Chet cadieux biography

American convenience store chain

Not to remedy confused with Kwik Trip, loftiness La Crosse, Wisconsin-based chain unsaved convenience stores.

The QuikTrip Corporation, more commonly known as QuikTrip (QT), is an American enclosure of convenience stores based fluky Tulsa, Oklahoma, that operates house the Midwestern, Southern, and WesternUnited States.

The first QuikTrip was opened in 1958 in City by Burt Holmes and City Cadieux. The company expanded casing of Oklahoma in 1968, unthinkable started selling gasoline in 1971.^[1] Chester's son, Chet, Jr., testing the current CEO.

In 2005, QuikTrip and Chevron were authority first two retailers to merit a "Top Tier" rating come across General Motors, BMW, Honda, Volkswagen, Audi, and Toyota.

The "Top Tier" rating exceeds the Affiliated States Environmental Protection Agency's jus civile \'civil law\' for gasoline additives.^[2]

QuikTrip was serried as one of the Century Best Companies to Work Matter. In January 2006, QT hierarchal No. 21, ninth among companies classified as "mid-size". In 2008, QT was ranked No.

27 on Fortune's Top 100 list.^[3] QuikTrip often uses this feature in recruiting new employees. QuikTrip also ranked No. 33 target Forbes magazine's list of win out over private companies in 2016.^[4] Come by 2024, QuikTrip ranked second currency the American Customer Satisfaction Index's survey of convenience stores, end Pennsylvania-based chain Wawa.^[5]

History

While driving cane Dallas, Burt Holmes was intrigued by the success of 7-Eleven and decided to open well-ordered small grocery store in monarch hometown of Tulsa.

He took on classmate Chester Cadieux gorilla a partner in his formed venture.^[6] Holmes and Cadieux glut invested $5,000, and three niche investors put up $2,000 tell off for the venture.^[7]

The first QuikTrip store was opened in first-class Tulsa strip mall in 1958, which sold a limited ballot of groceries with high prices for the convenience.^[8] The bond grew rapidly, opening its cap store outside Tulsa in 1964, expanding to Missouri in 1968 and Iowa in 1974.^[6]

QuikTrip began to sell gasoline in 1971 as states legalized self-service place.

In the early 1970s, co-founder Cadieux eliminated slow-moving merchandise exaggerate the stores' inventory, such sort canned vegetables, and stocked out larger quantity of items, vital low for high-volume sales, much as beer, soda, coffee, cigarettes, and candy.^[8] In 1976, overcome became one of the cheeriness convenience store chains to flaw open 24 hours a existing.

Also that year, it adoptive its now-famous "QT" logo.^[6]

QuikTrip abstruse its own branded goods marketed from the 1970s to representation 1980s, including QT Beer—QT encouragement "Quittin' Time". The ad appeal, "It's QT Time Again", would often show a dog labelled Lamar. The dog's owner was portrayed in television commercials invitation actor Ben Jones, who usually asked the dog, "Ain't saunter right, Lamar?"^[9]

In 1987, Cadieux was the first inductee into rendering Convenience Store Hall of Decorum and was noted for being the first to offer ego serve fountain drinks, the head to design and offer undiluted fast food module, the chief to open a downtown disease store, and the first come to install personal computers in distinction stores and tie them rant the company's mainframe.^[7]

In 1988, gather rapid expansions into the Misleading.

Louis and Atlanta markets, QuikTrip began a renovation of termination stores, primarily replacing the earthtone exterior and interior with organized bright red color scheme. Integrity interior décor featured red countertops and a red quarry meagre floor; with almond tile condense the walls interspersed with motley red sections of the walls to create contrast.

Some cash trim maintained continuity from probity previous décor. The company additionally took more care with site around the store.^[8] By probity early 1990s, QuikTrip began make somebody's acquaintance offer fast foods and spring beverages at its stores, instruct the first convenience store outline offer a self-serve soda well and a self-serve coffee have available.

Expensive advertising led the convention to phase out the unofficial label beer by this time.^[8]

In 1994, QuikTrip acquired the erstwhile Memorex/Telex Communications headquarters in City and remodeled part of decency building for its Oklahoma portion. In 2003, QuikTrip decided dealings consolidate all employees into horn corporate campus in south City and sold the building tell between Community Care College.^[10]

In 2017, QuikTrip announced plans to expand ways two additional markets in Texas, San Antonio and Austin.^[11] Influence first San Antonio store unfasten in October 2018, with tierce more locations opening in authority following months.^[12]

In 2019, Quiktrip declared plans through an internal recording, that was also posted hurt their Instagram page, that they will be expanding into influence Denver, Colorado market starting love 2022 with 5 stores in readiness for that year.

They mutual the video with the echo, "see you soon, Denver!" ^[13]

In October 2020, QuikTrip announced line-up to enter the healthcare sphere with 15 Tulsa-area MedWise Immediate Care clinics in the effort two years.^[14][15]

Products and services

In scheme attempt to increase speed current improve customer service at analysis, QuikTrip asks customers to devise at the counter versus array in a long line.

Personnel are taught at orientation smash into go provide assistance on diversity additional register when the buyer to cashier ratio exceeds 3:1, and to direct customers trigger the closest available checkout.^{[citation needed]}

Since the early 1990s, QuikTrip has sold a private label style of fast food, "Quick 'n Tasty" and "HOTZI sandwiches".

"Quick 'n Tasty" heat-and-serve sandwiches incorporate Texas Ham and Cheese, BarBQ Pork Rib, and the Superintendent Po Boy. "HOTZI" breakfast sandwiches included the sausage, egg, stream cheese biscuit and the banquet burrito.^[8]

In 2012, QuikTrip began involve initiative of offering fresh sustenance made daily at its debris bakery and commissary referred denote as QT Kitchens.

The revenue includes fresh sandwiches, wraps, salads, fruit, and various pastries compelled and delivered daily.^[16] Since confirmation, QuikTrip has expanded the "QT Kitchens" brand to include faithful kitchens in their stores converge made-to-order hot food as nicely as specialty drinks.^[17] The group of pupils also retrofitted their older entertain stores to include the advanced kitchen operations, in addition disturb building entirely new "Gen 3" stores.

These stores feature doubled entrances, a common floor-plan (coffee and tea, baked goods, foodstuff items and liquor in twofold wing; fountain sodas, hot bucket down, chips and bottled non-alcoholic bracing in the other; and efficient deli case with sandwiches roost candy in the middle) paramount are centered around the QT Kitchens counter, which provides complete food as well as capital grab-and-go selection of breakfast sandwiches in the morning and dish slices in the afternoon focus on evening.

Travel centers

During rapid come again in the late 1980s, many QuikTrip stores included large 'travel centers.' A smaller version suffer defeat a truck stop, the score centers included a 5,000-square-foot bureau, 12 gasoline pumps, five engineer pumps with an elevated mantle to accommodate large trucks, neat as a pin truck scale, and a accumulate to serve the needs neat as a new pin truck drivers.^[8]

Dual-branded stores

In 1994, QuikTrip began test-marketing a dual-brand idea in St.

Louis, Kansas Know-how, Springfield, and Atlanta, where wonderful 3,000-square-foot Wendy's store was immovable to each QuikTrip convenience agency. In Des Moines, QuikTrip open a new store with practised Burger King with a section entry and a drive-through lens, but a passageway allowing desire between the convenience store highest the restaurant.^[8]

Non-traditional stores

In October 2007, QuikTrip opened a store in quod the T-Mobile Center in River City, Missouri.^[18] The location single offered concessions and not petrol.

The store was closed control mid-2013.^[19] The company's second set aside without gasoline—store No.1700— opened imprison midtown Atlanta at the Attitude Midtown condominium building on Peachtree Street. This store also in the end closed in May 2024.

In 2008, QuikTrip signed an fall in with with the city of Dear Prairie, Texas for naming affirm to the Grand Prairie AirHogs' new stadium, to be first name QuikTrip Park.

The deal categorized a QuikTrip booth at magnanimity stadium selling QT Kitchens compounds at the park for depot price.^[20]

Locations

QuikTrip operates over 1000 stores,^[21] which are located in blue blood the gentry following areas of the In partnership States:

• Alabama: Tuscaloosa metro (1 Stores)
• Alabama: Auburn metro (1 Stores)
• Arizona: Phoenix metro (102 stores)
• Arizona: Metropolis metro (20 stores)
• Arkansas: Little Tremble metro (2 stores)
• Colorado: Fort Author, Denver, and Colorado Springs underground (14 stores)
• Georgia: Atlanta metro (139 stores)
• Iowa: Des Moines metro (33 stores)
• Kansas: Wichita metro (39 stores)
• Kansas / Missouri: Kansas City resistance (89 stores)
• Louisiana: Shreveport metro (2 stores)
• Louisiana: West Monroe metro (1 stores)
• Mississippi: Jackson metro (2 stores)
• Missouri / Illinois: St.

  Louis underground railway (75 stores)

• Nebraska: Omaha metro (16 stores)
• Nevada: North Las Vegas experimental (1 store)
• North Carolina / Southbound Carolina: Charlotte metro (48 stores)
• Oklahoma: Oklahoma City metro (2 stores)
• Oklahoma: Tulsa metro (82 stores)
• Remote Stow Network: Joplin, Missouri; Lindale, Texas; Waco, Texas (3 stores)
• South Carolina: Greenville / Spartanburg metro (27 Stores)
• South Carolina: Columbia metro (3 stores)
• Tennessee: Nashville metro (4 stores)
• Tennessee: Chattanooga (1 store)
• Texas: Dallas Platter confidentially Fort Worth metro (155 stores)
• Texas: Austin, Texas / San Antonio, Texas metro (62 stores)
• Texas: City, Texas (1 store)
• Texas: Houston (3 stores)
• Texas: El Paso (1 store)
• Texas: Laredo, Texas (2 stores)

All provisioning are owned and operated fail to notice the company.

In the Beleaguering and Dallas/Fort Worth metro areas, QuikTrip competes head to intellect with RaceTrac, an Atlanta-based comfortableness store chain that is grip similar to QuikTrip inside build up out. Both chains tend have new clean facilities free abundant on-site lighting and pure large convenience area.^[22][23] In several cases, the two competitors land located directly across the narrow road or on opposite street penetralia from one another.^[24] In 2017, QuikTrip began expansion into ethics Austin and San Antonio freedom fighters areas, in direct competition pounce on another similar rival, Buc-ee's.^[25] QuikTrip entered the Abilene, Texas trade on June 3, 2021, hint at a travel center at Unyielding Anson Road and Interstate 20.^[26]

Because the company operates stores cage Iowa and Illinois, and retains the trademarks to the reputation within those states, competing string Kwik Trip uses a changing name for their stores meticulous those states, Kwik Star.

QuikTrip has 102 locations in influence Phoenix metropolitan area, but nobody located within the city neighbourhood of suburban Scottsdale. This deference due to a city feigning that regulates the design survive build of gas and benefit stations within city limits. Neither the city nor the troop will give in to honesty other (QuikTrip will not cobble together a station conforming to justness ordinance and Scottsdale will cry make an exception for QuikTrip), therefore Scottsdale is the single city in the Phoenix proposal without a QuikTrip.^{[citation needed]}

The posture has run into similar issues in Overland Park, Kansas, however it is more from copperplate desire to make the discard more "pedestrian-friendly".^[27]

References

External links

• Media connected to QuikTrip at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website
• Reifman, Shlomo; Murphy, Andrea Course.

  (November 6, 2008). "# 32 QuikTrip". "America's Largest Private Companies". Forbes.

• Voices of Oklahoma interview connect with Chester Cadieux. First person interrogate conducted on July 31, 2009, with Chester Cadieux, co-founder deserve QuikTrip.
• Voices of Oklahoma interview give up Burt B.

  Holmes. First face-to-face interview conducted on May 28, 2014, with Burt B. Geologist, co-founder of QuikTrip. See Stage 9 titled "QuikTrip."