News | News Archive | Spring 2004

AMBITION — A GOOD THING Christiansburg receives Hampton Lighthouse Award From the Grapevine . . . New Addition: 30,000-gallon propane storage tank Quality Oil Company Receives Don Ward Industry Excellence Cup Meet QP Quality Quick Quiz Winners Toy History Quiz Employee Service Awards Gray Fowler— A friend and dedicated team leader Bill Evans Retires from Reliable Tank Line United Way Campaign Quality Builds Another House with Habitat The Symbol of Hospitality We Salute Silent Treatment QM#38 Gourmet Coffee Children ... and why we love them Just for chuckles ... Time Off! Hot Dog! Look Who’s In Town Coming Soon Hampton Inn Atlanta Opened December 19, 2003 Quality Oil Word Search Vol. 2

Spring 2004 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

AMBITION — A GOOD THING

Ambition is a good thing. I suppose if we believe in “To Be Better Today Than Yesterday,” then ambition could be what motivates us to achieve that goal. Healthy ambition is one without the unhealthy influence of ego.

To achieve the goals we set for ourselves in our personal and business life, we must have a certain amount of ambition. We can decide we want to be a better parent or achieve certain levels in business but without ambition, none of them will be realized to the level we desire.

Consider these steps for reaching your goals in 2004:

What is my ambition?

1. Go to the trouble to have goals — Think, reflect, share them with your loved ones, and then write them down.

2. Prioritize — Set goals only in the most important areas of your life. Careful … set fewer big, long-term goals rather than a lot of small, short-term goals. Example: A long-term goal would be to become a general manager. A shorter goal would be to score 100 on my next inspection.

3. Once you prioritize your short list of important goals, write your plan for getting there.

4. Figure out a discipline to make sure you stay focused. Example: Write out your goal and put it in your wallet; review it once a month to monitor your progress. Consult with the ones you love, admire, and trust to give you honest feedback on a regular basis.

It sounds so simple, but it is not. My only suggestion is to take the first step — START. Carve out quality time this week to reflect on what is really important in your life and what you really want to do.

Happy New Year
Graham Bennett

From the Grapevine . . .

Did you know that we have an artist at QM #5? Quincy Streeter, who manages maintenance, designs the landscaping for this location. (See pictures below.) The shrubs are a real eye-catcher.

Have you heard what the Managers at Woodlawn Gas House are up to? Jon Turpin is a Shriner and transports crippled children to doctor’s appointments, no matter where they are. He and his wife, Carolyn, make glass angels to raise money for charities. Last year they made 500 angels for Hospice.

Did you know that Marion Gas House has a Volunteer Firefighter on staff? His name is Kenny Poteat, and he has been in the fire service for 20 years. He also works for the North Carolina Forest Service as a wildland firefighter and still finds time to lead a scout group. It doesn’t sound like he has a lot of spare time!

— Lisa Dodson

New Addition: 30,000-gallon propane storage tank

Quality Oil Company has purchased a new 30,000-gallon propane tank, which is located at the headquarters in Winston-Salem. This is the company’s fourth tank of this size. Three others are located at the Davie location. Quality’s total storage capacity is now 120,000 gallons.

Danny Stroud, Sr. Vice President, Operations, explained the significance of the additional tank. “Propane is normally transported and stored as a liquid under pressure. When propane changes from a liquid to a gas, it increases in volume approximately 270 times. One gallon of liquid in storage can produce approximately 35 cubic feet of propane gas.”

The new storage gives Quality a reliable supply for serving local consumers. Quality provides customers a tank and delivers LPO by “bob tails” (propane delivery trucks.) The liquid vaporizes and is piped into homes as fuel for furnaces, gas logs, hot water heaters, kitchen ranges, etc.

Meet QP We would like to introduce the newest (and cutest???) member of our Quality Plus family. This is QuePee, the mascot at our Elon Quality Plus location. She loves having her picture taken, especially when she poses with her proud Mom, Judy Jungermann, who is the manager at Elon. Welcome QuePee!

Quality Quick Quiz Winners

Answers:

1. Reliable began in 1934. (spring 2003)

2. Propane is 300 degrees below zero and catches on fire instantly. (spring 2002)

3. QOC is building a new hotel in Jacksonville, Fla. (spring 2003)

4. Kirk said,“Our families were the only ones dumb enough to hire us.” (winter 2001)

5. Rev. Norton hit a 420-yard drive and scored a hole-in-one. (spring 2003)

The fall issue of the Oiler included a trivia contest on information found in recent issues of the newsletter. Three lucky winners received a $20 gas card for submitting the correct answers. Congratulations to winners, (left to right) Gay Zimmerman, Pamela Updike and Shannon Noble.

Toy History Quiz

How much do you know about the toys that were your favorites as you were growing up? Take this toy history quiz and see…

1) Which of the following board games is the oldest?

___ Go to the Head of the Class ___ Mouse Trap ___ Candy Land ___ Chutes and Ladders

2) What toy was used by the U.S. military during World War II?

___ Silly Putty ___ View-Master ___ Slinky ___ Etch A Sketch

3) What was the first toy advertised on TV?

___ Silly Putty ___ Mr. Potato Head ___ Play-Doh ___ Easy Bake Oven

4) What was James Wright trying to create when he accidentally invented Silly Putty?

___ Toothpaste ___ Synthetic Rubber ___ Glue ___ Synthetic Fabric

5) What is the most popular Matchbox car model?

___ Double-decker Bus ___ Station Wagon ___ Squad Car ___ Ambulance

6) When unveiled at the Nuremburg International Toy Fair in 1959, what was the Etch A Sketch known as?

___ Doodle Magic ___ L’Ecran Magique ___ The invisible Pencil ___ Sketch and Shake

7) What does the name “yo-yo,” mean in Tagalog, a native Filipino language?

___ Go-go ___ Look-look ___ Bye-bye ___ Come-come

Answers: 1) Go to the Head of the Class; 2) View-master; 3) Mr. Potato Head; 4) Synthetic Rubber; 5) Double-decker Bus; 6) L’Ecran Magique; 7) Come-come

Employee Service Awards

Gray Fowler— A friend and dedicated team leader

Gray Fowler 1969

Gray Fowler 2004

For over 44 years, Gray Fowler has exemplified Quality’s Core Ideology and Vision/Mission. He was part of the leadership team that developed the Core Ideology and Vision/Mission as a guide for all of Quality Oil, but he was living by it long before it was adopted for the company.

Gray began his career in 1960 when he was hired by Jim Slate to deliver oil and gasoline in the Mt. Airy branch, and it was there that the team of Slate and Fowler began its long-standing working association. He worked there until 1968 when he moved to the Winston office as a salesman.

In 1969 he moved to Statesville as Branch Manager. He was promoted in 1972 to Vice President with responsibility for the Hickory, Asheville and Statesville territory.

As he grew the western territory to amazing levels with Quality Plus gas houses and Quality Marts, he was the “go to” guy to get things done. He taught all of us the power of having an owneroperator spirit. He accomplished this by living every single moment with his core value, “Treat others as you would like to be treated.” He is a friend and dedicated leader for sure.

Gray still lives in the Statesville area with his wife Bonnie. They have three children: James, Laura and Sherri.

— Graham Bennett and Jim Slate

Bill Evans Retires from Reliable Tank Line

Bill Evans, Dispatcher in Charlotte, NC, retired December 2003. He and his wife, Mary, were honored with a retirement dinner.

Bill was part of our Reliable Tank Line team for seventeen years, and brought the operations there to an entirely different level. When he joined Reliable, we had two transport trucks and were hauling primarily for Quality Oil. We now have ten transport trucks with 60% of the business coming from outside customers.

Bill was on call day and night — seven days a week. He ran the business like he owned it. When Dick Raymer, Raymer Oil Company of Statesville, was asked about Bill he said, “We have been a customer and friend for many years and will truly miss him. He was a great representative for Reliable Tank Line.”

United Way Campaign

Quality Oil Company kicked off its 2003 United Way campaign in October. When the campaign ended, we had exceeded our goals and had 32 “Caring Share Givers.”

It is the generosity of employees that makes the annual campaign successful. Thank you for supporting the United Way … and our community!

United Way Chairmen: Andy Sayles and Tim Lowman
Quality Oil Coordinator: Bobby Boles

Quality Builds Another House with Habitat

The Symbol of Hospitality Have you ever noticed a picture of a pineapple or (something that looks like one) in the lobby of a hotel? Well there could be a reason for displaying that pineapple. During the 16th Century, colonists brought it back from the Caribbean as a possible cash crop to be farmed in Virginia. Later it evolved as the colonial symbol of hospitality. When the sea captains returned from a journey they would spear a precious pineapple to the gate announcing to friends that the captain was home and all were welcome.

Silent Treatment A man and his wife were having some problems at home and were giving each other the silent treatment. The next week, the man realized that he would need his wife to wake him at 5:00 a.m. for an early morning business flight to Chicago. Not wanting to be the first to break the silence (AND LOSE), he wrote on a piece of paper, “Please wake me at 5:00 a.m.” The next morning the man woke up, only to discover it was 9:00 a.m. and that he had missed his flight. Furious, he was about to go and see why his wife hadn’t awakened him when he noticed a piece of paper by the bed. The paper said, “It is 5:00 a.m. Wake up.”

Quality Mart #38 has a new gourmet coffee area. Customers now may choose from six different flavors, cappuccino, or creating their own flavor of steamer or latte. QM #38 is located on Hanes Mall Boulevard. Come and check it out!

Hampton Inn Atlanta Opened December 19, 2003

Hampton Inn Atlanta opened on December 19, 2003. It is located at 6010 Sugarloaf Parkway in Lawrenceville, Georgia. The Inn has 127 rooms and is managed by Tim Huffman.

Watch out QOC Hamptons! The Hampton Inn Atlanta team is planning to take over the Number One spot soon.

The Hampton Inn Atlanta management team includes (front, left to right) David, Molly, Angela, and Christine; (back, left to right) Tim, Shane, and William.

Quality Oil Word Search Vol. 2

Quality Oil Company, LLC
PO Box 2736
Winston-Salem, NC 27102
336.722.3441
FAX 336.721.9527
bfoster@qocnc.com

Quality Oil Newsletter Committee:

Brenda Foster, Administrative Assistant
Danita Dominguez, Customer Service
Annette Wagoner, Purchasing Agent
Danny Brown, V.P. Service Stations
Haywood Stroupe, Sales Supervisor
William Pittman, Senior V.P.-Hotel Operations
Lisa Dodson, Accounting
Jamie Westmoreland, Operations Clerk
Tamara Lewis, Payroll