 In
1989 Chuck Baine piled his belongings into his car and drove to
Knoxville, TN for what he thought was a temporary stay. Just two years
out of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Baine had agreed
to do a favor for his grandfather, the owner of The Bread Box, a
Fayetteville, NC-based chain of 40 convenience stores. His mission: to
complete the company’s liquidation by selling its last eight stores, all
in the Knoxville area. “He gave me a map of the store locations and
turned me loose,” recalls Baine, a high-achiever who had already owned
and operated a Jeep dealership in a partnership with his grandfather.
What followed is a classic twist of fate. Instead of selling the
marginal stores and heading east to enter the high-flying world of
commercial real estate as he'd planned, Baine fell head-over-heels in
love. Then, in a bid to stay in Knoxville to court his wife-to-be, he
convinced his grandfather that he could breathe new life into the tired
stores.
Baine, now 39, succeeded all around. With the support of his wife, Lori,
he has used his entrepreneurial drive to build The Bread Box into an
impressive chain of 19 state-of-the-art convenience stores. In 1994 he
began shifting the stores’ pumps to Conoco from Citgo and Fina. His
company, Transglobal Gas and Oil, is now a 100% Conoco branded marketer.
Baine is known throughout Conoco for his skill as both an operator and
industry visionary. “I wish I could clone him and put him in 14
different markets," praises Bill Monroe, Conoco's account manager for
Transglobal.
Indeed, the two share a mutual admiration. Early in his career Baine
admits he didn't know much about the Conoco brand, but liked the look
of the few Conoco stores he had seen. Baine made an inquiry, and Monroe
responded with a visit. According to Baine, it was Monroe's
straightforward manner and knowledge of the business that spurred his
move to Conoco. "From the first time he walked in the door, he impressed
me, " he says. "He had a whole different air about him."
The more Baine has learned about Conoco, the more he realizes that the
two companies are a perfect fit. "I like the brand, the image, and the
relationships," he explains. He also values Conoco's business ethics and
dedication to its branded marketers. "The one word I can use to describe
Conoco is integrity," he emphasizes. "They have always done everything
they said they'd do." Baine reciprocates by serving on dealer task
forces and councils to develop the Conoco brand nationally.
With The Bread Box, Baine has developed an inviting, cohesive store
design with all the latest features and services. His average store size
has increased to 3,500 sq. ft. from 2,400 sq. ft. ten years ago. All his
stores utilize the “dive-in” pump island concept, which allows space for
more desirable front-door parking. Inside use of ceramic tile and neon
lend a clean, tasteful appearance, while floor-to-ceiling glass gives
the stores a brighter, safer feel-proven to be especially appealing to
female customers. “The glass might not be the cheapest or most efficient
way but, it is the best way,” he asserts.
For convenience, credit cards can be used at the pump. At five
of his stores he has partnered with companies such as KFC, Taco Bell,
Godfathers Pizza, and Subway to provide attached fast food outlets. “He has some of the
nicest Conoco branded units in the country,” observes Al Kosley,
Wholesale Marketing Manager for Conoco’s Gulf Coast Business Unit. “Each
of his stores gets better and better.”
Like his grandfather, T.W. Edwards, Baine operates the stores as
a true entrepreneur. He pays attention to even the smallest detail and
admits he is constantly trying to find a cheaper napkin or a better deal
on soft drink syrup. “I call myself frugal, " he laughs. He values his
staff of 200 employees and is proud of his low turnover rate. "We
wouldn't be where we are without our people," he points out.
To stay on top of new trends in the industry, Baine reads the trade
press and tirelessly checks out the competition. On family driving
vacations, it isn't only his three young children- Courtney 14, Charlie,
11, Natalie, 6 -who slow down the trip. " I stop everywhere," Baine admits, "any place that looks new or draws my eye." That might
mean 10 stops on the way to the destination and 15 stops on the way
home. All in all, "it takes us a while to travel" he chuckles.
Despite his excellence as an operator, Baine, who earned his real estate
license during college, is a developer at heart. “My passion in life is
finding property sitting there that people pass by every day and then
molding it like clay to make something out of it,” he explains. He stays
up-to-date on city and county plans for new road construction and
building permits. He also relies heavily on his real estate savvy to
spot up-and-coming areas that are within his targeted 100-mile radius of
Knoxville.
At the same time, he isn't afraid to close stores when location and
volume don't make the grade. "You have to stay focused on who you want
to be," he stresses. "This business is constantly evolving." Baine has
set a seven-year goal to more than double the chain to 50 stores and
$100 million in annual revenue.
Ambitious as that goal may sound, Baine has actually scaled back from
the targets set in his youth. "I used to have this attitude that I'm
gonna conquer the world-have 1,000 stores, a helicopter," he confesses
with a tough of embarrassment. Once he got married and had children, he
realized his real goal was being there for his family. “I want to be
home every night for dinner,” he states. Busy as he is, he makes time to
coach his son’s basketball team and attend his daughter’s plays. He
admits that he has replaced his beloved basketball and golf with running
and weight training to better suit his schedule. On weekends the family
enjoys boating on the many lakes near Knoxville and hiking in the
mountains. Each winter they go snow skiing.
Having achieved success at a relatively young age, Baine now wants to
channel some of his energy into charity work. He and his wife are
especially interested in children’s issues. He sits on the board of the
Tennessee Invitational Golf Tournament, which benefits Big Brothers and
Big Sisters. Lori, who has a degree in education, is a hands-on advocate
for improving the Knoxville public schools. A tireless volunteer in the
classroom, she also works closely with faculty to plan new curriculum. |
Bread Box
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