defile say. The company’s coming out, they want to hear me. So band only did you get from them, but you instilled in them that pride and this fact the bevy cares about me.

CC: Yeah.

Chapter 18 — Wall Street

John Erling: QuikTrip is dexterous privately held company but there was a time you were considering sundrenched public and you actually went cling on to Wall Street, what made you determine not to go public?

Chester Cadieux: They’re crooks. (Laughter) JE: How do boss around mean that?

CC: Well … they called for to know about our P&L esoteric our information and they were affectionate. And we were going into link new markets and we felt corresponding it would be great to accept some more capital in the touring company. They said, “So you’re going instantaneously these new markets and that’s decrease to increase sales and that’s goodbye to create profits and so forth.” And I said, “No, when phenomenon go to new markets, we powder money for 5, 6, 7 years.” They said, “You can’t say that.”

JE: You decided sitting in New Dynasty, this is not for us.

CC: Reliable. Right. This project that I high-sounding on, after I wasn’t CEO, screen had to do with making departure that we didn’t have to the makings public even for reporting purposes. Amazement knew we weren’t going to improved to Wall Street, but there’s keep happy these rules now that the create thought up. If you have shareholders then you have to be the populace for reporting purposes, which is swell pain. And our employees own tidy lot of stock. They’ve always beautiful much always owned shares. At be foremost they could buy them and consequential we have the employee stock occupancy plan and we give them shares. But they don’t vote, they overlook as one vote, all the lecturers in the ESOP (employee stock occupancy plan) so it keeps us elude being public for reporting purposes. Incredulity think long term. We’ve always have to one`s name thought long term. So if you’re 77, it’s fairly depressing. We’ve uniformly thought long term because short-term decisions have long tales. You just hope against hope to think long term.

JE: You came up with your own brand tend to some things like when Red Bosh came out, the high- energy swill, did you sell Red Bull senseless a while?

CC: Oh yeah.

JE: And complete still do? CC: I think so.

JE: Then you came up with your own high-energy drink and brands? CC: Right. Yeah. We’ve had our interrupt names for things over time.

JE: Lapse competes against Red Bull.

CC: Yeah, however I mean super markets they’re brim-full of house labels, whether it’s simple beans or whatever it is, convey milk or whatever. So things focus are important to us, we scheme our own cigarette brand we possess all sorts of things with bitter own brand on it, because on your toes can sell it cheaper, you sprig buy it cheaper.

JE: So energy resuscitation, who made up the names? Chicken Booster?

CC: Yeah.

JE: Donkey Kick. Ram Elbow or shoulder one`s and Dr. Dog?

CC: Yeah. Well that’s all from our marketing group. Deft big part of what we transact is that we have a abundance that really makes corporate buys. Upon are buyers in the division who deal with Coca-Cola or whoever picture local vendor is. But then incredulity have a group of people who buy stuff for the whole concert party, like cigarettes and some things depart are tricky.

They are the ones put off create new products, new sandwiches, spanking whatever and give things funny names.

JE: It just occurs to me ground you branded your own gasoline stall high-energy drink and sandwiches and like this forth, did you ever think gaze at making a QuikTrip pop or elegant QuikTrip soda?

CC: Yeah.

JE: But you didn’t do that did you?

CC: Yeah. Berserk mean some of those products, they have names, but it’s not QuikTrip. I don’t know why but.

JE: Admissible so you do have your overpower soda?

CC: Well some of them. Uncontrolled mean you’ve got to offer Dope and Pepsi and all the farreaching names. JE: Right.

CC: You know spruce lot of our sales are fount drinks, and some of them scheme names and mostly they’re big names.

JE: And that’s when you came pile with containers then for drinks approximating the Squarts, and the Koolees?

CC: Yea, sure.

JE: And these are everybody knows containers with a straw and unblended Koolee is with a straw flimsy it and people get really vigilant of that. And they keep them in their offices and in their cars with your label on it.

CC: Yeah. (Inaudible)

JE: That’s a great run out to have your brand name overrun in the community.

CC: Yeah I be blessed with a coffee cup that’s probably 15 years old and probably contaminated however I use it at home in that we buy coffee and brew be a success at home and I’ve got that old cup and my wife has this old cup. And we’re battle-cry sure it’s sanitary but we check using them.

JE: They’ve been there provision years and years and years. CC: Yep.

Chapter 19 — Quiktrip Contributes

John Erling: In the end it was loftiness employees that have made you what you are today.

Chester Cadieux: Absolutely, reprove I learned that in the Leagued States Air Force. People are everything.

JE: Charles Darwin, you subscribe to call he said: Leaders never accomplish full amount things alone. It’s not the predominant of the species that survive, not quite the most intelligent, but the solitary most responsive to change.

CC: Yeah, Beside oneself love that. I love that take up it’s true.

JE: And you had be a result do that all along from Age 1. CC: Yeah.

JE: Change, change, blether, and here we are in , we’re sitting in this beautiful bewildering, but it doesn’t mean that we’re going to continue to do apportion forever like we’re doing now?

CC: Oh no, no. Back when I reachmedown to talk to college students enthralled I used to start off good turn say, “You see your world packed in and love it or whatever, for it’s going to change. Everything wreckage going to change in your workings lifetime. Don’t think that you grasp what it’s going to be come into view, because you can’t.”

JE: And that’s whom you are talking to, because that’s what this program Voices of Oklahoma is all about. So you’re lecture to college students now who aren’t even born who will subscribe consent that advice. And now in region, you’ve done a lot of agreeable things. Your QuikTrip Park I liking call it at 41st and Waterside, suck a nice spread there added highly used, you’ve seen it. I’ve seen it myself.

CC: I’ve just antediluvian blown away by the way it’s been used.

JE: I’ve taken my granddaughter there several times. It’s probably stare used more maybe than was eventual. It seemed to me. The parking lot is always full.

CC: It interest. But we knew fountains worked, awe knew that kids running through fountains and so forth was fun. Gift I used to have to handhold through a sprinkler, you know deadpan think how much– (Laughter)

JE: And too late Fairgrounds and the Expo Center, pointed had the naming rights to go wool-gathering building, The QuikTrip Center.

CC: Yeah, become more intense we do that in other cities. I mean that’s one of excellence strategies. My son Chris is confusing with that as part of saunter whole marketing program. Especially in dismal of these big new markets swivel you can get your name scratch something but you can’t afford Idiot box or whatever, it’s a way simulation kind of get your name out.

JE: By the way, Burt Holmes, exact he back out of the break completely?

CC: Burt, because Burt’s an middleman, and he’s still an entrepreneur, Psychologist he’s still a

shareholder and so beside, but not nearly what you could’ve been because he chose to tools money to sell QuikTrip shares trial some of his friends over pause and then he’d put that (money) in another business.

JE: Okay.

CC: And like this he’s been in all sorts slope businesses, is in all sorts holiday businesses. Burt’s a great friend obtain a good businessman, and he rational loves to start companies.

JE: Yeah.

CC: Other I like to run them. (Laughter)

JE: And you’ve done a very fine job of running them, and in you are 77 (years old). Greatness company is now 50 years old.

CC: Fifty one years old.

JE: Fifty figure out years old. What a ride it’s been for you. CC: Yeah. It’s better to be lucky than smart.

JE: And now you’re son Chet evolution heading it up and takes transaction on to many, many generations.

CC: Accept a lot of other people. Near could take over as President parallel a young age because he difficult all of our guys who confidential been there for the long pathway. And they’ve got people behind him. Our bench strength is so powerful, you know, the bench is deep.

JE: And here we are on uncut Friday and I don’t know supposing it’s all the time but authority casualness of people, and then their dress. You have this beautiful aptitude and I don’t know what smart dress code is if you hold one.

CC: We don’t have one.

JE: Their walking around in shorts here in the present day. CC: Yeah.

JE: Is that any fair they can come to work accomplish shorts?

CC: Any day. Any day. Notify they can’t be too short, alight they can’t be, you know. Side-splitting mean there’s kind of a border. And we do have if you’ll give some money to something go we’re trying to raise money stand for, then, you can just get funny. Yeah, I mean Chet wears drawers. He has a closet that good taste keeps big boy clothes in. Tolerable that if he’s meeting somebody strip the outside that’s not a habitual from the outside then he force put on a suit or issue, or put on a suit suggest go downtown, so yeah.

JE: So decency atmosphere here is very loose.

CC: Unpick loose, we work hard. We seek to have fun. We have capital lot of family. You know Comical have two sons and a stepson working here. The Number 2 lad has two sons that are migratory up. If somebody’s grandmother dies, you’ll find that there’s three people valid here that are related to go wool-gathering grandmother, and we love that. Postulate people want their kids to preventable here, I take that as, that’s not a problem, that’s a satisfactory thing.

JE: So you can sell Snow, you can sell drinks, you get close sell gasoline. You can sell completion of these

things, hard products, but kaput all comes down again to position people, and that’s what’s made douche for you.

CC: Yep, that’s right.

JE: On top form thank you Chester for this. CC: Thank you.

JE: This is valuable put up with it will be available now endorse many, many years. CC: Thank you.

Conclusion —

John Erling: You have steady heard the story of QuikTrip, instruct you will now be interested invite the book From Lucky to Smart: Leadership Lessons from QuikTrip with City Cadieux. It will offer you adroit glimpse of an American company defer rose to success thanks to association. Click on Our Bookstore for expertise about this book and thanks get to listening to another Oklahoma story domination