spring 2013 newsletter - issue 05 fuel for...

Spring 2013 Newsletter - Pester Marketing

Fuel for Thought AT A L T A

Spring 2013 Newsletter - Issue 05

All Content © 2013 Pester Marketing unless otherwise noted

C O N V E N I E N C E

F U E L S

T R A N S P O R T A T I O N

L U B R I C A N T S

Plus...• President’s Pen

• Employee Spotlights Pages 3 & 6

• Miles of Service Page 9

• Alta Fuels Customer: Fan’s Conoco Page 11

Store 6255 in Trinidad, CO Page 5 L to R: Daniel Graeff-Martinez, Melissa Cruz and Tony Fisher (manager)

Home Office on the Move!

New Fleet Maintenance Shop

Six Stores Join the Alta Family!

Pester headquarters moving to Regency Plaza in the Denver Tech Center Page 1

Pueblo West truck facility now open! Page 3


President’s Pen

Home Office on the Move!

The snow is melted, the flowers are blooming, the sun is shining and the Texans have come back to Colorado to finish the reimaging of the stores. It seems as though this is the never ending project but I am hopeful that we are on the path to completion. Within the last 60 days we have added 6 new stores to the retail side of the business. Four of the stores are in New

Mexico, our first retail operation in New Mexico while the other two are in southern Colorado. By adding these 6 stores we ended up creating a new Area Sales Manager territory and hired a new store supervisor. Abe Stiedemann has been with us since late March and has worked with both Dennis Dirkse and Jim Pickett. Abe’s new territory will be made up of the Pueblo stores as well as the 6 new stores. As you will read in the Newsletter, the new transportation shop in Pueblo is open and operating while the offices and lubes warehouse should be ready by the first of June. I am sure all the Fuels, Lubes and Transportation employees are excited to move into their new digs and have a little room to spread out. The new warehouse will certainly be an upgrade to the current building. Part of the overall upgrade to the Pueblo facility will also be adding tanks to the current tank farm to provide both additional storage and additional products. This should help greatly on the dispatch/

After 7 years in Greenwood Village and countless seasonal battles with the current building’s ventilation system, Pester Marketing’s headquarters is making its move to the third floor of Regency Plaza in the Denver Tech Center. Located just a few short miles from our current location; on the east side of I-25 just off Ulster Street, and directly across from the DTC Hyatt Hotel, the Company’s new home will supply over 7,200 square feet of office space.

With this move, Pester will have plenty of room for future expansion plus comfortable working areas for visiting consultants and professionals. Scheduled for a June 7th and 8th move-in date, the new space will include 10 offices, 25 cubicles, 3 conference rooms, supply closet, work/copier room, plus a kitchen area. Training rooms will also be available on the third floor and can be reserved through Regency’s management office.

Home Office Phones & Extensions Will Remain the Same: 303-693-9331

transportation side of the business as well as help to provide better service for our stores and our customers. With summer almost upon us you can see our business begin to ramp back up. Not only do our retail sales increase but also our sales on the wholesale side. In talking with various customers and business people, everyone is expecting this summer to be a very good summer for business. It is important in all facets of our operation that we are ready to take full advantage of the sales opportunities coming our way this summer. As the old saying goes “it is time to make hay”. As most if not all of you know, we recently lost a Pester employee, Bobby Fuqua, in a transportation accident. This is a first for many of us and it has created a very trying and difficult time particularly for those on the Alta Transportation side of the business. Although too many to mention I am extremely proud of how this situation has been handled on several different levels by those of you directly involved. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Bobby’s family and friends. He will be greatly missed.

Thank You,Rich Spresser

The more diff iculties one has to encounter, within and without, the

more signif icant and the higher in inspiration his life will be.

– Horace Bushnell

1

NEW MAILING ADDRESS:Pester Marketing Company

4643 South Ulster Street, Suite 350 Denver, Colorado 80237

Please feel free to stop by and check out the new office. We’d love to show you around!

Spring 2013 Newsletter - Pester Marketing 2

The Family of Store 1281: A Personal Account by Lis Lammers

Beyond the Call of Duty

I have always been surrounded by very strong family members – first – my grandmother Esther Pester who with her husband Cloyd Pester started the company in 1952, eventually taking the reins of the business after Cloyd passed away in 1955; second, my mother Peggy Pester Lammers who served as president from 1987 to 2007; and of course my uncle, Jack Pester, former president, current Chairman of the Board, company visionary and strategist.

But it was while working as a cashier at Alta Convenience store 1281 that I found myself in the midst of another very strong Pester family – the incredible store team of 1281.

After accepting a full-time position within the Company’s marketing department – I was asked by Rich Spresser, President, to spend the month of March working as a cashier at Alta Convenience Store #1281 on Iliff Ave. in Aurora, CO. Designed to give me practical experience in store operations and customer service, I was not the least bit prepared in how these 30 days would become defined personally as a “life-changing event.”

Store 1281 is located near the exit/entrance ramps of I-225 and sits directly on the west side of the ever busy 4 lane Iliff Avenue. As Alta’s only 24 hour operation and with its location within the city of Aurora, CO, this store sees a tremendous amount of customer traffic, generating high volume gas and inside sales! With 12 fueling positions and 2400 square feet in store area, the constant stream of customers sometimes seems unending. Great for business, sometimes hard on the nerves – especially for a novice cashier like myself!

Though this experience gave me insight in to the inner-workings of a c-store – more importantly - it gave me a greater understanding and appreciation for the people who work hard to make our stores clean, safe, well stocked and most importantly – customer focused and friendly.

The Alta Customer ExperienceIt goes without saying that the most important person in the convenience store is the customer. And it is our goal to provide extraordinary, friendly, efficient and professional service to all who step through the doors of each and every Alta Convenience store.

On a daily basis throughout the month, I witnessed this extraordinary service given to our customers by Sean, Kathy, Danny, Gouy, Abbi and Richard. I saw why this store’s customers consistently stop in on their way to or from home, work or school. I saw the smiles, heard the good mornings and felt the positive vibe of all those who work there. When not “cashiering”, the perpetual motion of the 1281 team was amazing. There was always a coffee pot to freshen, a shelf to straighten, a floor to mop, a roller grill to wipe or a cooler to stock.

During my time at 1281, I had the pleasure of working with each and every one of the store’s associates during a variety of early morning, mid-day and evening shifts. Everyone was so kind and incredibly patient in dealing with my occasional cash register “oops,” (who ever thought loading Visa gift cards could be so difficult?). And there were a few times, I know, I may have made a shift a little more trying and nerve-wracking than usual. I do apologize! But it was while working alongside the cashiers and managers of this store that I came to realize that this incredible group of people whom are all so helpful to one another and our customers, and whom are all focused on providing top-notch customer service are, in fact, a family.

We all know the traditional definition of family – but family, according to Webster’s dictionary can also be “A group with something in common. A group whose members are related in origin, characteristics, or occupation.”

The team at store 1281 fits that definition to a tee! And it is this sense of family that I shall always remember and most importantly feel when looking back at my experience at 1281. The Best Employee BenefitWhether you work as a cashier, manager, driver, office staff or salesperson on a full or part-time basis – you spend a good part of your day with other Alta employees. You may or may not look at your co-workers as “family,” yet if you do – in my opinion, it is the best employee benefit!!

Thank you Sean, Kathy, Danny, Gouy, Abbi and Richard for letting me be a part of your family.

Sean JenkinsStore Manager

Danny GraggAssistant Manager

Kathy HellwigAssistant Manager

Gouy WonehCashier

Richard EntzmingerCashier

Abeba “Abbi” BelayCashier

Chuck Reid, transportation driver, recently while driving an Alta transport, was hit by a car. Chuck suffered no injuries – however – he immediately left the truck and went to see what he could do to help.

The driver had been injured and while the emergency responders managed her care, Chuck removed the woman’s three children from the car, put them in the cab of his truck where it was warm and kept them out of harm’s way. According to those involved in the aftermath of the accident – Chuck went above and beyond the call of duty.


Employee Spotlight:Dawn Simek

Processing 1,200 payments to pay 18,000 invoices per month may seem overwhelming to some, however, for Dawn Simek this is just another day in her life at Pester Marketing.

As Accounts Payable Supervisor, Dawn and her staff, Ed Hirsch and Mala Sampat, pay all the bills for Pester Marketing and Alta Convenience. This includes payments

for all inventory (fuel and store items), utilities, construction, automobiles – in other words - her department processes payments for everything except the employee payroll. Joining Pester Marketing in August of 2008, Dawn was hired to oversee accounts payables after the decision was made to split off the AP functions from the payroll processes. Believe it or not – prior to the Kansas store acquisition, one individual was responsible for both areas.

With over 15 years specializing in accounts payable and a total of 30 years in the overall accounting field, Dawn is certainly no stranger to this business function. Interestingly, she actually began her accounting career at the young age of 13 during a summer break, helping her mother process payables and receivables for a small company. And though she enjoyed this area of business, upon entering college at University of Colorado – Denver, she switched gears and delved into her other area of interest – psychology. Following college graduation, Dawn intended to enroll in graduate school to continue this area of study; however, she learned that future opportunities in this field were quite limited. At the time there were many people holding PhD’s in psychology and having a difficult time finding employment in the field. Not entirely giving up on her dream – Dawn continued to do volunteer work in the counseling area.

Eventually, Dawn made the hard decision to leave her pursuit of a master’s degree in psychology and enter the corporate world. And it was while working at a communications company prior to joining Pester, that Dawn’s specialty became accounts payables. In fact, her previous company had at one time 30 people in the accounts payable department where Dawn also was responsible for the training of all new hires.

When asked if she misses the psychology field – Dawn said, “I use my psychology degree on a daily basis at Pester Marketing by providing good customer service in my work.”

Dawn also gives her Pester payables team the highest accolades stating, “I really value Mala and Ed and all the work that they do. They are both extremely dependable and reliable. We make a good little team in our A/P corner.“

Away from the office, Dawn enjoys her dog Spike, a 14lb Maltese poodle and looks forward to a good mystery read on her I-Pad. Visiting her parents’ home on the shores of Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri is also a favorite vacation get-away.

We thank you Dawn for your commitment to Pester Marketing Company!

With 26 transports, 7 bobtails and 2 box trucks traveling thousands of miles per month making deliveries across 4 states, it became apparent that Alta Transportation would benefit with the construction of a second truck maintenance facility. Built at the Alta Lubricants Pueblo West, CO site, this new 4,000 square foot facility, plus the existing maintenance shop in Alamosa, CO, can now service a number of trucks every day, eliminating the time and expense of off-site fleet work. Alta Transportation’s original maintenance shop, located at Alta Fuels in Alamosa, Colorado is operated by full-time Alta truck mechanic Doug Grissum. Doug has been with the Company since the summer of 2011 and has over 20 years of experience. In Alamosa, Alta trucks, trailers and bobtails are able to undergo regular oil changes, brake checks and replacements, plus have various minor or medium repairs performed. According to Ron Browning, Alta Transportation Manager, the shop can complete just about any repair with the exception of major engine and body work. No day being typical, Doug can service anywhere from 2 to 10 trucks!

The Pueblo West facility has been up and running since late March 2013 and was designed so that an entire truck AND transport trailer – sometimes even two – can pull in for service! Martin Burns a mechanic with over 8 years of experience and, interestingly, originally from Scotland, was hired as the Pueblo shop’s full-time truck mechanic. Martin also performs a wide variety of repair work and regular maintenance on Alta trucks and transports. Both maintenance facilities are overseen by Jim Sammons, Alta Fuels President, Aaron James, Lubes Distribution Manager and Ron Browning, Transportation Manager.

Alta Truck Maintenance Facilities

3

Martin Burns

Doug Grissum


Manager Awards2013

Best Bestof the

Alta Convenience Store Best of the Best Manager Award. The contest has two parts in which each manager is evaluated: Customer Appeal Survey (store inspections) and Overall Operations of the Store (cash control, inventory control, payroll control, gas gallons over prior year and merchandise sales over prior year).

January and February, though considered the months of brrrrr – saw some hot competition with the Alta Convenience Coffee Sales Contest. Following the successful introduction of Alta’s new Premium Coffee, Chris Smyly, Director of Marketing, devised a store competition to:

1. Encourage increased per day sales of coffee cups during these 2 prime-coffee drinking months as compared to this same period in 2012.

2. Measure the greatest percentage of total coffee sales as compared to the previous year.

And after two caffeine fueled months – the two winning store teams are:

1st Quarter

1st Place

Mike McCoy#6003

Security, CO

3rd Place

Sean Jenkins#1281 - Iliff Ave.,

Aurora, CO

2nd Place

Kyra Turley#6212

Wakeeney, KS

4th Place

Ralene Maxwell#5725 - State Ave.,

Alamosa, CO

1st Place

Patrick Gragg#4999 - W. 38th Ave.,

Wheat Ridge, CO

3rd Place

Pam Martinez#3401

Monte Vista, CO

2nd Place

Linda Espinosa#3850

Gunnison, CO

4th Place

Angie Stanley#6209

Downs, KS

Store Inspection Award Winners

Per Day Sales of Coffee Cups Greatest Percentage Winner

Store Operations Award Winners

Coffee Wars Brewing!

Store 5504 in Del Norte, COStore Manager:Preston Farwell

Store Cashiers:Joseph Gallegos, Phyllis Gonzales,

Ryan Igou, Debbie Tighe

Area Sales Manager: Jim Wratten

Store 3701 in Salida, COStore Manager:

Anna Foss

Store Cashiers:Dana Blackwell, Rebecca Chinn,

Thomas Gamber

Area Sales Manager: Jim Pickett

What a Perk!Each winning team member and area sales manager received a

$100 Visa Gift Certificate! Congratulations!

Spring 2013 Newsletter - Pester Marketing5

Pester Marketing is pleased to announce the recent acquisition of four Conoco branded convenience stores located in northern New Mexico (Raton and Springer) AND two stores in southern Colorado (Trinidad and Pueblo).

All four NM locations have remained Conoco branded while the Trinidad site has been rebranded to Conoco. The new Pueblo store is an Alta Convenience branded store. All six locations are now known as Alta Convenience.

These latest Pester acquisitions bring the total number of convenience stores to 57 and extend the Company’s retail presence across Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska and New Mexico.

Rich Spresser, President and CEO states, “Pester Marketing’s wholesale fuel subsidiary, Alta Fuels has been supplying gas and diesel to the New Mexico stores for the past three years and this current c-store acquisition fits very well with our plans for expansion in northern New Mexico.”

He added, “We are pleased to be a part of the Raton, Springer and Trinidad communities and look forward to providing high quality Conoco branded gasoline and a wide variety of groceries, snacks, beverages, tobacco products, lottery tickets and other convenience items. We are also thrilled to add another Alta Convenience location to the Pueblo community.”

Welcome to the Alta Family!

Branded vs. Unbranded?Branded stores: These are Alta Convenience stores that “fly” the Conoco flag

and pump ONLY Conoco “branded” fuel. These stores must also adhere to Conoco’s requirements for displaying its logo in such areas as fuel islands,

signage, canopies, and credit card applications. Currently, 46 of our stores are Conoco branded.

Unbranded stores: In the Alta family, we also have 11 locations that are known as “unbranded” stores. These stores are not affiliated with a national

petroleum marketer i.e., Conoco, and are branded Alta Convenience.

Store 6251 412 Clayton Rd. , Raton, NM

Abe Stiedeman, ASM andTimmi Thompson, Mgr.

Store 6254 909 Colbert Ave. Springer, NM

Jennifer Salazar, Cashier

Store 6255 305 State St. , Trinidad, CO

Daniel Graeff-Martinez, Melissa Cruz & Tony Fisher, Mgr.

Store 6256 300 N. Northern Ave. Pueblo, CO

Zita Dominguez and Tim Kissell, Mgr.

Store 6252 1035 S. 2nd St. , Raton, NMAbe Stiedeman, ASM and

Leslie Thompson, Mgr.

Store 6253 245 E. 8th St. , Raton, NM

Angal Marquez and Nichole Garcia, Mgr.

All of us at Pester Marketing Company and its Alta subsidiaries were saddened to learn of the tragic accident and death of Alta Transportation driver, and Alamosa resident Bobby Fuqua. Mr. Fuqua’s death was the result of an Alta truck/trailer accident which occurred on Thursday, May 2nd on Highway 17 in northern New Mexico.

Bobby is survived by his wife June A. Encinias Fuqua, his stepchildren, Mike Garcia, David (Senaida) Garcia and Benito (Amber) Encinias, his children Tim Fuqua, Ella Lambert and Regina Fuqua, as well as 12 grandchildren, also surviving him is his brother Clint (Carla) Fuqua.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Bobby.

In Memoriam: Bobby FuquaOctober 20, 1960 – May 2, 2013


When thinking of retirement – for many of us – we have idyllic visions of playing golf, traveling wherever and whenever or simply not having to roll out of bed and face the daily grind of work.

But for Steve Whitehead, after 24+ years in the petroleum business behind the wheel of a bobtail truck, retirement now means having the opportunity to take on an exciting new challenge in his hometown of Del Norte, Colorado. As a new retiree, Steve, in addition to his son, Kodi and daughter-in-law Regan have recently taken over the operation of the historic Windsor Hotel in Del Norte, Colorado. Known to be passionate about cooking, entertaining and the revitalization of The Windsor, Steve will make a remarkable ambassador to one of Colorado’s oldest hotels.

With 20 newly renovated rooms and incredible dining experiences brought to The Windsor by Kodi and Regan Whitehead, both of whom trained and worked in some of the top kitchens in Los Angeles, including several owned by famous chef and restaurateur Wolfgang Puck, the hotel should be a special place for guests and residents of this small Valley town. Previous to this new focus in Steve’s life and while at Alta Fuels as a bobtail driver, Steve hauled product to customers throughout the western part of the San Luis Valley. Delivering to accounts in the Saguache, Del Norte, Creede and Pagosa Springs areas, Steve was well known and well liked by his customers.

Chad Mortensen, who is in charge of the Valley bobtail drivers at Alta Fuels, describes Steve as a very loyal and steady employee. He goes on to say that Steve will be missed and “between Al Livingston [who retired last year] and Steve Whitehead, we have lost 55 years of bobtail experience in these last 8 months. It is hard to replace that kind of experience.”

Steve officially retired from the Company on April 26th. In May, he celebrated at a barbeque at The Windsor Hotel with his family and friends from Alta Fuels. Thank you, Steve Whitehead for your loyal service and commitment to Alta Fuels and your customers throughout the Valley. We wish you great success with The Windsor Hotel!

It was difficult – but after 3 weeks of trying to coordinate an interview with Alta Transportation driver Dave Denny – we were finally successful! However, considering he is on the road between 200 to 600 miles per day delivering product across Colorado, Kansas and New Mexico, one can certainly understand the complexities in trying to schedule his time. Joining Alta in July of 2007, Dave came to the Company with years of experience. He has been a petroleum driver since 1974 minus the 8 years he was a corporate jet pilot for a now defunct gas and oil company As a transport driver, Dave’s day is spent in his Alta owned Peterbilt day cab pulling a transport trailer that may contain up to 8500 gallons of product. He may be picking up product in Alamosa, La Junta, Denver, Commerce City and even Greeley, and driving various distances to deliver to customers across 3 states. His job doesn’t stop when arriving at a store – he must then pump the appropriate type and gallons of product from the transport into the store’s fuel tanks. All of this must be done according to Hazardous Materials regulations and requirements set by the PHMSA (Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration), FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) and Alta’s own safety compliance procedures. This is a job from pick-up, hauling and drop-off that requires incredible focus and concentration. And in Dave’s own words, “you must always pay attention and don’t get distracted.”

Away from work, Dave enjoys getting above it all by piloting a single engine plane. This, according to Dave, is his stress relief. Dave has been connected to aviation since his days as a student at Rangley Junior College, now known as Colorado Northwestern Community College. He graduated with a degree in Aerospace and then entered the Army becoming a helicopter pilot flying stateside during the time of the Vietnam conflict.

When not driving or flying, Dave looks forward to relaxing and spending time with his family.

We thank you Dave for your service to Alta. We appreciate your dedication and commitment to safely delivering fuel to our stores and our customers.

Steve Whitehead (left) at his retirement party at The Windsor Hotel’s Hideaway courtyard.

Employee Spotlight: Dave Denny

Steve Whitehead Retires from Alta Fuels


NEWS FLASH!

7

175,312 Kickback cards

have been issued with

over 64,000 registered!

457 Bobtail fuel and Alta Lubes

customers are currently earning points!

There are now 42stores participating in

Kickback– welcome Raton & Springer, NM stores!

STEPPING UP KICKBACK: FINAL CONTEST RESULTS!

FEBRUARY 2013TOP 5 STORES WITH NEWLY REGISTERED

KICKBACK CARDS

FEBRUARY TOP 5 MARCH TOP 5

MARCH 2013TOP 5 STORES WITH NEWLY REGISTERED

KICKBACK CARDS

STORE-WIDE TOTALS

Alta Convenience stores and sales associates were embroiled in a hot incentive program during the two “shiver me timbers” months of February and March! For every Kickback card that a store employee registered at the store level, he or she received 50 points infused to their personal Kickback card.

“I would consider the incentive program to be an overwhelming success,” stated Dennis Dirkse, Director of Special Programs. “We eclipsed our previous monthly average registrations by 3,356 or 114%. I would like to give a special thanks to Jim Gragg’s participating stores which accounted for 52% of all registrations during the incentive contest.”

7,586 Kickback Cards registered in February

5,363 Kickback Cards registered in March

STORE 12811,078 New Cards!

E. Iliff Ave., Aurora, COSean Jenkins, Mgr.

Gouy Woneh, Store 1281 E. Iliff, Aurora, CO

22,150 KB Points Earned 443 KB Cards Registered

Tigest Bezu, Store 1340 E. Hampden Ave., Aurora, CO12,450 KB Points Earned 249 KB Cards Registered

Kathy Hellwig, Store 1281 E. Iliff, Aurora, CO


Gouy Woneh, Store 1281 E. Iliff, Aurora, CO


Tigest Bezu, Store 1340 E. Hampden Ave., Aurora, CO13,500 KB Points Earned 270 KB Cards Registered

Kathy Hellwig, Store 1281 E. Iliff, Aurora, CO


Paola Sanchez-Alvarad,Store 6010

W. Mississippi Ave., Denver, CO12,250 KB Points Earned 245 KB Cards Registered

Jacqueline Sawicki Store 1243Ward Rd., Wheat Ridge, CO


Marvin WIllis, Store 3107 E. 14th Pueblo, CO


Peggy Miller, Store 6101 Colorado Ave., CO Springs, CO


STORE 1281596 New Cards!

E. Iliff Ave., Aurora, COSean Jenkins, Mgr.


E. Hampden Ave., Aurora, COSelomon Kahbay, Mgr.


E. Hampden Ave., Aurora, COSelomon Kahbay, Mgr.


E. Mississippi Ave., Denver, COMario Hernandez, Mgr.


E. Mississippi Ave., Denver, COMario Hernandez, Mgr.


La Jara, COEricka Vasquez, Mgr.


E. 4th St., Pueblo, COMarvin Willis, Mgr.


Main St., Alamosa, COMaria Esquer, Mgr.


Holly St., Denver, COLynda Herman, Mgr.

KICKBACK KUDOS TO OUR ALTA KICKBACK EXPERTS!


Since late February, 9 Alta Convenience stores have been awarded scores of 100% on their Phillips 66 Spirit of Performance Evaluations. This secret shopper program evaluates all stores on a quarterly basis, rating each on customer service, proper placement of promotional displays, merchandising, restroom cleanliness, appearance of the fueling areas and station exterior.

Listed below are the perfect scored stores with the name of the manager, the cashier on duty at the time of the evaluation (if recorded) and the month in which they were shopped.

9 Alta Stores Score 100% on Spirit of Performance Evaluation

FebruaryStore 1340 Hampden, Ave., Aurora, CO Selomon Kahbay (Manager)

Micheal Sahle (Store Cashier)

MarchStore 3104 W. Northern Ave., Pueblo, COIsabelle Swanson (Manager)

Carol Montano (Store Cashier)

Store 3106 N. Elizabeth St., Pueblo, CO Gary Caffey (Manager)

Lori Alizadeh (Assistant Manager)

Store 6253 East 8th St., Raton, NMNichole Garcia (Manager)

Store 6011 W. Belleview Ave., Littleton, COMarc Jenkins (Manager)

Aaron Konecny (Store Cashier)

Store 1281 E. Iliff Ave., Aurora, COSean Jenkins (Manager)

Kathy Hellwig (Assistant Manager)

Store 5504 Del Norte, COPreston Farwell (Manager)

Ryan Igou (Store Cashier)

April

May

Store 6251 Clayton Rd., NMTimmi Thompson (Manager)

Roxann Feldman (Store Cashier)

Store 6013 S. Holly St., Denver, COLynda Herman (Manager)

Pester Marketing is proud of our Alta Convenience stores AND Alta Fuels retail customers that received the distinct honor based on their 2012 Spirit of Performance scores of being placed in the Top 20% of all Phillips, Conoco and 76 stores nationwide.

Job well done!

Pester Marketing was also recognized as one of the Top 25 Marketers nationally with 15 stores

scoring in the top 20%!

ALTA CONVENIENCEStore 1340 E. Hampden Ave. , Aurora, CO Selomon Kahbay, Mgr.

Store 6253 E. 8th St. , Raton, NMNichole Garcia, Mgr.

Store 6013 S. Holly St . , Denver, COLynda Herman, Mgr.

Store 6254 Springer, NMRichard Mares, Mgr.

Store 3103 N. Grand Ave. , Pueblo, CO Kim Sandoval, Mgr.

Store 6216 Hastings, NEDan Stroup, Mgr.

Store 6251Clayton Rd. , Raton, NMTimmi Thompson, Mgr.

Store 3109 Norwood Ave. , Pueblo, CODebbie Parmenter, Mgr.

Store 6015 Ralston Rd. , Arvada, COHank Miller, Mgr.

Store 6252S. 2nd St. , Raton, NMLeslie Thompson, Mgr.

Store 3401 Grand Ave. , Monte Vista, COPam Martinez, Mgr.

ALTA FUELS RETAIL CUSTOMERSHigh Country MercantileDes Moines, NM

Roggen Central StoreRoggen, CO

Wallace GasLamar, CO

Interstate 66Raton, NM

2012 SOP Average Score

98%

96.5%

95.75%

97%

94.75%

94.75%

94.75%

94.5%

94.5%

94.5%

94%

100%

96.25%

95.25%

94.25%

2012 Spirit of PerformanceTop Performer Awards

Spring 2013 Newsletter - Pester Marketing9

Janice Torrez Store Manager Alta Convenience #3405 Saguache, CO

Marvine Gallegos Store Manager Alta Convenience #3301 Alamosa, CO

Gary Caffey Store Manager Alta Convenience #3106 Pueblo, CO

Pamela Martinez Store Manager Alta Convenience #3401 Monte Vista, CO

Miles of Service

Marvin Willis, Jr. Store Manager Alta Convenience #3107 Pueblo, CO

Nickaline Gallegos Store Cashier Alta Convenience #3301 Alamosa, CO

Pamela Williams Assistant Manager Alta Convenience #5601 Alamosa, CO

Robert Williams Store Cashier Alta Convenience #3113 Pueblo, CO

Dwayne Williams Store Manager Alta Convenience #1233 Longmont, CO

Richard Entzminger Store Cashier Alta Convenience #1281 Aurora, CO

Zachery Bellinger Store Cashier Alta Convenience #3113 Pueblo, CO

James Burrows Store Manager Alta Convenience #6002 Colorado Springs, COPeggy Miller Store Cashier Alta Convenience #6101 Colorado Springs, CO

Regina Riley Store Cashier Alta Convenience #6211 Plainville, KS

Kathy Whitehouse Store Cashier Alta Convenience #6012 Denver, CO

Mala Sampat Accounts Payables Pester Marketing Denver, CO

Arnold Cordova Store Cashier Alta Convenience #3301 Alamosa, CONora Luu Financial Accountant Pester Marketing Denver, CO

Renee Hiser Staff Accountant Pester Marketing Denver, CO

Marianne Dix Area Sales Manager Alta Convenience Kansas

Sandra Kettelhut Retail Accounting Pester Marketing Denver, CO

Renee Shellhorse Marketing Operations Manager Pester Marketing Denver, CO

19 Years

11 Years

10 Years

8 Years

7 Years

6 Years

5 Years

33 Years

32 Years

29 Years

Dennis Dirkse Director, Special Programs Alta Convenience

28 Years

Reza Bushehri Store ManagerAlta Convenience #1238Denver, CO

26 Years

The following individuals will have celebrated 5+ years of service with starting date anniversaries of February 2013 through April 2013.

Pester Marketing is proud of its employees and appreciates their effort, hard work and years of service.

We thank youfor your

Miles of Service!

Alta Convenience customers have the chance to win a trip to San Diego to watch the Colorado Rockies play the San Diego Padres in this summer’s Fly Away Get Away Contest! Encourage your customers to visit the Alta Coke display and text the code to enter! It’s all part of this summer’s Kool Dealz at Alta.

Sorry - Pester Marketing and Alta employees and their families are not eligible to participate.

Alta and Coke Fly Away Get Away Text to Win!

Take Away the Summer Heat with Alta’s Kool Dealz!

TEXT “ALTA” TO 99404 TO

ENTER TO WIN!NO PURCHASE NECESSARY

INCLUDES:• 2 TICKETS TO A FUTURE GAME

• $500 SOUTHWEST AIRLINES VOUCHER

• $500 VISA GIFT CARD

FUTURE SAN DIEGO/ROCKIES

GAME IN CALIFORNIA

FLY AWAY GETAWAY



Tigest Bezu, Cashier, and Selomon Kahbay, Store

Manager at 1340 showing off their Kool Dealz t-shirts.


Walking with 12,000 people and 5,000 dogs on a Saturday morning may sound like canine chaos – woof - however – Renee Hiser, staff accountant at Pester Marketing, has been doing just that for the past 5 years as a participant in Denver’s Dumb Friends League Furry Scurry.

Celebrating 20 years as the organization’s largest annual fundraiser, Furry Scurry is a 2 mile walk that takes place on the 1st Saturday in May at Denver’s Washington Park area. The fundraising goal is $1,000,000 with 100% of the money going directly to the care of homeless animals.

This year Renee collected pledges totaling $1,150 and enjoyed the walk and festivities with her dog, Elise.

Away From it All: What We Do Outside of Work

As the first energy drink to hit the US market in 1997, Red Bull has become a leader in the energy beverage category.

Red Bull Product Knowledge (Source: www.redbull.com)

• Founded in the mid-1980s by Dietrich Mateschitz of Austria• Sold for the 1st time in Austria on April 1, 1987 • 35 billion cans of Red Bull sold worldwide• Red Bull cans are 100% recyclable

Red Bull on the Run with Store Incentive Contest

To help welcome this new family of bulls to our stores and customers, an exciting incentive program was designed to reward store managers and their teams for:

• Highest total Red Bull units sold over prior year. • Highest percent increase in sales in Red Bull over prior year

Plus, during the incentive campaign months of March and April, Red Bull was promotedas a featured item in all stores with special pricing of 2 for $3.00 on all 8.4 oz sized cans.

As a company, we sold 46,608 more 8.4 oz cans of Red Bull in March and April than we did during the same period last year. That’s an incredible increase of 382.82% vs. last year. That should ENERGIZE us!!

Well done to the winning stores and their associates!

Highest Total Red Bull Units Sold Over Prior Year

Store 5601 sold 3,021 more units than last year! Manager: Maria Esquer Store Team: Michelle Lucero, Ryan McLean, Austin Rahskopf, Joshua Rivera, Joseph Towning, Nefateri Velasquez and Pamela Williams

Congratulations Maria on winning a new Flat Screen LCD TV and all her team members whom each will receive a $50 gift card!

Highest Percentage Increase in Red Bull Sales Over Prior Year

Store 3113 increased Red Bull sales by 1496.64% Store Team: Zachery Bellinger, Jeannie Garcia, Jaime Reyez and Robert Williams

Way to go store 3113! Enjoy your $50 Gift Cards!

Running of the Bulls

The Dumb Friends LeagueWhy the name?

Founded in 1910, the shelter was named after a shelter in England called Our Dumb Friends League. In those days, the term “dumb” was used to refer to animals because “they lacked the power of human speech.”

• Largest community based animal sheltering organization in the Rocky Mountain region.

• Welcomes 24,000 homeless pets each year to its two shelters and will never turn away an animal.

• Adopts homeless pets to new families

• Its Cat Mobile Unit has performed spay/neuters on over 40,000 kitties in Colorado

• In 2012 set up the Harmony Equine Center, a safe haven for Colorado horses, ponies, donkeys and mules that have been abused or neglected

According to an article written by Sarah Hamaker and published in the January 2013 edition of NACS magazine, the prediction is that energy drinks will be the fastest growing beverage in the next five years, growing between 50% and 100% and will remain the “driving force in the packaged beverage category.” Guy Wooten, director of category insights for Red Bull North America states that “convenience stores will be at the forefront of this growth”

Always a hot seller at Alta Convenience – Red Bull

recently introduced three new flavors to its mix: Cranberry,

Lime and blueberry

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DID YOU KNOW?In 1962, the Pester logo was the “Pester Bunny”

In the 1970s, the logo was changed to:

In 2012, the Alta logo was introduced

We hope you enjoy the spring issue of Fuel for Thought at Alta! Should you have any news items or ideas for future editions, we would love to hear from you.

Simply email Lis Lammers at [email protected]


Pester Marketing went Hollywood recently with the production of a very special video. Filmed on location at the home office and at Alta Convenience store 6013 in Denver, several Pester Marketing, Alta Convenience and Alta Transportation employees made their film debuts in a soon to be released presentation. Stay tuned – more details to come!

Fan’s Conoco, located in Niwot, Colorado, a Boulder County community of 4,000, is no ordinary convenience store. Owned for the past 9 years by Bo Fan and her husband Victor Tseng both originally from China, immigrating to the United States 16 years ago, this unique c-store is a gem in this tiny community. Bo’s business model is “community is the family,” – and she has built her store to cater to her culturally diverse neighborhood family. Carrying many of the “expected” c-store products; fuel, cigarettes, snacks, sodas and so forth – customers of Fan’s are also treated to more unique items not seen in typical stores. For instance, her store carries a wide variety of food products from Japan, China and Mexico.

While focusing on her “neighborhood family,” Bo’s own family is also at the forefront of Fan’s Conoco. Bo and her husband, Victor who is currently living and working in China developing a new business, have a 12 year old daughter who attends school here in the U.S. and then travels to China in the summer to visit her father. Bo’s store family also includes the store manager, Ada who is also from China and their store clerk who is Malaysian. Completing the family involvement are Bo’s parents, both of whom work at the store.

Lucas Maes, Alta Fuels wholesale representative states that Fan’s Conoco has been a customer for the past 2 ½ years and “she (Bo) is one of the best customers and is truly a pleasure to work with.” Alta Fuels is proud to have Fan’s Conoco as a customer. We appreciate their business and wish them continued success!

Lights – Camera – Action!

Alta Fuels Customer Spotlight: Fan’s Conoco

Sandy Kettelhut from Retail Accounting speaking with interviewer, Taylor Pardun.

Alta Transportation driver, Steve Marrick, receiving direction from video production staff.

Hank Miller, Store 6015 Manager filming on location in Denver.

Bo Fan & Lucas Maes

spring 2013 newsletter - issue 05 fuel for...

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