Alta Convenience Stores Reaches Into Washington

DENVER — Alta Convenience Stores has expanded its footprint to the West Coast.

Western Alta Holdings LP Co., the parent company of Pester Marketing/Alta Convenience Stores, acquired the operations of five convenience stores in a joint venture with R.H. Smith Distributing Co. Inc., based in Yakima, Wash. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The deal increases the company's retail division to 66 Alta Convenience locations throughout Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico and Washington.

The Washington convenience stores will continue to run under the Smitty's name but will be managed by Pester Marketing/Alta Convenience Stores in Denver. The c-stores were taken over by Pester Marketing/Alta Convenience on Aug. 1.

This is a new move for Western Alta Holdings under the leadership of Phil Zaccaria, general partner and CEO, and Rich Spresser, president. The company plans to explore additional expansion opportunities.

"We are very excited about the opportunities these five stores and our partnership with R.H. Smith Inc. bring to our company," Zaccaria said. "The R.H. Smith management team has been in business in this area of Washington for over 70 years and they have developed many valuable relationships that will bring other opportunities for us to evaluate. Rich Spresser's many years in this business makes these types of growth opportunities available to Western Alta."

Western Alta Holdings is based in San Antonio, while Pester Marketing/Alta Convenience Stores is based in Denver. Pester Marketing was formerly led by industry pioneer Jack Pester, who founded the company in 1955.