Employees recently sent in questions they would like to see addressed by the management team. Due to the volume of questions that were sent in, we have sorted them into five posts related to the following categories: general business, technology, BPLP operations, growth and human resources.
What are we doing to attract new customers and improve customer retention?
Larry Ehrman, vice president of logistics: We plan to continue to provide great customer service and innovative programs to retain business as well as win back business we have lost. Our business development team is working on growing our customer base and our marketing department is developing programs to increase business.
What are the expansion plans for Big O Tires?
Ed Harper, vice president of retail automotive: In 2015, we set a goal of adding 10 new Big O Tires stores by December 31, 2020. That goal has not changed, and we have opened four new stores since that goal was set. We are planning to open a new store in Warrensburg, Mo., on June 1, and we just broke ground on a new location in Lebanon, Mo. We expect to have more news to share about new stores soon.
What are the expansion plans for Break Time?
Curtis Chaney, senior vice president of retail: Break Time has plans to grow strategically. We have opened two new-to-industry locations in the past year – a truck stop in Warrensburg, Mo., in August 2018 and another store on Route K in Columbia, Mo., in April 2019. We have approval to build a new site in Sedalia. This location will be on Route 65 near the new Nucor steel plant being built. It will be a truck stop with similar amenities to Warrensburg (Smoke Stack Bar B Q, trucker showers and lounge, parking for around 50 semis) as well as our usual convenience store offerings. Construction should start around June 1 with a completion date targeted for September.
We continue to look at property for potential sites to build. We also look at our competition as possible acquisitions that would also allow us to grow.