Twenty plus years of experience in the healthcare field may seem an odd way to enter the gasoline business, but Gary and Lee Krueger bypassed their potential discomfort and jumped headfirst into the business.
After Gary's executive position with a healthcare company was eliminated due to company acquisition, the couple relocated to Kansas City in search of new business opportunities. They soon discovered that Amoco was getting out of retail and leasing approximately 22 Amoco stores. They then leased the two locations they currently operate, Gary's BP and Krueger BP. In May of 2002, BP and Amoco merged, the couple purchased the two stores and entered into a wholesale supply agreement with CarterEnergy.
The Kruegers contribute several factors to their success, including keeping the business a hands-on, family operation. They're in the store three times a day, on average, ensuring that their operating objectives are constantly achieved.
They’ve also taken their BP Mystery Shop guidelines seriously to maintain the brand and stay a step above the competition. "The 'Evil Empire' competition is very tough," stated Gary. "You have to make every effort to be cleaner, friendlier and more efficient than the competition. You also have to have good, well maintained equipment and the property, landscaping and buildings have to in the best condition possible."
Why CarterEnergy?
"We have maintained strong vendor relationships, which have helped contribute to our overall success," Gary continued. "We view CarterEnergy and BP as business partners and feel that we have been treated as such in every way. They have always been very responsive to any issue or opportunity that has presented itself. In our slice of the market, our goal is to represent G. A. Krueger, Inc., CarterEnergy and the BP brand in the most professional and customer-friendly ways possible."
Care to comment? Please share your thoughts on this story.
