MUKILTEO, Wash. -- A couple has purchased the Speedway 76 gas station in Mukilteo, Wash., and will donate all profits to local charities, reported The Mukilteo Beacon.
The couple has decided to remain anonymous, said the report. Seven-year residents of Mukilteo, they already own several stations in the region.
We've been really fortunate, they told the newspaper. And we want to give something back to the community. People see what Bill Gates is doing. This is just a smaller scale.
The couple has targeted [image-nocss] a handful of causes, with two-thirds of the profits going to Children's Hospital. The remainder will go to Mukilteo groups, including the Boys & Girls Club, the YMCA and the Mukilteo Little League.
They have enlisted the assistance of local CPA Scott Hyde, who will donate his time for an annual, independent audit of their books.
The couple said they plan to expand services, and their gasoline prices already are competitive with discount stations. They will remodel the station inside and out, create an expanded convenience store and a drive thru window, according to the report.
Service will be a priority, they said. During the slower late-morning and early-afternoon hours when commuters are at work, attendants will pump gasoline for the elderly or others needing assistance.
And they have brought back long-time mechanic Dave Hanson, offering the only car maintenance service at the north end of town, the report said.
The new owners said they hope that with competitive prices and all profits going to philanthropic causes, customers will support their efforts. They are considering discounts or other incentives so that people will use cash and increase the profits for charity.
We're hoping profits will be in the high five figures each year, they said.
They are also is looking into adding biodiesel, and hope to attract business from Mukilteo and other public agencies, some of which now get their gas and services outside of Mukilteo.
Outgoing owners Darrell and Diana Garner are selling with some sadness.
I like Mukilteo, Darrell Garner told the paper. We've had a lot of really good customers. But without the bargaining clout with oil companies that the new owners carry with multiple stations, the Garners simply couldn't stay competitive. Diana Garner said she will work at the station during the transition, perhaps longer. Darrell Garner, a Harley Davidson rider along with their four grown children and son-in-law, is building a business installing LED lights on motorcycles.
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