Cause & Effect

VERC Enterprises leads this year’s slate of CSNews Spirit Award winners

A recent study found that U.S. consumers can’t get enough of cause-related programs. In fact, 91 percent of the individuals who participated in the study indicated they want even more of the products and services they use to support a cause, and 89 percent said they are likely to switch brands to one associated with a cause, given comparable price and quality.

This is certainly positive news for the winners of this year’s Convenience Store News Spirit Awards for Community Outreach. Now in its fifth year, the Spirit Awards program honors convenience retailers that are involved in community service programs aimed at bettering the lives of the people in the markets they serve.

One Grand Award and three awards based on c-store chain size are presented annually, with the winning entries selected based on the scope of giving; personal involvement of company management and associates; degree to which shoppers are encouraged to participate; innovation and creativity of program(s); and accomplishments/outcomes of the program(s).

This year’s Spirit Award winners are:

• Grand Award: VERC Enterprises Inc., based in Duxbury, Mass.
• For companies with one to 99 stores: St. Romain Oil Co., Mansura, La.
• For companies with 100 to 499 stores: Alon Brands Inc., Dallas
• For companies with 500-plus stores: Corner Store, San Antonio

VERC Enterprises garnered the top honor for its efforts to reach out to those in the community with physical or mental disabilities and associated challenges, and offer them a place within the VERC Enterprises family. Employment, according to President and CEO Leo Vercollone, not only supplies a paycheck, but also a sense of one’s “place in the world.”

Small chain winner, St. Romain Oil, expanded its community service efforts in 2012. Inspired by a Biblical teaching, the convenience retailer’s new Corporate Works of Mercy program incorporates partnerships with four local organizations: Food Bank of Central Louisiana, Turning Point Battered Women’s Shelter, Re-Entry Solutions and the Alzheimer’s Association.

Mid-sized chain winner, Alon Brands, also believes in supporting a wide variety of causes close to home, but in a twist, the company this year asked customers to help it select the organizations deserving of winning a new car in its Clean 13 Cars-4-Cause program. The campaign gave away 13 new cars to loyal customers, exceptional employees and community champions.

Finally, large chain winner Corner Store/CST Brands Inc. is continuing its community service efforts with the same vigor as before its May 1 spinoff from Valero Energy Corp. In fact, just one week into becoming its own company, CST deployed 100 employee volunteers to construct a new playground near San Antonio’s east side, not far from its new corporate headquarters.

Read on for more in-depth profiles of each 2013 Spirit Award winner.

A Paycheck With a Greater Purpose

Although it may be small in comparison to other convenience store chains both regionally and nationally, VERC Enterprises Inc. more than makes up for it with heart.

The Duxbury, Mass.-based retailer operates 24 convenience stores and two car washes throughout eastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. Founded by Eugene Vercollone 37 years ago, the family-owned business is operated today by his two sons, Leo Vercollone, president and CEO, and Paul Vercollone, vice president. The business is consistently named one of the best places to work by different media outlets and is known for its community advocacy through car washes to benefit schools, sports team sponsorships and scholarships.

But VERC Enterprises takes its role as a community supporter one step further. Leo Vercollone and his staff decided years ago to take their mission to the next level by reaching out to those in the community with physical or mental disabilities and associated challenges, and offering them a place within the VERC Enterprises family. Employment, according to Vercollone, not only supplies a paycheck, but also a sense of one’s “place in the world.”

As part of this mission, VERC Enterprises set a goal to have 10 percent of its workforce made up of disabled/challenged individuals. To reach that goal, the company accepts individual applications and works with a network of organizations including Minuteman ARC, Plymouth ARC, Best Buddies, BAMSI, The Point After Club, The May Institute and The Charles River Center.

As it turns out, the original 10-percent goal was a modest one. Today, that number stands at 20 percent, or 40 employees, with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

“This is a program that has had positive impact for our stores, our customers, our communities and our entire staff,” Vercollone said. “The employees that we bring in under this program are excellent. They are productive, do great work and add to the workplace culture.”

VERC Enterprises also applies this same approach in its work with the Massachusetts Re-Entry Program. Working through the Massachusetts Department of Career Services, the program helps formerly incarcerated individuals find work. To date, eight employees have joined the ranks of VERC Enterprises through the state’s Re-Entry Program. In fact, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts recently recognized the company and Leo Vercollone for giving individuals a second chance at re-employment.

“People can fall on hard times, but redemption and rehabilitation are achievable,” Vercollone said. “By providing employment, we can make an enormous difference for those who are trying to replace past mistakes with bright tomorrows. Everyone deserves a second chance, and sometimes even a third or fourth.”
— Melissa Kress

Divine Intervention

Inspired by a Biblical teaching, St. Romain Oil Co., operator of 10 Y-Not Stop convenience stores in central Louisiana, expanded its community service efforts in 2012. The convenience retailer’s new Corporate Works of Mercy program includes four partnerships with local organizations.

The mission of St. Romain Oil’s Corporate Works of Mercy program is: “Pioneering a Bible-inspired path for teams to serve communities with integrity for success.” In Christianity, the Corporal Works of Mercy are a call to action to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, visit the sick, ransom the captive (visit the imprisoned) and bury the dead. The four charities it selected — Food Bank of Central Louisiana, Turning Point Battered Women’s Shelter, Re-Entry Solutions and the Alzheimer’s Association — are representative of the program’s mission.

To accomplish its goal, St. Romain Oil dedicates each fiscal quarter of the year to one of the four charities and hosts activities, events and fundraisers. The company matches up to $7,500 of the funds raised per quarter and provides a 10-percent profit sharing contribution. Donations are also collected from business and community partners. In addition, St. Romain Oil employees can enroll in an optional payroll deduction program.

Since the program began, employees hosted a canned goods drive for the Food Bank, held a household goods drive for Turning Point, and distributed waters at the annual Alzheimer’s Association Walk. Each quarter last year, Y-Not Stop stores also held a two-week fundraising drive during which guests could sign their names on themed fliers and have them displayed in the store for a $1 donation.

Since 2012 was the first year of the Corporate Works of Mercy, the program was in a development and organization stage, the company said. In total, $40,926 was raised. This year, the company surpassed that total in just two quarters with expanded programs and activities.

For instance, in the first quarter of this year, St. Romain Oil hosted its first Y-Not Peanut Butter Drive for the Food Bank of Central Louisiana, which collected 4,800 jars of peanut butter and raised $15,395 with help from team members and the community.

Then in the second quarter, the company co-hosted the second annual Successful Re-Entry Day at the Y-Not Stop store in Mansura, La., to raise awareness for incarcerated individuals trying to transition back into society. By selling American flags, team members helped raise $17,643 during the quarter.

Most recently, St. Romain Oil held a two-week fundraising drive of selling forget-me-nots to customers in support of the annual Alzheimer’s Association Walk.

Although one of the charities, Turning Point, closed its doors in the spring, another crisis shelter for women and their children, Faith House, filled the void. St. Romain Oil is currently working with Faith House to create a new partnership.

In addition to the Corporate Works of Mercy program, St. Romain Oil partners with local schools, churches, service organizations and Lifeshare Blood Center.
— Samantha Negraval

Making an Impact at Home

Some say that charity is best when it’s given close to home, but Alon Brands proves that a company can also do great work by spreading its efforts far and wide within that home base.

In 2012–2013, the Dallas-based supplier and marketer of branded fuels and the largest 7-Eleven licensee in North America contributed financially in amounts ranging from $1,700 to $150,000-plus to organizations such as the Israel-Texas Science and Education Foundation, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, West Texas Disaster Relief, Wichita Falls Food Bank and more.

Alon Brands applies a simple philosophy in supporting charities: “Support the causes that hit close to home,” the company noted in its Spirit Awards entry. “Whether that involves matching employee or distributor financial contributions for the causes they hold dear, or organizing donation drives to meet specific needs within the local community, Alon Brands is committed to giving back in a truly meaningful way.”

This year, Alon made the search for local causes part of its flagship Clean 13 Cars-4-Cause program, a campaign to give away 13 new cars to loyal customers, exceptional employees and community champions. Customers who entered online codes to win a car or other prizes also got to vote on which charitable organizations should receive a new car. To ensure that lesser-known deserving organizations had a chance, Alon asked its distributors to nominate local groups as well.

Along with mixing up its charitable contributions, Alon continues to work with the United Service Organization (USO) in one of its largest, most successful annual fundraising campaigns. The USO provides programs, services and live entertainment to U.S. troops and their families, including sick and injured soldiers. “Since many of the communities served by Alon Brands are located near military bases in Texas and New Mexico, and several customers and family members have served our country, supporting the troops plays a significant role in the company’s culture,” the company said.

Stores raise money for the USO campaign by collecting customer donations at the counter, matching employee contributions and engaging vendors to support their efforts, such as arranging for the donation of a truck full of snacks and beverages to one base in El Paso, Texas. As a result, Alon presented the USO with a $65,000 check in February and raised another $49,727 this summer.

Finally, Alon is careful to remember the people who contribute to all of these efforts and the company’s own success — its team members. After team member Dick Rider passed away from colon cancer earlier this year, employees launched a fundraiser at Alon’s corporate office in Dallas to raise money for colon cancer research. The company purchased Alon-branded glassware that was “sold” to employees at $5 each, with all proceeds going to the Colon Cancer Alliance. Employees raised more than $1,825 so far, while keeping the glasses as a daily reminder of their teammate.
— Angela Hanson

New Company, Same Spirit

Considering that CST Brands Inc. was spun off from Valero Energy Corp. on May 1, it would have been easy for the operator of 1,040 Corner Store convenience stores and gas stations to put its charitable and community activities on the backburner for a bit. Instead, the new company continued these efforts with the same vigor as before the spinoff, earning Corner Store back-to-back Spirit Award wins in the 500-plus-store category.

Just one week after the spinoff, the c-store chain deployed 100 employee volunteers outfitted in yellow community service team T-shirts to construct a new playground near San Antonio’s east side, not far from CST Brands’ new corporate headquarters. Corner Store followed up that effort by distributing a survey asking employees to identify their most passionate causes, in an effort to determine future charitable endeavors.

In addition to community activities, Corner Store enjoyed a banner fundraising year. First and foremost are the retailer’s Muscular Dystrophy Association efforts. Customers and employees raised $2.3 million via $1 and $5 shamrocks that were placed on store ceilings. The donation represented a record for the charity that helps support research and treatment for people with muscular dystrophy, as well as fund summer camps for children fighting the disease.

Another $2.3 million was raised during a month-long campaign for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, a charity that raises funds for 170 nonprofit children’s hospitals. The money raised via sales of Miracle Balloon icons and Glow for Kids glow-in-the-dark bracelets marked the first time in 17 years the retailer topped the $2-million fundraising plateau.

Most recently, Corner Store raised $58,000 for victims of the Colorado wildfires, which destroyed more than 500 homes. Contributions came from both customers and employees at 155 Colorado Corner Store locations, with the proceeds going to the American Red Cross Colorado Disaster Relief Fund.

Looking ahead, CST Brands has proposed organizing Corner Store Trot 5K runs that could take place in multiple cities, with each benefitting a separate charity.

“The communities we serve are the micro-communities around our stores,” said Kim Bowers, president and CEO of CST Brands. “We want to be very market specific when it comes to the interest of our customers and our employees.”
— Brian Berk