Holding firmly over his head the glass trophy symbolizing his honor as CSP’s 2013 Retail Leader of the Year, John MacDougall exuded the pride of accomplishment both as a motivated human being and as part of the inspired team at Nice N Easy Grocery Shoppes.
It was a night that started with elegance and sophistication in the stately reception and banquet rooms in Atlanta’s Ritz-Carlton Hotel. Wife Elaine, children, grandchildren, friends, colleagues, industry peers and suppliers—all decked out in suits and sparking evening gowns—first gathered for a VIP reception to personally extend well wishes and celebrate the circles that helped MacDougall carve out the Canastota, N.Y.-based chain’s success.
The formal reception that followed opened up the night to a wave of well-known industry veterans, including last year’s Retail Leader recipient, Don Zietlow of Kwik Trip, La Crosse, Wis.; Sam Susser and Steve DeSutter of Susser Holdings, Corpus Christi, Texas; Carl Bolch of RaceTrac Petroleum, Atlanta; Bill Douglass of Douglass Distributing, Sherman, Texas; Gus Olympidis of Family Express, Valparaiso, Ind.; and Dean Durling of QuickChek, Whitehouse Station, N.J.
“I’ve known John for a long time, and he’s not afraid to try new things, as with foodservice,” Zietlow said. “He’s great with people. He’s gentle and kind.”
“He’s been an innovator for over 25 years, distinguishing himself by his willingness to share,” said Paul Rankin, vice president of Country Fair Inc., Erie, Pa. “You can see that as he started franchising and … with helping start NYACS [the New York Association of Convenience Stores.]”
“We are proud of him,” said Alex Olympidis of Family Express. “We enjoy similarities in our cultures. He built a company with [a strong, upbeat] culture.”
With streaming photos of MacDougall’s childhood and years spent building his 85-store chain playing as guests dined, the event then moved to a more formal presentation led by Paul Reuter, former president and CEO of CSP and now chairman emeritus.
Reuter recalled a trip to Mount Rushmore, considering how inspired he was of the grand way four of America’s leaders were forever memorialized. Tying it back to the evening’s purpose, he said CSP’s Retail Leader honor was intended to “recognize leadership that made a lasting impression” on the industry.
Describing MacDougall as “generous,” Reuter said MacDougall’s legacy was as much about a strong retail brand as it was about “the countless lives he’s influenced.”
Reuter then introduced MacDougall’s children, Jennifer, Debbie, Sherry and Michael. Jennifer took the microphone to describe MacDougall, a family man who did absolutely ordinary tasks such as mowing the lawn, walking the dog or picking up the dry cleaning, and sometimes oddball things such as sitting in his car through a car wash with the windows open. And the time when he was fishing in a small rowboat that he discovered was leaking, and deciding to fix it by pulling the plug. Or his passion for riding a Harley-Davidson.
As children, they would hear MacDougall talk at the kitchen table about plans for the stores, or the time he almost became a priest, or his stint as a probation officer—bits and flashes of his journey. But for his children, she said, it was about encouraging them to pursue their own paths.
“He always told me, ‘Trust yourself to find what you love and pursue every opportunity [to fulfill that path],’ ” Jennifer said. She ended up working for the federal government in the field of demographics (and found herself sleeping late because the government was partially shut down at the time of the ceremony.)
“He said, ‘Find out what matters,’ ” she went on to say. “And ‘Find a way to give to others.’ ”
For her father, the stores were a way to do just that, offering places for groceries in rural areas so residents wouldn’t have to travel far for the basics, as well as community destinations for people to meet, chat and always feel welcome.
Lights, Camera, Action
The evening transitioned to a documentary-style video, with family, friends, co-workers and even MacDougall himself telling not only his story, but also that of a burgeoning convenience chain. The storytelling built to an onscreen epiphany for MacDougall, who—choking back emotion—described his legacy as one of simply being “nice.”
But building a business on “nice” is an oversimplification, as the tribute video revealed. MacDougall and his team faced a litany of challenges, the foremost being taxation issues and the Native American competition that hit core convenience categories in the 1990s.
Faced with his competitors’ ability to undercut his company on retail gas and cigarette prices, the chain dove heavily into foodservice, hiring new food-centric staff, building out its made-on-site offers and hiring three professional chefs to help develop grab-and-go meals. The chain’s newest location offers fresh meat, fruit and produce in a 7,000-square-foot store, mimicking what MacDougall would describe as the mom-and-pop “superette” that had disappeared from his area.
After the video presentation, close friends and colleagues were visibly moved. David Williamson, a personal friend and industry colleague for more than 25 years, expressed his gratitude at being able to attend the event and called MacDougall “the most wonderful business partner anyone could have.”
Indeed, MacDougall took a moment while accepting his award to acknowledge his supplier partners, calling them an important part of a triangle of stakeholders, including the chain’s employees and Nice N Easy customers.
MacDougall on MacDougall
“This has blown me away,” MacDougall said when he took the stage to accept his award. “I have so much respect for the people who have won before me, and respect for Paul [Reuter] and the organization he built.”
He called himself “lucky,” believing naively when he first got the opportunity to run his own chain that he knew what he was doing. Far from it, he said: “May 2, 1971, I remember the day, every minute … I thought, ‘What have you gotten yourself into?’ ”
Gaining the trust and respect of business partners was one of his first steps toward success, making sure they understood that he would do his best to make good on the credit and inventory they were handing over. “If you have integrity and tell the truth, tell them the place you want to get to and how you’re going to get there and when, they’ll believe in you,” he said.
Eventually, he did turn around the business that he joined. His next step, he said, was to build a solid team. One of his greatest accomplishments was identifying leaders and developing their talents as c-store retailers. But they’re not just retailers, he said; they’re ambassadors of a culture. “They bleed Nice N Easy,” he said.
But again, beneath that seemingly pollyanna veneer was his determination to succeed, especially as governmental and competitive forces proved merciless. Problems such as government taxation issues, cutthroat competition and an aging population were serious issues.
“[Competitors] were going to take gas and cigarettes—the heart and soul of our business,” he recalled. “How are we going to survive?”
His answer? Foodservice. “Long before the industry recognized it, we did,” he said.
But beyond any category, MacDougall said the company’s success rested on recognizing the needs of the consumer. One of his team’s strongest virtues was a “passion for satisfying the customer.”
That also meant taking risks in building bigger stores, hiring people from different industries and experimenting with the stores’ product mix and on-site food preparation. “It’s about servicing people the best we can,” he said. “If this is what customers need and want, and if we don’t have it, then we need it at Nice N Easy.”
MacDougall reflected on the importance of his business relationships. He expressed gratitude toward the individuals who believed in his ideas and their importance both early on and as the chain moves into the future.
“I can have an idea,” he said. “But if I don’t have someone across the table to explain it to, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”
MacDougall went on to recognize individuals within his team, as well as industry peers he saw in the audience. “These are great people,” he said, concluding the evening by lifting his award—and lifting everyone’s spirits.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.