ATLANTA —Customer service, consistency and a dedication to community have helped QuikTrip Inc. establish itself as the gold standard of retailing in the c-store industry. With these credentials in mind, Winsight and CSP are pleased to name QuikTrip and its chairman and CEO, Chet Cadieux, as its 2019 Retail Leader of the Year.
“Chet Cadieux and QuikTrip represent an amazing legacy in the convenience-store industry, from its family-owned roots to the customer service, foodservice and technology directions that are guiding us into the future,” says Steve Holtz, content director for CSP and Winsight’s convenience division. “We congratulate Chet and QT on being named CSP’s Retail Leader of the Year and thank them for setting an example for retailers across the United States.”
Final 2019 Retail Leader of the Year - QT from Winsight, LLC on Vimeo.
With more than 800 stores and more than 23,000 employees, the Tulsa, Okla.-based chain continues to bring its winning model into new markets, including most recently San Antonio and Austin, Texas, and soon Denver. Regardless of the state of operation, QuikTrip delivers an award-winning customer experience that not only wins loyalty but also demonstrates the power of people at a time of technological disruption. This is demonstrated by its repeated mention on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For list and by winning the 2019 CSP Intouch Insight Mystery Shop program, thanks to the strength of its performance in customer service measures.
QuikTrip sets its course thanks to Cadieux, who hews close to the model set by his father and company founder, the late Chester Cadieux, CSP’s 2007 Retail Leader of the Year. After joining the company after graduating the University of Tulsa in 1989, Cadieux worked through the ranks, first working everything from the third shift to store manager at the stores, and then at corporate in real estate and sales roles. He was named president and CEO in 2002 and chairman in 2006.
With Chet Cadieux at the helm, QuikTrip has made foodservice the center of its stores, with its QT Kitchens made-to-order foodservice program, featuring fresh sandwiches, pizza, soft pretzels and a sophisticated specialty coffee offer. At the same time, it has built a reputation over the decades as a formidable fuel retailer, ranking among the top three fuel brands by market efficiency and within the top 10 by market share, according to Oil Price Information Service data.
For the past 17 years, CSP’s Retail Leader of the Year award has recognized convenience-retailing executives for their excellence in leadership, innovation and perseverance within his or her company, positively transforming the organization to new and higher levels. Past honorees include Kyle Krause, chairman and CEO of Kum & Go LC; Ari Haseotes, CEO of Cumberland Farms; Bob Myers, former CEO of Casey’s General Stores; Tony Kenney, former president of Speedway LLC; Sam L. Susser, chairman of Susser Petroleum Partners; the late John MacDougall of Nice N Easy Grocery Shoppes; Don Zietlow, CEO of Kwik Trip; and Joe DePinto, president and CEO of 7-Eleven Inc.
On Oct. 2, CSP and Winsight will celebrate the achievements of Cadieux and QuikTrip at the Omni Atlanta at the CNN Center. Watch for complete coverage of CSP’s Retail Leader of the Year award ceremony on CSP Daily News and in CSP magazine.
Based in Chicago, Winsight LLC is a recognized leader in business-to-business media and information services for the convenience-retailing, foodservice and grocery industries. Winsight has an extensive media portfolio, including five publications: CSP, Restaurant Business, FoodService Director, Convenience Store Products and Winsight Grocery Business.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.