N.Y. C-store Hall of Fame to Get Two New Members
ALBANY, N.Y. — The New York Association of Convenience Stores (NYACS) has elected Larry Bull, president and CEO of Utica, N.Y.-based Bull Bros. Inc., and Mike Deuser, vice president of foodservice for Tripifoods Inc. in Buffalo, N.Y., to the 2017 New York Convenience Store Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame honors individual retailers and suppliers for exceptional achievement in, and service to, the convenience store industry. Bull and Deuser will be inducted May 11 at NYACS’ annual Chairman’s Banquet in Syracuse, N.Y.
In addition to his executive position at Bull Bros., Bull is a managing director and part owner of Fastrac Markets LLC, a c-store chain operating throughout Upstate New York.
Alongside his brothers Bruce and Marty, Bull purchased Bull Bros. Inc. (formerly Herkimer Petroleum) from their parents in 1984. The brothers transformed the heating oil and motor fuel company into a convenience operator with locations throughout Central New York.
In 1998, Bull Bros., Clark’s Petroleum and Glider Oil merged their c-store operations to form Fastrac Markets.
After serving as a U.S. Army officer including one year in Vietnam, Bull earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Utica College in 1974.
An active member in the community, Bull has served on numerous boards and currently serves as Trustee for the Mohawk Valley Health System, as well as Trustee and past Chairperson of the Utica College Board of Trustees. He also served on the Board of Directors at NYACS for 12 years, including three years as Legislative Committee Chairman.
Deuser is from West Seneca, N.Y., and has spent his 50-year career in the food industry, starting as a dishwasher in restaurants and working his way to the ranks of management while in high school and college.
After graduating from Erie County Technical School with a degree in Food Service Administration, Deuser worked for an industrial feeding company before moving to Bells Supermarkets, first as a deli specialist and then as director of retail foodservice. He joined Tripifoods in 1996 as director of foodservice and was promoted to vice president in 2001.
An eight-year member of NYACS, he served as its chairman in 2013-2014. Deuser has also served on the NYACS Convention Committee since 2001 and produces the Tripifoods-sponsored NYACS Chairman’s Banquet each year.
Deuser received the Carl Tripi Award from NYACS in 2015 recognizing his contributions to New York’s convenience store industry.
Headquartered in Albany, NYACS is a private, not-for-profit organization whose core purpose is to lead, safeguard and forge a favorable environment for New York State’s diverse community of neighborhood c-stores. The organization celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2016.