BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- When I came to this country in 1983, I wasn't sure what I wanted to accomplish, Harry Singh told CSP Daily News. I had the desire in my mind, but I never thought of myself in the way that I could grow to the point where I am today.
Singh's rise to convenience retailing prominence has been more than 20 years in the making. He started his own real estate business soon after emigrating from his native India. Seeking better opportunities for his family, Singh bought a Mobil-branded gas station six years later, in 1989. Today, the president [image-nocss] of Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Bolla Management Corp. finds himself among 74 other small-business operators recognized for outstanding performance by the International Franchise Association in Washington, D.C.
What brought me to where I am today is, I want to be No. 1the desire to be No. 1 and fight through the business' many challenges, said Singh, who operates five On the Run convenience stores and 13 Mobil-branded stations skirting New York City. It's almost like something in the blood. Everyone in my family had the desire to be best-in-class. You can almost say you're born with this kind of quality.
Singh was nominated for the IFA award by On the Run franchisor ExxonMobil Corp., Fairfax, Va., because of his outstanding performance in all aspects of the convenience retailing and fuel marketing business; for his leadership roles on national advisory boards; for his active role in promoting the growth of the On the Run brand; and for his support of community activities such as the ExxonMobil Education Alliance.
Community involvement has become a cornerstone of Singh's success. In the past year alone, Singh has contributed more than $10,000 to 21 different schools to help fund educational programs in math, science and computer technology. When he opens a new store, he extends invitations to local organizations such as churches, Boy Scout troops and veterans groups. Furthermore, he donates as much as $3,000 to each organization; group members, in turn, tend to become regular customers and spread word of his exceptionally well-run stores.
Harry has a passion for the customer, Jim McDonald, field marketing dealer business manager for ExxonMobil, told CSP Daily News. He absolutely exemplifies everything we want from a retail operator in the dealer business. He does it because he believes treating customers with a certain level of excellence is good for business. You're going to see the same thing in every one of his stores. He was one of the early adopters of On the Runand he's grown as we've grown.
McDonald said other On the Run franchiseesand other convenience retailers outside the ExxonMobil networkcan learn a lot by following Singh's example.
I've known him for 20 years, McDonald said. He came in with a single store, and he had a passion for understanding how to take care of customersat the end of day, that's what this business is all about; he lives and breathes that mantra. For some guys, one store is all they can handle. But Harry has put the necessary systems in place to make sure he can manage the growth of his company. He's been consistently growing the business for the past 20 years.
Last year Singh developed a milk promotion to boost dairy sales, as well as build the volume of other in-store categories. The promotion was so successful that ExxonMobil studied it and has begun to promote it as a best-in-class tactic to other On the Run franchisees, according to McDonald. Singh applies that same innovation and commitment to excellence to every-day business matters, such as in-stocks and store cleanliness.
This is a guy who will go into our mystery shopping Web site, McDonald said, and if he finds out he got a score off for something at one of his locations, someone's going to know about it.
More than anything else, Singh attributes his success to his ability to attract and motivate people that share his passion for serving the customer. If you're a people person, you'll find a way to work with people, Singh said. You can put me in a room with strangers for 15 minutes, and I'll leave with some kind of bond. We've promoted people to the point where they had no reason to go on [and work for someone else]. For the most part, the only time people have left is when they go off and start their own business.
On the Run is ExxonMobil's convenience store brand, which is designed to meet consumer expectations for fast service and fresh quality products in a friendly atmosphere. The first On the Run c-store was opened by Mobil in Holden, Mass., in 1994. Today, ExxonMobil has more than 1,540 On the Run stores in 46 countries worldwide, including nearly 750 in the United States.
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