DALLAS & BURLESON, Texas -- U.S. Navy veteran Mark Anthony Page became the owner this week of a 7-Eleven franchised convenience store in Burleson, Texas, after winning the company's Operation: Take Command campaign.
It is the culmination of nine months' work and competition to win first America's and then 7-Eleven Inc. CEO's vote of confidence. The prize was an available 7-Eleven store of the winner's choice at a discount, valued up to $190,000. But 7-Eleven Inc. CEO Joe DePinto was so impressed with the three finalists, he offered them each a store.
Operation: Take Command launched last Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2014, as a multi-phased competition for first-time prospective franchisees retired or separated from the military. Entrants first had to be interviewed and qualified. The top 25 of the 6,000 entrants competed for the public's votes in a Facebook video competition with the three finalists interviewing face to face with DePinto.
Page is the first of the three winning veterans to take possession of his 7-Eleven store. The other winners, Army vets in Chesapeake, Va., and Miami, will step across their stores' thresholds in September and after October, respectively.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said Page. "My wife and I are ecstatic about assuming business ownership of the 7-Eleven store in Burleson. We relish the thought of meeting new people, making new friends and becoming a part of a city and community that was recognized as a Top 100 Best Community for Young People."
Page has weeks of training on under his belt, a store brimming with merchandise and a heart ready to serve, the company said.
"Mark Anthony represents what we look for in a franchisee," said 7-Eleven franchise systems vice president Greg Franks. "He's smart, hard working and a servant leader. Mark Anthony also is one of many highly qualified, retired military veterans that are joining the 7-Eleven franchisee ranks this year. We are very gratified with the outcome of our Operation: Take Command program and the caliber of applicants and finalists the campaign attracted."
To welcome the Granbury, Texas, resident to the Burleson location, 7-Eleven is holding a celebration and customer-appreciation party at Page's store on August 28.
Along with a ribbon cutting, festivities include a Slurpee truck on site with staffers handing out free cups, an appearance by the Slurpee mascot, a KLUV radio station deejay, prizes and food and beverage sampling. It will offer reduced prices on gasoline from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Page will present a $711 check to benefit the Air Force Junior ROTC program at Burleson High School. The donation is part of 7-Eleven's Project A-Game grant program that benefits non-profit youth education and sports initiatives.
Page said he has always been committed to service; from when he was on active duty in the Navy, as a reservist, and later an educator and role model for young people. A devoted family man with four children, Page said he believes running a 7-Eleven franchise will allow him to continue his commitment to community service. Page has reached out to Burleson schools in hopes of creating a co-op program so that he can continue to mentor youth in the community.
After a tough start in life that included being a ward of the state for two years, Page moved in with his grandmother who had already raised 16 children of her own. He enlisted in the Navy just days after graduating from high school, seeing it both as a way out and a way up.
While in the reserves, Page attended college and earned a bachelor's degree in communications and a master's in kinesiology. He taught and coached in public schools before taking a position that required him to be away from his home and family. Believing a 7-Eleven franchise could be the ticket to be closer to home, Page entered the Operation: Take Command contest.
Calling his winning an "unbelievable" opportunity, Page said, "It was life changing. As I moved through the levels of the contest, I started thinking maybe I really had a chance. Seeing people from here and even other countries that didn't know me, but voted for my video on Facebook was very humbling. My wife was my biggest cheerleader. I couldn't have done it without her."
Dallas-based 7-Eleven operates, franchises or licenses approximately 10,500 convenience stores in North America. Globally, there are more than 56,600 7-Eleven c-stores in 16 countries.
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