News | News Archive | Spring 2003

FASTER PACE: Eliminates Time for Reflection or Relaxation Freeze Remember when? Dealer Corner: Welcome to the Quality Oil Family Gasoline Pump Island Safety Outstanding Service Weird Hotel Requests We Will Miss Her... Coming Soon! Who Packs Your Parachute? Quality Oil Annual Meeting 2003 Service Awards Behind The Scenes: Who Are They? Sense of Humor Help! We are searching for Ideas ...

Spring 2003 News Core Ideology To do it because it is right To treat others as we would like to be treated To be financially responsible To be better today than yesterday

Graham Bennett, President

FASTER PACE: Eliminates Time for Reflection or Relaxation

In the book “Faster” by James Gleick, he describes what effect our fast-pace has had on our private and business lives. His basic premise or point is quite simply this: “Our world produced by modern technology has created a pace of action that eliminates thinking time or times of reflection or relaxation.” We can all relate as we watch emails, faxes, and voice mails blow through our lives with record pace. Our children and grandchildren know no difference as they were born with these fast paced gadgets. In the past, we would be able to say, “Sounds good, send it to me and I’ll think about it” - but now it is faxed, emailed, and zapped to us for immediate response. Well, so what?

Well so what! I’m afraid we have fallen in the same “fast” trap and have failed to stop and ask you how things are going - how you feel. Please find enclosed a confidential survey that I would like you to fill out and send back to me. Remember, you are the company.

American Troops — Let’s never go so fast that we don’t pause and reflect on the courage and commitment of our young men and women in the Middle East and reserves of all ages dedicated to protect our freedom.

— Graham Bennett

Freeze

When power returned at Quality Mart #34, in Durham, Ali Nasedin had the busiest day in company history. On December 5th, he pumped a record 20,207 gallons of gas. The former record was a gas house record of 18,000 gallons. Quality Mart #34 pumped all this gas and kept the customers going for only two shifts, because of a curfew in Durham due to the storm.

As other stores were opened, like Quality Marts #6 and #43, kerosene was the hot ticket of the day. Most people were trying to keep warm and that provided huge sales of kerosene and firewood.

The stores in the Raleigh-Durham area weathered the ice storm in Quality Oil fashion, they were there for the customers when the customers needed them most. Lexington Quality Plus in Lexington, NC also had lines of folks waiting to fill their Kerosene containers.

— Jimmy Sutton

Remember when?

— Danny Brown

Gasoline Pump Island Safety

Service station pump islands don’t necessarily come to mind as a dangerous place to visit however, failure to follow these simple warnings could cause serious injury or possible death.

1. First and foremost do not smoke anywhere near the gasoline dispensers.
2. Turn off your vehicle engine during refueling.
3. Turn off cell phones and other portable electronic devices. Never use a cell phone while refueling your vehicle.
4. Fill portable gasoline containers on the ground keeping the nozzle in contact with the container while fueling. Never refuel any containers in the bed of a pickup truck especially one that has a rubber bed mat. Never pump gasoline into an unapproved container such as glass or plastic milk jug.
5. Discharge static electricity from your body by touching the metal part of your vehicle before using the gas pump. Do not re-enter your vehicle during the fueling process. This can re-charge your body with static electricity during exit and discharge from your hand to the gas nozzle resulting in a serious fire and possible explosion.
6. If a fire starts do not remove the gas nozzle from the vehicle, back away and tell the attendant. Push emergency stop button on the pump if available.
7. Never allow children to operate gas pumps, the excitement of doing an adult thing could precede the use of common sense and safety.
8. Do not leave the pump unattended while the fueling process is taking place, nozzles do fail to cut off sometimes when vehicle is full and could result in a major fuel spill and fire hazard.
9. Do not inhale gasoline vapors, keep face away from the nozzle and gas tank. Never siphon gasoline by mouth, inhalation of product into lungs can be fatal.

Always be aware of others not following these simple safety rules, your life may depend on it!!

The Petroleum Equipment Institute has researched 150 cases of these fires. The results were very surprising:

1. Almost all 150 cases were women.
2. Almost all cases involved the person getting back in their vehicle while the nozzle was still pumping gas. When finished and they went back to pull the nozzle out, the fire started, as a result of static.
3. Most had on rubber-soled shoes.
4. Most men never get back in their vehicle until completely finished. This is why they are seldom involved in these types of fires.
5. It is the vapors that come out of the gas that cause the fire, when connected with static charges.
6. In 29 fires, the vehicle was reentered and the nozzle was touched during refueling. Some resulted in extensive damage to the vehicle, to the station, and to the customer.

You can find out more information by going to http://www.pei.org. Once here, click in the center of the screen where it says “Stop Static”. Parents are encouraged to think ahead of time about how they would get their children out of the vehicle, should this ever happen.

— Danny Brown

Outstanding Service Congratulations to the employees of the Hampton Inn Winston-Salem, Hampton Inn Columbia and the Hampton Inn & Suites Cary. These hotels received the Pride Award for outstanding service and product scores. They are among the top 5% of all Hampton Hotels. The awards were presented to the General Managers during the Hampton Conference in Las Vegas in January 2003.

Pictured left to right: Art Williams, Cary; Don Baker, Winston-Salem; John Sorrell, Columbia.

Weird Hotel Requests

A woman dressed very professionally approached the front desk to see if we could help her. Her husband had put her out of the house, and threatened to never let her see their children again. She wanted a room for that night (possibly for the rest of the week), but couldn’t pay for the room until she figured out a way to get back into the house and get her belongings. We asked why would her husband do such a terrible thing to her, and her reply was... “It all boils down to the fact that I bring home the bacon, I spoil the kids, and I never have time for him. I just work, work, work.” Well, as she is explaining her story there are several interruptions (phone calls, deliveries, and guest checking-in). All of a sudden a little girl comes into the lobby, and the professionally dressed woman gives her a look that would kill. The little girl says... “Daddy told me to come in here to see what was taking you so long, and to see if they fell for it.” Needless to say, we directed them to the Comfort Suites.

— Contributed by the Hampton Inn Columbia

We Will Miss Her...

Condolences to the family of Sharon Shorter. Sharon worked at Capitol Gas House. She died on December 15, 2002.

Coming Soon!

Construction is slated to start in the 2nd quarter of 2003 on the Hampton Inn & Suites of Jacksonville, Florida. The hotel is located in Deerwood Park on Southside Boulevard. The opening is tentatively scheduled for the 1st quarter of 2004. This will be hotel number seven for QOC.

Who Packs Your Parachute?

Charles Plumb, was a US Naval Academy graduate, who flew jets in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, he was shot down by a surface-to-air missile. He ejected and parachuted into the jungle. The Viet Cong captured him and held him prisoner for six years in North Vietnam. Today, Charles Plumb lectures on lessons learned from that experience.

One day, when he and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came over and said, “You’re Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!”

How in the world did you know that,” asked the former pilot. “I packed your parachute,” he said. Plumb gasped in surprise. The man pumped Plumb’s hand and said, “I guess it worked!” Plumb assured him it did. “If your chute hadn’t worked, I wouldn’t be here today, Plumb said.”

The pilot couldn’t sleep that night, thinking about the stranger. He wondered how many times he might have seen him and not spoken because he was a fighter pilot and the man who packed his chute was “just a sailor.” Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent on a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn’t know.

When Plumb lectures, he asks his audience, “Who’s packing your parachute?” A good question, for we all have someone who provides, and has provided, what we need to get through our lives. We need physical parachutes, mental parachutes, emotional parachutes, and spiritual parachutes. Who has taught you that much-valued skill, or broadened your mind, or helped you find emotional healing, or put you in touch with spiritual values? Throughout your life, who has been packing your parachute? These are the people we owe our lives to. And whose parachutes are you packing? For that is the legacy you will leave behind.

Quality Oil Annual Meeting

Quality Mart & Quality Plus held it’s annual meeting in Winston-Salem March 26. The overall theme for the meeting was promoting WOW customer service and rolling out the new training programs for each group. The Quality Oil office staff and management joined us for lunch and our annual awards presentation. Special thanks to Southco and R.J. Reynolds for the door prizes and goody bags we handed out.

2003 Service Awards

Behind The Scenes: Who Are They?

The Information Systems Department is small in size but large in tasks. It consists of the famous four: Carol Holt (Vice President of Information Systems, 19 years service). Norm Vaden (Assistance Director of Information Systems, 7 yrs.) Dianne Lowder (System Support Analyst III, 23 yrs.) Sandy Smith (System Support Analyst IV, 17 yrs.)

Carol Holt, Vice President of Information Systems	Sandy Smith, System Support Analyst IV
Dianne Lowder, System Support Analyst III	Norm Vaden, Assistant Director of Information Systems

This department touches every part of Quality Oil starting at the home office and reaching all the way to our gas houses, service stations, and hotels. “We are considered the HUB at QOC,” states Norm Vaden.

Over the years this department has evolved from what used to be one computer per department, into one computer per person. Carol, always smiling, will keep things running smoothly and adds, “anything presented will be done.” Dianne and Sandy rotate duties. Their everyday responsibilities include Oasis, Manatek, Quality Fleet Cards, manning the telephones, and any inside or outside help they can be. Norm is our programmer and supports Carol and others.

Thank you for keeping our communication wheels turning.

— Jamie Westmoreland

If God really does have a sense of humor, it’s gotta be just like this!!

The Reverend Francis Norton woke up Sunday morning and realizing it was an exceptionally beautiful and sunny early spring day, decided he just had to play golf. So... he told the Associate Pastor that he was feeling sick and convinced him to say Mass for him that day.

As soon as the Associate Pastor left the room, Father Norton headed out of town to a golf course about forty miles away. This way he knew he wouldn’t accidentally meet anyone he knew from his parish. Setting up on the first tee, he was alone. After all, it was Sunday morning and everyone else was in church!

At about this time, Saint Peter leaned over to the Lord while looking down from the heavens and exclaimed, ‘You’re not going to let him get away with this, are you?’ The Lord sighed, and said, ‘No, I guess not.’ Just then Father Norton hit the ball and it shot straight towards the pin, dropping just short of it, rolled up and fell into the hole. It WAS A 420 YARD HOLE IN ONE! St. Peter was astonished.

He looked at the Lord and asked, ‘Why did you let him do that?’

The Lord smiled and replied, ‘Who’s he going to tell?’

Help! We are searching for Ideas ...

If you work with someone that has phenomenal customer service skill, or a special talent, we want to know! Send us your thoughts or submit a completed article to:

e-mail:
bfoster@qocnc.com

or mail to:
B. Foster c/o
Quality Oil Company, LLC,
PO Box 2736,
Winston-Salem, NC
27102-2736

Be sure to include your name and a contact phone number!