VALPARAISO, Ind. -- "Innovation for us is not a novelty; it's an absolute necessity for survival and success," according to Family Express Corp. president and CEO Gus Olympidis. Family Express hosted the 16th Innovators Cafe on Thursday, sponsored by Ivy Tech Community College Northwest and The Society of Innovators of Northwest Indiana.
Local leaders learned more about the strategies Family Express uses to maintain a competitive edge during the event held at the company's $4 million headquarters facility in Valparaiso, Ind., reported the Northwest Indiana Times.
About 80 business and community leaders from throughout the region attended the event, added a report by The Post-Tribune.
"This facility to our knowledge is the most advanced training facility in the convenience store industry," Olympidis told the Times.
The campus at opened in 2010 and includes a full-size replica c-store for training new employees. Olympidis said people in training there can experience what the company calls "taking the devil out of the machine" without having to do so in front of customers.
The replica store also provides a stage for trying new marketing concepts. One will be unveiled in stores in a couple of weeks, the report said--new mild blend of the company's popular Java Wave coffee brand.
Unique brands, Olympidis said--along with efficient logistics--is what sets Family Express apart from almost all of its competitors.
Logistically, the company has narrowed deliveries down to one per day from 25 to 30 times a week. Stocking its shelves more efficiently than its competitors gives the company an advantage in the marketplace.
"Because we deliver efficiently, we have more time to develop relationships with our customers," Olympidis said.
Olympidis said Family Express is a wired organization: It uses technology to the fullest. The company can have virtual meetings with all of its stores from headquarters.
"Think of it as Skype on steroids," Olympidis said. "Productivity with the capacity to overlay content."
"As you look around, you're in a gas station, a convenience store, a service facility with, truly, an emphasis on service. What is it that Family Express does that is truly innovative?", asked Guadalupe Valtierra, chancellor for the region's Ivy Tech campuses.
Using a company training video, Olympidis said Family Express focuses on efficient logistics to get perishable products to its locations once a day, and providing unique brands on everything from coffee to milk, as well as its square donuts.
"We start our day competing with folks who are much, much bigger than we are," he told the audience.
The company has thrived, in part, because of its stringent hiring practices--only one in 50 who apply is accepted, and Olympidis joked that Family Express discriminates against the grumpy.
Olympidis answered questions from the audience, including one on how big Family Express could get.
"Oh, we don't know," he said. "The question is, do we really care?"
The company just saw the most growth in its 40-year history and is in the mode for greater expansion because it makes economic sense, but has no business plan setting a deadline to open a certain number of new stores, the Post-Tribune said.
He also fielded a question on the upside down cow featured on the company's blue delivery trucks, which is meant to draw a focus to the Family Express brand.
"The cow doesn't have a name," Olympidis admitted.
Family Express operates 57 stores throughout Northwest and North Central Indiana.
Click here to read CSP magazine's recent cover feature on Family Express.
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