RaceTrac

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RaceTrac Petroleum, Inc.
Private
Industry Retail (convenience stores)
Founded 1934
Headquarters Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Number of locations
 661
Key people
 Allison Bolch Moran, CEO
Carl Bolch Jr. Chairman
Number of employees
 5,900+
Website www.racetrac.com

RaceTrac Petroleum, Inc., is a corporation that operates a chain of gasoline stations and convenience stores across the Southern United States. The firm is Georgia’s third largest private company, with sales of $9.1 billion in 2013.[1]

History

The company was founded by Carl Bolch Sr. in 1934 in St. Louis, Missouri, with his first stores operating under the name Carl Bolch Trackside Stations. In 1959, Bolch relocated and acquired the Oil Well Company of Opp, Alabama, which consisted of numerous independent outlets across rural Alabama.

His son, Carl Bolch Jr., who succeeded his father as chief executive, joined the company in Montgomery, Alabama in 1967. After pioneering the concept of self-service gasoline in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, the company relocated its headquarters in 1976 to Atlanta, Georgia, and adopted the brand “RaceTrac” for its company-operated stations. RaceWay stations, operated by contractors, continue as a part of RaceTrac Petroleum.

In the 1990s RaceTrac operated as a cash-only business, but it now accepts credit cards, debit cards and fleet cards.

In October 2012, Carl Bolch Jr. announced he would be passing the CEO title to his daughter, Allison Bolch Moran, while remaining Chairman of the Board. The change went into effect December 31, 2012.[2]

Locations

RaceTrac Petroleum, Inc. operates more than 650 retail gasoline convenience stores in 12 southeastern states under the RaceTrac (company-operated) and RaceWay (Contract Operator-operated) names. Most RaceTracs feature 20 to 24 fueling positions and a 5000+ sq. ft. convenience store offering over 4,000 items. In January 2012, RaceTrac introduced its new 6,000 square foot store design, the RT6K, which features Swirl World frozen yogurt, free wi-fi internet and indoor and outdoor seating.[3]

RaceTrac can be found in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi. There are over 300 RaceWay-branded locations in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.[4]

Community affairs

In January 2009, RaceTrac paid for the fuel for a trip taken by the Blue Eagles, a 95-member marching band from South Cobb High School in Austell, Ga., to travel to Washington, D.C., and march in the inaugural parade for President-elect Barack Obama. It also donated 1,800 meals for band members to eat during their rehearsals.[5]

Following record flooding in the Atlanta metropolitan area in September 2009, RaceTrac donated $10,000 worth of gas cards, bottled water, and ice to the relief effort. 500 cases of bottled water were distributed through the Center for Family Resources to flood victims in addition to more than $6,000 in RaceTrac gasoline[6]

In December 2009, RaceTrac donated 42 of its gently used computers to the Marietta Housing Authority (MHA) to be used by students attending Marietta High School living under Section 8 housing. The computers will also be used by students participating in the MHA’s mentoring program in conjunction with the Marietta Schools Foundation[7]

In December 2009, RaceTrac launched its "Coffee for a Cause" campaign to raise money for Camp Sunshine, an Atlanta-based organization committed to enriching the lives of children with cancer and their families through recreational, educational and support programs. The company donated all proceeds from its coffee sales in the Georgia region during the three-day fund-raiser. Signage featuring Santa Claus holding a RaceTrac cup of coffee and Camp Sunshine's mission statement was prominently placed throughout Georgia stores to remind RaceTrac patrons of the opportunity to make a contribution. RaceTrac’s benevolence encouraged other local organizations to participate, as well. Radio spots raising awareness and encouraging participation aired free of charge on 790 The Zone each day of the promotion. RaceTrac supplier Colonial Coffee Roasters, Inc. donated enough coffee to make 10,000 cups of its finest brew to the cause. This made it possible for 100 percent of the proceeds to go toward Camp Sunshine’s mission. The three-day drive raised over $28,500 for Camp Sunshine.[8]

In February 2010, RaceTrac chose another charity to benefit from its "Coffee for a Cause" campaign. From February 8 to 10 RaceTrac donated all profits from coffee sales at all locations to Haiti earthquake relief efforts. All funds raised were donated to The American Red Cross[9]

The families of more than 45 RaceTrac employees were directly affected by the Haiti earthquakes, bringing the tragedy home to RaceTrac’s Cobb County headquarters. That connection, coupled with the heart-wrenching reports and images of the destruction left behind by the 6.1 magnitude quake, convinced RaceTrac's leadership to take action. Coffee is the company’s most purchased item, so it was decided to leverage the beverage's popularity with consumers.[clarification needed] The company raised more than $100,000 for the American Red Cross.[9]

In April 2011, RaceTrac teamed up with the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's and raised more than $130,000. Through RaceTrac’s Coffee for a Cause promotion, proceeds from all coffee and specially marked World's Finest Chocolate bars sold between April 25¬–29th at each of RaceTrac’s more than 300 stores was donated to the Fox Foundation. In addition, Guests also had a chance to donate at the counter and online. RaceTrac’s support of The Michael J. Fox Foundation went beyond Coffee for a Cause. Along with signage promoting the weeklong campaign, Fox Foundation brochures and fact sheets about Parkinson’s were prominently placed in stores. Select Markets also hosted Founder’s Day 5K runs to draw attention to the cause. For each employee that participated in the race, RaceTrac donated $10 to the Foundation.[10]

The company repeated the Coffee for a Cause campaign in October 2012 and raised more than $44,000 for Camp Sunshine.[11]

RaceTrac continued their support for Camp Sunshine in 2013 and nearly doubled the 2012 donation. The effort in 2013 was able to gather $83,000 through Coffee for a Cause.[12]

Awards and acknowledgements

The company was ranked on Forbes magazine’s list of the largest private companies in 2009,[13] 2010,[14] 2011,[15] 2012 and 2013[16][17] and in 2009 and 2010 it was named by the Dallas Business Journal as one of the top "Best Places to Work" in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.[18]

In October 2009, Carl Bolch Jr, chairman and CEO of RaceTrac, was named by Convenience Store News as their 2009 Retailer of the Year for pioneering forecourt retailing in the Southeast and making an indelible mark on the convenience industry overall.[19]

In 2010, RaceTrac was recognized by the Dallas Morning News as one of the best places to work in the Dallas area.[citation needed]

In 2012, RaceTrac was named CSNews' Retailer Innovator of the Year.[20]

In 2012, RaceTrac was named Best Place to Work by the South Florida Business Journal.[21]

In 2013, RaceTrac was named a Top national Workplace by Workplace Dynamics.[22]

In 2011, 2012, 2013, & 2014 RaceTrac was named a Top Workplace in Atlanta by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.[citation needed]

References

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  5. ↑ “Rejuvenated and Off to the Big Parade,” New York Times, January 13, 2009
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  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ [1][dead link]
  11. ↑ [2] Archived January 15, 2013 at the Wayback Machine
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  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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