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At Roady’s, we take pride in being a great company to work with. Our members see great success and are thrilled to be part of our network.
But don’t take it from us. Hear it from Alan Meyer, CEO of Meyer Oil Company and a Roady’s member since 2015. He joined us when his company had 16 gas stations and was just building its first store with a standalone truck canopy for diesel.
We sat down with Meyer, who now has 23 gas stations and truck stops, to learn what it’s really like to be a Roady’s member.
A big reason why I did it in 2015 is still the reason I do it today: I value branding in general. We do a brand on our gas — Marathon and Phillips — and I thought there was a real value of putting a national brand on our truck diesel.
We were looking at three options: Roady’s, AMBEST, or our own independent brand. We quickly decided we wanted that national recognition, but we also wanted to have access to somebody who has expertise in this industry so they could show us what to do, tell us what has been successful, and share best practices with us.
Roady’s seemed to be a very progressive brand. The people we talked to at Roady’s seemed to be young, energetic, and open to ideas.
That was our first foray into diesel, and now it’s the top priority in our growth model. Since that time we have opened up eight new stores, five of which have truck diesel and are on interstates. Among all of our diesel sites, we sell a lot of diesel every month.
We’re marketing to the over-the-road truck driver. As we look for new sites for future growth, one of our top priorities is spots on the interstate with enough ground to put in truck diesel. That’s the number one biggest change in our company.
One advantage is having that national brand.
The second is discounts. I had no idea how to negotiate discounts. I don’t think I could have gotten anyone to listen to me even if I knew what I was doing. The major value that Roady’s provides is being my voice and representing my store to these fleets that otherwise wouldn’t pay attention to me.
Another advantage is Roady’s Rewards, a national rewards program that allows us to be an affiliate of a larger loyalty group.
And another is having access to all the other affiliated things beyond the diesel, like buying programs and trade shows. As Roady’s continues to evolve its supply program, getting supplies through Roady’s would be a huge additional benefit.
Roady’s can bring something to the table through scale that independent operators just aren’t big enough to offer. Most of us aren’t going to grow to the size to allow the recognition that a Roady’s can provide. Not only does that give a recognizable brand to the independent operator, but you’re also able to get a seat at the table to negotiate with major fleets.
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