QuikTrip, Valero Among Best Employers

NEW YORK -- Fortune magazine has released its annual list of the best companies in the United States for which to work and convenience store retailers QuikTrip Corp. and Valero Energy Corp. both made the grade.

Tulsa, Okla.-based QuikTrip, which ranked 41st in on the list, has long enjoyed a reputation as a stellar operator within the industry. For the first time it finds itself in the national spotlight. "We were totally taken by surprise with the honor," Mike Phornburgh, QuikTrip's manager of public and government affairs, told CSNews Online. "It's truly an honor that reinforces our belief that it takes the whole organization to work together to create a special environment. The honor is a compliment to core values and the hard work of our employees."

Phornburgh believes the recognition the company has gained will help its recruiting efforts, although the company boasts a turnover rate well below the industry average. Plus, he added, the ranking will garner some positive press for the entire industry. "I think it shows that the convenience store industry can be a wonderful employer that is recognized for its good pay and hard-working individuals," he said.

San Antonio-based Valero Energy, an independent refiner/marketer, made the list for the second year in a row. It moved to 70th from its previous rankings of 82 in 2000 and 93 in 1999. Valero was not included on the 2002 list because the company's merger with Ultramar Diamond Shamrock Corp. prohibited it from being considered due to a program rule that requires companies that have announced or undergone a merger to sit out of the competition for one year.

"This year's honor is especially gratifying because 80 percent of our employees have been with Valero for one year or less because of the merger," said Bill Greehey, Valero's chairman and CEO. "It is great to know that all of our employees -- old and new -- are excited about being a part of Valero."

The list is put together by the Great Place to Work Institute in San Francisco, California, which surveyed a random sample of employees from 269 candidate companies to get their opinions about their workplaces. A total of 40,713 employees responded to the survey. Each company was also asked to fill out a questionnaire describing its human resources policies and workplace culture. Two-thirds of each company's score came from the employee responses, and the other third was based on the company's benefits and practices.

Number-one for the second straight year was St. Louis financial house Edward Jones. The stockbroker spends 3.8 percent of its payroll on training, with an average of 146 hours for every employee. The Container Store finished second, continues to offer one of the highest pay scales in retail. New this year at the company: domestic partner benefits, free yoga classes at distribution centers, chair massages at headquarters.

Other companies of note with ties to the convenience store and petroleum marketing industry include: J.M. Smucker, the Orrville, Ohio-based jam and ice cream topping maker nearly doubled sales in 2002 with the acquisition of Jif peanut butter and Crisco shortening, finished at 8; New York supermarket operator Wegmans Food Markets was 10; Stew Leonard's, 30; Whole Foods Market, 32; Procter & Gamble, 46; Starbucks, 47; Colgate-Palmolive, 55; Ernst & Young, 68; Ukrop's Super Markets, 71; Deloitte & Touche, 79; Publix Super Markets, 89; and Paychex 96.