SAN ANTONIO -- In a few days, when the final moments of 2005 ebb into a new year, Bill Greehey's tenure as the face of the nation's largest independent refiner and marketer will come to a close.
On Jan. 1, 2006, Greehey officially retires, retaining his chairmanship of Valero Energy Corp., but passing the leading reins to Bill Klesse, the company's executive vice president and COO. [Watch for the January issue of CSP magazine for a closeup look at Greehey's influence at Valero and the company's future as he plans for retirement.]
Recently, CSP Daily News toured Valero's home of San Antonio to meet with Greehey, Klesse and the executive team, as well as to visit several Valero convenience locations.
The following are impressions from citizens of the company's tightknit relationship with the folks of San Antonio.
If the many street signs dotting the city's inner loop or the banners bedecking the home of the Spurs don't drive it home, chance encounters with residents will drive home the fact that San Antonio is Valero country. And although gas prices and convenience stores garner a mention, people are just as likely to note one of the company's ethical strengths.
On a ride to the airport, the cabbie, a lifelong San Antonio resident, recalls how Valero kept its prices below $3 a gallon while other retailers raised them in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. You know, when everyone was raising their gas prices over $3, Mr. Greehey said he would not do that to the people and he didn't, says the driver. Even premium was only $2.89.
At a time when the bad taste of Enron's accounting deceptions still linger in the public's consciousness, Valero has forged a reputation for embracing small-company morals while earning a big-company paycheck, an ethic driven from Greehey on down through the organization.
After a Valero customer service rep lost his home in a fire, Greehey presented him with a $5,000 check, no strings attached, to carry him over until he bought a new home. And when Hurricane Katrina blew through Louisiana, the first task for maintenance employees wasn't to survey the damage at the St. Charles refineryit was to patch up their colleagues' homes.
It's anecdotes like these that make for not only great public relations, but also excellent karma.
Learn How to Do Business With Valero
CSPNetwork, the CyberConference arm of CSP, presents two special 60-minute How to Sell Me programs featuring Valero Energy Corp. The first, scheduled for Thursday, January 26, is directed to suppliers and manufacturers looking to do business with Valero and will feature vice president of retail merchandising Hal Adams as the headlined presenter.
The second CyberConference is set for Wednesday, February 8, and is aimed at jobbers and retailers looking to learn more opportunities in marketing the Valero fuel brand. The program features Ken Applegate, Valero's vice president of wholesale marketing.
To register for the January 26 session for suppliers and manufacturers, click here.
To register for the February 8 session for retailers and fuel jobbers, click here.
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