Bob Myers has a big heart. Just ask friend Sam L. Susser, president of Susser Holdings II LP, Corpus Christi, Texas. Susser’s youngest son is a Cub Scout, and he finds a regular customer in Myers each year during his pack’s annual popcorn fundraising drive. Myers arranges for all of the popcorn to ship to military veterans.
“Bob would be mad if any year goes by and he didn’t have an opportunity to help with the Cub Scouts fundraisers,” Susser says. “He lives 1,500 miles away from here, and cares about Scouting in Corpus Christi, Texas. You could only imagine how much he cares about every organization in every Casey’s market.”
Myers, who is also a man of deep faith, has a regular spot on his daily prayer list for Susser’s father, who had a heart transplant six years ago. “But he’s quiet about it,” Susser says. “He’s very values-driven, and people gravitate toward that.”
Perhaps the closest cause to Myers’ heart is war veterans. Each April, Casey’s General Stores holds its “Dog Tag” promotion, for which customers buy a $1 paper “dog tag”; funds go to Hope for the Warriors, a nonprofit that supports post-Sept. 11 war veterans.
Casey’s has raised more than $3 million for the Washington, D.C.-based group.
Myers sits on its board and has military ties to many of those connected to the group. This includes Bill Nelson, former CEO of HBO, who served with Myers in the same unit in Vietnam; and Bob Young, father of Hope for the Warriors’ CEO and president, Robin Kelleher.
“It’s a highly successful program, focused on the right things and on the growing population of vets who are suffering [from post-traumatic stress disorder], giving them the kind of attention they might not otherwise have through the VA (Veterans Affairs),” says Myers.
And Casey’s has clearly found a place in veterans’ hearts. Travis Hanson, senior director of sports and recreation for Hope for the Warriors and a retired first sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corp, shared the story of one injured soldier from Iowa who returned from a tour in the Middle East as a quadruple amputee.
“He’s in Bethesda, recovering from his wounds,” Hanson said during the Retail Leader of the Year dinner honoring Myers (see p. 62). “When he wakes up, family members are there. Everyone’s asking, ‘What can we do for you, what do you want?’ And he says, ‘I want some Casey’s pizza.’ ”
Myers also co-chairs Home Base Iowa, an initiative started by Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad that helps veterans find private-sector jobs in the state.
“He’s a very passionate individual, very strong in his faith, very compassionate about local nonprofits, being involved in the community,” says Casey’s CEO Terry Handley. “He’s not afraid to get in there and get his hands dirty.”
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