There may be no greater coming-home story than LeBron James’ return to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
It’s not because he’s the unquestioned best basketball player in the world. It’s not because he demonstrated extraordinary forgiveness in the wake of Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert’s racially tinged letter that followed James’ departure four years ago to the Miami Heat. And it’s not because this includes the maudlin strings of a Disney heartbreaker.
It’s because of James’ humility in an eloquent essay he wrote with Sports Illustrated’s Lee Jenkins, announcing July 11 that at age 29 and owner of two championship rings, James would be returning home, even with the self-awareness that the Cavaliers are not yet title contenders.
There is something today that is more important for this father of two (with a third on the way) than the fame and rings that motivated him just a few years ago: It’s knowing you can go home and believing you can make your mark with those who matter most.
“Before anyone ever cared where I would play basketball, I was a kid from Northeast Ohio. It’s where I walked. It’s where I ran. It’s where I cried. It’s where I bled. It holds a special place in my heart. People there have seen me grow up. I sometimes feel like I’m their son. Their passion can be overwhelming. But it drives me. I want to give them hope when I can. I want to inspire them when I can. My relationship with Northeast Ohio is bigger than basketball. I didn’t realize that four years ago. I do now.”
There is profundity, humility and maturity in this book of James. His tone is echoed in our CSP/Service Intelligence Mystery Shop winner.
As I was growing up in the Boston area, Cumberland Farms was among the many neighborhood convenience stores I frequented. Competing with stores such as Christy’s, Store 24 and White Hen Pantry, Cumby Farms, as we called it, was standard.
In many ways, it was a reflection of the industry itself. Lighting was ordinary, favorite items were at times out of stock and there was no foodservice program to speak of. In short, Cumberland Farms was just another c-store.
Over the past half-dozen years, something changed. That change is palpable to both employees and customers. Turnover is down. Store designs are upbeat. Foodservice is fresh. And a certain pride permeates this longtime family business.
There is a reinvigorated company culture thanks, in large part, to Cumby’s conductor, Ari Haseotes. This is not a criticism of Cumby’s past. Rather, it speaks to today’s increased demands. Let’s be honest: Customers were simply not as choosy in the pre-Internet days. Today, they call the shots.
When many in the retailing world complained about the onset of Obamacare, Ari wondered how he could provide coverage to more of his 7,000 employees. While many CEOs of large chains are understandably disconnected from their front-line folks, Ari makes certain every associate—and I mean every—knows his personal cellphone number. And knows that, yes, they can call him.
We at CSP have been conducting our annual mystery shop for a decade. And we are proud to have Service Intelligence as our exclusive partner. This year, we upgraded our shop to include foodservice. We conducted a special onsite audit that measures whether the cooler is as cool as it should be, sandwiches are sold within their expiration date, the coffee is piping hot and the fountain dispensers operational. We invite you to see how our 10 chains performed across multiple metrics by turning to p. 40. And view our mystery-shop report cards here.
To make this an all-star game of sorts, we asked last year’s top three finishers from both the major and midsize chains to participate. All agreed. And we invited four additional chains, including Cumberland Farms.
We expected solid, not stellar, results from Cumby. When the tabulations came in, we were surprised: Cumberland had edged out two-time defending champion Kwik Trip by a fraction.
Looking at the survey’s results holistically, there is much for our industry to be proud of. We continue to improve in cleanliness, friendliness and product assortment. Each participating chain has at least one area of strength and reason to celebrate. Cumberland Farms has reason to launch fireworks and reflect on its cultural transformation.
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