ALBANY, N.Y. -- Fran LaForge of XtraMart Convenience Stores, Jim Curley of McLane Co., and Bob Ray of Crowley Foods/HP Hood and 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 16 at the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, N.Y, bringing to 26 the number of retailers and suppliers enshrined since NYACS created the Hall of Fame in 1996. The banquet is the traditional closing event of the annual two-day NYACS Trade Show &[image-nocss] amp; Convention.
LaForge joined a Warren Equities firm, Kenyon Oil Co. of North Grosvenordale, Conn., as a marketing representative in 1958. He was promoted to vice president in 1960 and president in 1965. In 1975, he took on the added role of president of another Warren Equities company, Drake Petroleum. And in 1984, LaForge became President of yet another Warren Equities entity, Mid-Valley Oil Co., Newburgh NY, which began opening XtraMart Convenience Stores in eastern New York. Through a series of acquisitions, the chain grew to nearly 80 locations in New York and Pennsylvania. LaForge later was named Vice President of Warren Equities. He retired in 2003.
During and after the formation of the New York Association of Convenience Stores, he set the tone for an exceptionally high level of XtraMart participation and investment in NYACS that continues to this day.
Curley was the original chairman of the NYACS Associate Board, an advisory body comprised of leading supplier members, when NYACS was founded in 1986. At the time, he was president of McLane Northeast, a division of McLane Co., based in Baldwinsville, N.Y. In 1994, he transferred to Florida as president of McLane Suneast, the largest division of McLane, based in Kissimmee, Fla.
Before joining McLane, he was a CPA with Price Waterhouse and president of Dewitt Wholesale in Dewitt, N.Y.In 1984,McLane acquired Dewitt Wholesale and renamed it McLane Northeast, with Curley as president.
Ray has been a sales manager with Crowley Foods and its parent HP Hood LLC for 28 years. His dairy industry career began as a sales manager with Borden Ice Cream in Syracuse. In 1979, he joined Crowley Foods as Division Sales Manager in Arkport, N.Y, East Windsor, Conn., and later Binghamton, N.Y. His close working relationships with key c-store chains across upstate New York led to a seat on the NYACS Associate Board, which he chaired in 1999-2000.
In his current position of area sales manager for HP Hood, he calls on dairies and dairy distributors in Pennsylvania and most states west of the Mississippi.
Previously inducted members of the New York Convenience Store Hall of Fame are Bob Seng, Chairman Emeritus; Richard Warrender, President Emeritus; John MacDougall of Nice N Easy Grocery Shoppes, Canastota, N.Y.; Kevin Noon of K&K Food Marts, Brockport, N.Y.; Sherry Wright, retired from Lorillard Tobacco Co., Syracuse; Kevin Fox, formerly of Sugar Creek Stores, Rochester, N.Y.; James Havice Jr., formerly of James F. Havice Inc., Lewistown, Pa.; Dennis Ryley, formerly with Xtra Mart; Herb Sliter of HJH Associates, Diamond Point, N.Y.; John W. Bailey of Bailey Haskell & LaLonde, Canastota; Joe Arnold, retired from Anheuser Busch Inc., Syracuse; Steve Agnello, formerly with Village Marts, Webster, N.Y.; Mark Sidebottom of MWS Enterprises/Yellow Goose Markets, East Amherst, N.Y.; Dick Chase, retired from Northern Eagle Beverages, Oneonta, N.Y.; Rene Patterson of Quickway Food Marts, Sidney, N.Y.; Joseph C. Tripi II and the late Carl Tripi of Tripifoods Inc., Buffalo, N.Y.; Albert Smith of Shortstop Deli, Ithaca, N.Y.; Don Case of Paul deLima Coffee, Syracuse; Case Marshall of Pit Stop Convenience, Weedsport, N.Y.; LaFayette Jones III of Upstate Farms Cooperative, Buffalo; and the late Al Wiley of Country Convenience Food Stores, Goshen, N.Y.
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