I don’t want this to be the last time CSP writes about John MacDougall. Yet here we are, talking about his death, which occurred June 21, and I’m saddened that it might be.
And I’m not the only one. When news broke that MacDougall, founder, president and CEO of Nice N Easy Grocery Shoppes, Canastota, N.Y., had passed away, the industry seemed to come together in its collective grief.
The outpouring of sympathy and affection for MacDougall on social media was unprecedented for a death in our industry. Many retweeted Nice N Easy’s initial announcement: “This post is made in deep sorrow. Nice N Easy President & CEO John MacDougall passed away. Goodbye, dear friend.”
MacDougall is remembered for a business he built from the ground up, and for a chain that embraced foodservice long before many others in our industry did. But he’s most fondly remembered for his generous, larger-than-life personality and spirit, which was on full display when CSP Business Media honored him as 2013 Retail Leader of the Year (CSP—Dec. ’13, p. 66).
“He had fun. I don’t know if I knew anyone who truly loved life the way he did,” says Fran Duskiewicz, formerly Nice N Easy’s senior executive vice president and now president and CEO. “I don’t think he regretted anything he did. He had a great time—and anyone who was around him had a great time.
“He was the soul of Nice N Easy,” Duskiewicz continues. “He had the flattest organization chart you ever saw. Everyone in this company had a special relationship with him.”
That special relationship extended to customers and people who saw MacDougall on wacky commercials or throwing out the first pitch at a triple-A baseball game. “We couldn’t go anywhere without people coming up to him,” Duskiewicz says. “They loved his commercials and they loved him. They wanted to hug him.”
Humble Beginnings
MacDougall founded Nice N Easy Grocery Shoppes in 1980, at a time when he said he “didn’t have two nickels to rub together.” In what he considered an unbelievable offer, he was offered a 50% stake and the opportunity to run Canastota-based Clark Petroleum. And so began the chain that would become Nice N Easy.
“John was always the happy, big-handed guy to give me a great big handshake and resounding ‘Great to see you’ at so many meetings and events,” says Scott Hartman, president and CEO of Rutter’s Farm Stores, York, Pa. “The industry has lost a true leader, as well as a genuinely nice person.”
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MacDougall knew understanding his customer and differentiating the offer were critical to his stores’ success. Early on, he adopted a pantry-style model for the sites—hence “Grocery Shoppes”—including an extended grocery line and limited foodservice.
And MacDougall’s strengths extended beyond his chain. In 1986, along with two industry colleagues, he helped found the New York Association of Convenience Stores (NYACS), Albany, N.Y. For people such as Jim Calvin, president of NYACS, MacDougall played a role far beyond cofounding the association.
While he created its “family atmosphere,” Calvin says, MacDougall also set the tone for NYACS’ “vocal advocacy on behalf of convenience stores. … [These] were extensions of John’s own personality and philosophy.”
“On so many matters—internal and external—he was its conscience and its compass.”
MacDougall took the lead on many tough battles. One of the more notable was with local Native Americans, and he went to Congress to testify against the activity going on in his market.
“John’s response to hard winters, Native American tax advantages, lower population and smaller traffic counts was to produce a superior food and service offer,” says Bill Douglass, founder of Douglass Distributing, Sherman, Texas. “That is the essence of a great retailer.”
“It takes a special kind of guy to take the risk, and he was that guy,” says Jack Cushman, executive vice president of foodservice. “You can have all the PhDs in the world, but it doesn’t mean anything— you need to have someone to stick their neck out and take a risk.”
Cushman joined Nice N Easy in 1999, and he’s worked with many of the same people for the past 15 years. That’s not typical, he says.
“He kept everybody together,” Cushman says. “He kept everyone focused and moving things forward. To work so closely with him was incredibly rewarding to me.
“He was kind of like a football coach: He put the right people in the right place to make the magic happen. That was his strength.”
‘A Much Tighter Group’
When Duskiewicz announced in early July that he would be taking over the role of president and CEO of Nice N Easy, it was not a happy news release. He delayed making the predetermined succession announcement following MacDougall’s death because he “simply did not want to detract from the attention that the man’s passing deserved,’ Duskiewicz said in an email to CSP and others.
“Since New Year’s Eve [when MacDougall had fallen ill], we have become a much tighter group, a much more supportive group to each other, all of which made John very proud,” Duskiewicz says.
“John was just an authentic human being,” says Jeff Miller, president of Miller Oil Co., Norfolk, Va. “He was easy to talk with, had a genuine sense of caring, had a keen business sense, and folks were better off for having encountered him.”
“John didn’t believe in a zero-sum game,” says Gary Dake, president of Stewart’s Shops, Saratoga Springs, N.Y. “He felt that what was good for the industry was good for all of us. He wasn’t selfish with his thoughts. And that’s important when you have dollar stores, drug stores and reservations—we had common enemies, and he wasn’t afraid to share thoughts and try to help all of us.”
Douglass concurs: “John was a prince of a man who seemed to enjoy life and everyone’s company.”
Perhaps Duskiewicz said it best when he tweeted, “This world is better because John MacDougall was a part of it. We need to keep it that way by remembering him. Always.”—Mitch Morrison and Angel Abcede contributed to this report.
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