A People Person

It would be safe to say that throughout a career that?s spanned more than a quarter of a century and involved travel from Texas to California to Illinois and back again, Steve Brady got to know a lot about sales. But along the way, he also got to know a lot about people.

?When I go to call on a customer, there?s an account manager that?s responsible for the business,? said Brady, most recently the vice president of business development at McLane Co. Inc. ?As a vice president of sales, I was responsible for the relationship.?

The relationships and experience Brady cultivated during his 24 years with McLane brought him to the Convenience Store News Hall of Fame as the 2014 inductee on the supplier side.

Born in El Paso, Texas, and raised in the state, Brady was always willing to work hard.

?During school each summer, I worked for my father, who was a superintendent of multiple highway construction sites,? he recalled. His job involved shoveling asphalt at the height of Texas? summer heat. One summer, just out of school, it brought him near what was then Dr Pepper North Texas Bottling.

?I was sitting on a bridge on an asphalt paving machine at about 110 degrees, looking at the Dr Pepper trucks pulling out of the building, and on my break I went over and applied for a job. I went to work for them the next Monday,? he said.

While his new job was more pleasant and very different than working with asphalt, it wasn?t much easier, Brady noted. As a route truck driver, he spent a lot of time on the road.

The role helped reveal his aptitude for salesmanship when he broke sales records for the position. After two years, Brady became the marketing manager for north central Texas, making him responsible for the convenience store and grocery business in the region.

This introduction to the c-store market eventually led to three years with Core-Mark International Inc. as a proprietary brand manager in northern California before he returned to Texas as a national account manager for McLane, with whom he would spend the next 24 years.

Although he initially went to McLane because it meant coming back home, Brady?s work took him across the country and allowed him to develop in-depth knowledge of the c-store industry. ?I was able to meet every retailer in the United States. That is cool,? he said.

In 2000, Brady returned to Texas for good as McLane?s director of business development. With no employees under his supervision, his role involved ?a huge amount of responsibility, but not a great deal of accountability.? That changed in 2008, however, when he was promoted to vice president of sales for military and convenience.

?I was rudely awakened in a very good way,? Brady said. ?I?m the kind of guy that keeps my head down ? I don?t really look to the next job, I just try to be really, really good at the one I?m at.?

As part of his new job, Brady faced what he considers the single largest challenge of his career when he was handed the task of centralizing McLane?s entire sales organization. Previously, each division of the company had its own president, vice president, sales team and business incorporation, but the company had decided to restructure things so that everyone would report to its Temple, Texas, headquarters.

To accomplish this, Brady and his team set out to research top-tier organizations and model McLane?s new system on the best of what they found. The Altria Group Inc. was a particular inspiration, he said. It was a difficult task not just because of the size, but because of the resistance they faced from employees who didn?t like the sound of the impending changes.

?It was hard to describe the magnitude of doing it. Like 18 different companies saying ?OK, forget everything you knew, here?s what we?re going to do now,?? he said. ?We basically created it from scratch, and it was two years of hard work. In the end, after all the gnashing of teeth and people that didn?t really want to get on the bus, it finally came around and even all the division presidents said ?Wow, we?re pretty impressed.??

A less challenging but still rewarding experience in Brady?s career is his involvement with NACS, the Association for Convenience & Fuel Retailing. Former vice president of customer relations for McLane and fellow CSNews Hall of Famer Jerry Rose encouraged Brady to get actively involved with NACS. His first major experience was with the association?s annual Day on Capitol Hill, which brings convenience industry leaders together with elected officials to discuss the issues most important to them.

?I wanted to go to listen and to learn and hear about those things that are important in the legislative arena for retailers,? Brady said. ?That was very cool. Great relationship building.?

Since then, Brady has continued to be active with NACS and currently serves on the NACS Supplier Board and chairs the NACS Manpower Committee.

While Brady has come a long way since he spent his days spreading asphalt, that early experience shaped the way he?s approached his career. Along with his ?competitive nature,? it was the recognition that other McLane employees relied on him that pushed him to chase new business and retain existing partners.

?Every time I sign one of those contracts, whether it?s new or keeping it, that equals teammate jobs. Those are people?s lives,? he said. ?My biggest motivation was keeping people employed. I always thought about when I was the one loading the truck and delivering the Dr Pepper and doing the grunt work.?

CHANGING TIMES

Brady has been in the industry long enough to see quite a few changes. One of the more enjoyable ones, he said, is seeing second- and third-generation business owners grow up and take the reins.

?Watching their kids grow up in the organization has been cool,? he said. ?And watching them learn new methods, new technology, offerings, and really evolve their business to something bigger ? and making their mom or dad proud of what they?ve done.?

Whether they come from the next generation of a family business or a national chain, Brady views such changes as the future of the c-store industry. Already, he sees c-stores improving their level of quality in numerous ways.

?The good marketers ? people that understand and are impassioned about what they?re doing ? they?re making innovations in the consumer experience that have never been seen before in the convenience industry,? he said.

In particular, he cited Maverik Inc.?s focus on daring activities like skydiving and mountain climbing as it seeks to be ?Adventure?s First Stop? as impressive when it comes to innovative marketing. Love?s Travel Stops & Country Stores is another chain that he?ll make a point to stop at while on the road due to its welcoming atmosphere.

Conversely, Brady sees room for improvement in foodservice as the industry works to change the perception that its prepared food offerings are low quality and unhealthy ? but he also believes that overall category improvement is only a matter of time.

?The evolution of foodservice in the c-store business is going to continue to change and get better and better and better,? he said, noting that over the last five years, every c-store operator with whom he conducted a business review was interested in ways they could improve their foodservice program.

LOOKING BACK, LOOKING FORWARD

Over the years, Brady learned a great deal from both his peers and those who served as mentors, but when offering advice to the next generation of industry leaders, he suggests looking within.

?Trust your gut. Trust that first impression, trust that first instinct,? he said, noting that both successes and failures provide the experience that serves as a crucial guide.

Additionally, he advised that people remember money isn?t the only way of compensating employees or building a supportive company culture. ?It?s amazing how I can get more out of somebody by saying ?thank you,?? he said. ?They just want to be appreciated.?

Finally, he noted that it?s important to know when to fight for a project or idea ? but just as important is to know when to let go. ?If you?re fighting too hard for something, it?s probably not meant to be. Just back off and rethink it,? he said. ?I used to be a very, very intense individual in that regard, and I learned to lighten it up. Life?s too short.?

Having left McLane earlier this year, Brady considers himself too young to fully retire, but the next step in his career path is still uncertain. Not the type to sit on his hands, he plans to take some time to travel with his wife Lori and then he wouldn?t be surprised if he stays involved with the c-store industry.

?Leaving the job is one thing, but leaving that network of people ? that?s your family,? Brady said. ?Hundreds of suppliers and retailers that I?ve traveled the country with for years at all these events. I?ll probably figure out a way to stay involved just to stay in connection with all my friends.?

So far, he?s done some remote consulting work, which does have one distinct advantage. ?You can go to work with flip-flops on,? he joked.