ALBANY, N.Y. -- Xtra Mart Convenience Stores regional manager Gary Mikutel and retired McLane Co. area sales manager Tom Purcell have been elected to the New York Convenience Store Hall of Fame. They will be inducted by the New York Association of Convenience Stores (NYACS) at its annual Chairman's Banquet on May 13 in Syracuse, N.Y.
Gary Mikutel oversees the operation of 64 Xtra Mart locations in New York, Pennsylvania, and western New England. Xtra Mart is a division of Warren Equities Inc., one of the nation's top privately held companies.
Mikutel began his career [image-nocss] in the petroleum marketing and convenience store trade in 1971 with Lehigh Oil Co., Norwich, Conn., first as a manager, then as a supervisor overseeing 15 gas stations and stores.
In 1984, he joined Drake Petroleum Inc., based in North Grosvenordale, Conn., an operator of more than 200 Xtra Mart Convenience Stores in 10 northeastern states. He served as a supervisor, district manager, foodservice coordinator and director of marketing before becoming regional manager.
Mikutel has served on the NYACS board of directors since 2002, and was its chairman from 2006 to 2008.
Tom Purcell was a long-time area sales manager with McLane Co.'s Syracuse-based Northeast Division, serving c-stores throughout New York and Pennsylvania.
He was actively involved in NYACS from the very first trade show in Alexandria Bay in 1986 all the way through his service as chairman of the associate board in 2007-08.
After graduating from LaSalle University with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management, he worked for a supermarket for seven years. He worked for McCormack Spices for 17 years, first in Philadelphia and Baltimore, and later in Syracuse as district sales manager. After two years with a Coca-Cola bottler in Syracuse, he joined McLane's sales management team and worked for the company for 27 years before retiring in 2008.
The Chairman's Banquet is the closing event of NYACS' two-day Trade Show & Convention May 12-13 at the Oncenter in Syracuse, featuring a golf tournament, welcome party, educational seminars, trade show exhibits, prizes, silent auction and other activities for member and nonmember c-store retailers and suppliers.
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