DUXBURY, Mass. -- "Celebrate failure," Leo Vercollone, president of VERC Enterprises, a leading convenience store and Gulf gas station operator with locations throughout Massachusetts, told attendees of the New England Family Business Conference on June 19 in Bolton, Mass. "Try new ideas, but don't be afraid to back away if they don't work," he said. "Try 20; if 15 didn't work, get away from them and keep the five that did."
Presented in partnership with the Family Business Association and Massachusetts Family Business magazine, the event serves as a day of education and networking for family business owners and managers in New England.
The group selected Vercollone as keynote speaker based on VERC's position as "an outstanding example of a growing company with much to share in terms of family business success and navigating change."
Vercollone traced the roots of VERCs to his father Eugene, who started the family business in Marshfield with a single car wash.
"You might say dad started the business to give us all jobs," said Vercollone, who operates VERC with his brother Paul, noting that two other brothers went their separate way by making a success of VERC Rentals, an auto rental business.
"Family is more important than business," said Vercollone, a graduate of Boston College. "Had we not separated, the outcome might have been different; there is no conflict as our businesses are complimentary."
Vercollone spoke of VERC's growth and evolution, pointing to the level of community involvement the company has maintained throughout the years, in addition to its being recognized as a leader in the hiring of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Vercollone serves on the Dealer Advisory Council for both Mobil and Gulf and is president of New England Convenience Store Association (NECSA).
Duxbury, Mass.-based VERC is a leading regional, independent chain of convenience stores and gas stations, with locations throughout eastern Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The company began 37 years ago with a single car wash in Marshfield, in a business founded by Eugene Vercollone. Today, two of his sons operate the company, with Leo as pand Paul as vice president.
In 2011, The Boston Business Journal recognized VERC as a Best Place to Work in Massachusetts and as a Leader in Diversity, and in 2011, 2012 and 2013, The Boston Globe recognized the company as a Best Place to Work in Massachusetts.
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