THE VOICE OF INDEPENDENT RETAILERS // VOL. 26, NO. 8 // AUGUST 2015 What is Your Style of Business? pg16 n The Living History of AFPD // PAGE 4 n Creating Business Success in Ohio Through Lt. Governor’s Own CSI // PAGE 24 columns 02 CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE Clearing the Air THE VOICE OF INDEPENDENT RETAILERS 06 PETROLEUM NEWS & VIEWS VOL. 26, NO. 8 // AUGUST 2015 Make Your Staff Feel like Part of the “Team” 08 THE MILLENNIAL MINDSET Knowing Your Niche features 10 MICHIGAN LOTTERY Doubler Days Returns to Club Keno in September, Offers Double Benefits to Retailers THE LIVING HISTORY OF AFPD AFPD will soon launch the 2nd edition of its History OHIO LOBBYIST REPORT 12 4 Book. It has taken nearly a year to update and is being Details of Upcoming Budget designed as a coffee-table book that can be read and 14 OHIO LIQUOR REPORT enjoyed at any point in its history regardless of what Preventing Underage Alcohol Sales page you turn to in the book. departments 20 RETAILER SPOTLIGHT Parkway Foods: Parked in Detroit COVER STORY // for More Than 30 Years WHAT IS YOUR STYLE OF BUSINESS? 16 In the mid-1960’s many of the independent retailers 22 RETAILER SPOTLIGHT were looking to chain stores, like Chatham and Whitehall Custom Car Wash: Great Scott, as role models as they began adopting Keeping the Community their business style. Working countless hours made it Clean is a Family Affair impossible to even think about taking time off. For 26 EXPRESS LINES some retailers, it was and still remains the furthest thing News in the Industry from their minds. 28 SAFETY SENSE Don’t Forget – Ohio BWC Prospective Billing to Begin This Summer CREATING BUSINESS SUCCESS IN OHIO 30 GUEST COLUMN THROUGH LT. GOVERNOR’S OWN CSI News in the Industry 24 On the same day that Mary Taylor was sworn in as Ohio’s 65th Lieutenant Governor, January 10, 2011, SUPPLIER DIRECTORY 33 Governor John Kasich named her lead of Ohio’s Your Resource for Common Sense Initiative (CSI) to help create a more Products and Services job-friendly and regulatory climate in Ohio. 36 AFPD CALENDAR Upcoming Industry Events EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE John Denha Chairman, 8 Mile Foodland/Huron Foods chairman’s message Phil Kassa Supermarket Retail Vice Chair, Heartland Marketplace/ Saturn Food Center JOHN DENHA // AFPD CHAIRMAN Clifton Denha Convenience/Liquor Store Vice Chair, Wine Palace Paul Elhindi Petroleum/Auto Retail Vice Chair, Lyndhurst Valero Bobby Hesano Supplier Vice Chair, D&B Grocers Wholesale Al Chittaro Treasurer, Faygo Beverages, Inc. Jerry Crete Secretary, Ideal Party Stores Clearing the Air Joe Abro Vice Chair of Fundraising, Princess Superette Jim Garmo Vice Chair of Community Relations, Kuzana Enterprises erving as the AFPD Chairman of the Board has been rewarding because we John Abbo Vice Chair of Vendor Program have already been successful on so many fronts due to the great staff we Development, Hartland Mobil Saad Abbo Vice Chair of Political Action, S have at AFPD. It really makes our lives easier, both as volunteer members U.S. Ice Corp. Michael Mitchell Vice Chair of Membership, serving on the board of directors, as well as being a regular retailer Markham Oil member. We are introducing new programs every month and even reworking existing programs which provide a bigger benefit to our members. SUPERMARKET RETAIL DIRECTORS Najib Atisha Indian Village Market Recently the AFPD staff was able to work with UBCR in Michigan to lower the 750,000 Tom Baumann Ric’s Food Center container minimum needed for pick up to only 500,000 containers per location, per year, Jacob Garmo Village Food Market/Fresh Food Depot Calvin Pattah Food Pride Supermarket/ with a minimal $10 per bin convenience fee. We all hate the Michigan bottle bill, but we are Fresh Choice Marketplace Alpine Market Place working to make this costly nuisance easier for our members to live with. Believe me, we Marvin Yono are not done fighting against the bottle bill which single handedly impedes comprehensive CONVENIENCE / LIQUOR STORE DIRECTORS curbside recycling for the entire state of Michigan. Frank Ayar Walter’s Shopping Place Pat Hand Discount Drinks Another major development we would like to thank the AFPD staff for is negotiating Al Jonna Picnic Basket/Wine Merchants with the Director of the Michigan Lottery. The Michigan Lottery will be asking all lottery Brian Yaldoo Hills Fine Wine & Spirits retailers to accept credit cards. We were able to convince the director that lottery retailers PETROLEUM/AUTO RETAIL DIRECTORS should be given an option to accept credit card transactions instead of making it mandatory. Kevin Bahnam USA2Go Thankfully, the director agreed, and in a few months, lottery retailers will be given a choice to Vickie Hobbs Whitehall Shell Jim Mandas Broadway Market & Cafe accept credit card transactions. If they choose to accept them for the sale of lottery then they Bill Michailidis Delaware Market & Cafe may receive another 1% commission incentive in addition to the 6% base commission and additional 1% incentive threshold that is already in place. Is this a perfect solution? No it is SUPPLIER DIRECTORS Ken Hebert Coca-Cola Refreshments not, but we are proud of our relationship with the Michigan Lottery and realize that they pay Jason Ishbia Sherwood Foods one of the highest commissions in the country. Marsha Keenoy Diageo In Ohio, we have been meeting with the lottery as well and working with them to Brad Miller SUPERVALU Midwest Region Gary McGuirk, Jr. Liberty USA introduce incentive programs to boost commissions for those accounts that really push Brian Pizzuti RNDC of Michigan lottery sales. Stay tuned because there is more to come. Mike Quinn Pepsi Beverages Company The AFPD Board of Directors is also debating some bylaw changes which will enable us ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR to create an Ohio Board of Directors and a Michigan Board of Directors so we can have more Tiffany Otis-Albert Life Secure members participate in the board process in each state. If you are interested in serving on EMERITUS DIRECTORS the board of directors in Michigan or Ohio, please email me at [email protected] Pat LaVecchia Pat’s Auto Service or call the AFPD office. Joe Bellino, Jr. Broadway Market I also want to clear the air on various rumors I have been hearing. Some liquor stores, Jim Hooks specifically located in a certain geographic region (Macomb County), believe AFPD supports STAFF & CONSULTANTS gas stations more than we support liquor stores. The truth of the matter is that some people Auday P. Arabo, Esq. President & CEO Ed Weglarz Director, Petroleum are never happy ,regardless of what you do for them! Some people are just uninformed Ron Milburn Director, Ohio Operations or misinformed. I am a proud supermarket owner and I know we do a great job for Kenny Ibrahim Director, Membership Sales supermarkets, liquor stores, and gas stations alike. Still, I find these rumors hard to listen Ila Konja Bookkeeper/Insurance Maegan Hesano Event Coordinator to because we bend over backwards for the liquor category more than any other, but people Tamar Lutz Graphic Designer still complain and always want more. If they stopped complaining and focused on their Angie Kassab Office Manager/Publication Sales Tyler Yaldo Business Development company, they would probably double their business. I just don’t understand how some of Mary Ann Yono Business Development these people want to blame AFPD for everything that has ever happened to their business, Karam Bakoss Business Development yet they’re not even members! I guess it is always easier to point the finger at someone else Veolet Al Harraq Receptionist/Office Assistant Linda Milburn Executive Assistant, Ohio than actually looking into the mirror. I do hope to hear from our members and even those Thomas C. Holmes, Esq. Pepple & Waggoner, Ltd. who are not members on how AFPD can better service and protect the industry. AFPD values Joe Garcia, Esq. Michigan Lobbyist Honigman Business Law every one of our members and does everything we can to make your life easier. Nobody is Terry Fleming Ohio Lobbyist perfect, but we sure do the best we can. God Bless! n TC Fleming & Associates Denha Media and Communications Public Relations Steve Hood Public Relations 2 // www.AFPDonline.org // AUGUST 2015 UHY-MI Certified Public Accountant afpd corner The Living History of AFPD FPD will soon launch the 2nd edition of its History Book. It has taken nearly a A year to update and is being designed as a coffee-table book that can be read and enjoyed at any point in its history regardless of what page you turn to in the book. AFPD commissioned Denha Media Group to update the content. In this article, members of the team bring to you their perspective on the process. stores, most of which were staffed entirely by the families that owned them. It was the association’s leadership, post the 1967 VANESSA DENHA GARMO: riots, who testified in front of congress regarding the I grew up in the food retail business. My first job was number of stores damaged or destroyed. at 8-years old working for my father, Sabri Denha, AFD was also the first trade association at Lindsay Drugs in Detroit. I bagged groceries and publication to publish letters from presidential worked in the office learning how to count money for candidates. That was in 1969, and if you know your the bank deposits. history, Nixon became the 37th president that year. I still remember standing on that blue milk crate Whether it was the Detroit Retail Meat Merchants watching my dad teach me how to count change. Association, AFD, the Petroleum Dealers, SSDA-MI When Auday asked my company, Denha Media, to or today’s AFPD, the association was instrumental in work on the 2nd edition of AFPD’s history book, how business is conducted in the industry.