60th Anniversary Prize Patrol A Big Success
Prize Patrol Photos
Bosselman CarriersOn The Move
United Way Campaign 2009
Kudos! Letters From Our Customers
Man Vs. 4 Pounds of Burger
Nebraska Lottery Celebrates 15 Years
Nebraska TruckDriving Championships
Pump & Pantrys andTravel Centers HelpFight Childhood Cancer
41st Pump & Pantry ToOpen In Grand Island
Project Exra Mile HonorsBosselman Inc.
Boss Shop News
Boss Truck ShopEmployee Honored
Grand Island Grandma Max’s Restaurant Goes Four Years Without A Recordable Accident!
Thank You Bosselman’s From Justin’s Run
60th Prize Patrol Party Finale
Caribou Coffee ToOpen In Kearney
Big Springs Car Show
Rapid City TravelCenter Remodel
Big Springs Shop Wins Big
Fuel For Thought!Bosselman Family of Companies Newsletter
FALL/WINTER 2008
What’s Inside
Bosselman Family of Companies “Fuel for Thought” Newsletter is produced and distributed semi-annually by the Bosselman Corporate Marketing Department. Editor: Stephanie King-Witt, Director of Marketing Layout/Design: David Beach, Graphic DesignerFor news coverage, please contact Stephanie King-Witt at 308-381-2800 ext. 144 or email marketing @bosselmanmail.com Deadlines for articles are May 1 and October 1 each year.
60th Anniversary Prize Patrol A Big Success!
The 2008 Bosselman 60th Anniversary Prize Patrol was a great success! With a stop at every Pump & Pantry and all the Bosselman Travel Centers (except Rapid City, due to construction), plus many of our shops, restaurants, and fuel stops, the Prize Patrol crew logged thousands of miles this summer. It was a lot of fun getting to visit each town and meet new people. We congratulate Ainsworth, O’Neill and Chadron Pump & Pantrys for being the top three locations in hot dog sales. Many of the stores put a great effort into making their Prize Patrol date a special one, with Holdrege getting a dunking tank going and Chadron with a bounce house and pie-throwing contest, Big Springs Travel Center and their car show, Des Moines Travel Center and country singer Jason Brown, and many other stores who offered full service, samples, contests, drawings, costumes, decorations, and more, these extra efforts were appreciated and enjoyed!
60th Prize Patrol FinaleHeld at Pump & Pantry #3 on Capital Avenue in Grand Island on August 21, the 60th Anniversary & Prize Patrol finale party was a hot and fun afternoon of games, contests, prizes, and activities. Did we mention gas for $3.00 a gallon?
Hula Hoop Contest Winners:Kids Division – Hannah KierAdults Division – TIE – Lindsey Grim and Carol Ann Phillipson
Mens Division: John ZebertWomens Division: Jennifer Traver
Hot Dog Eating Contest Winners:
JET SKI WINNER: Nancy Woodward, Ainsworth, NESCOOTER WINNER: Matt Lingen, Lincoln, NELAKE TAHOE TRIP WINNER: Lindsey Blue, Central City, NE
Winners of the three big prizes for the Prize Patrol were:
Hot Dog Eating Contest Winner, John ZebertHot Dog Eating Contest Winner, Jennifer Traver
Hula Hoop Contest Winner, Lindsey Grim Hula Hoop Contest Winner, Carol Ann Phillipson
Shown with husband Dennis, Charlie Bosselman and Wayne Davis
Prize Patrol Photos
Rapid City Travel Center Remodel
Under Mary Gordon’s leadership, the Bosselman United Way committee has set forth a positive and fun-filled campaign to benefit the Heartland United Way. Committee members include: Brian Gallagher, Brenda Kucera, Victoria Westerby, Penny Barnes, Amanda Sparr, and Craig Garrett. To kick off the campaign, the committee sold raffle tickets to a Pie-in-the-Face event and it was literally a “smashing” success! The lucky recipients who each received 5 pies to the face on October 16 were: Charlie Bosselman, Ken Caldwell, Bob Wenzl, Wayne Davis, Patrick Daley, and Brian Gallagher.This year’s campaign will run until November 14 and payroll deductions will begin in January. To encourage participation across the organization, the committee has developed the Steps to Giving program, which is a two-tiered approach that enters each donor (who meets a minimum giving level) into a prize drawing. Mary Gordon wants to emphasize that all employees throughout the Bosselman Family of Companies are encouraged to participate. In fact, the committee is making an effort to reach out to everyone in the company.Steps to Giving:$1/pay period ($26 total contribution for the year) enters the employee into the corporate $40 gift drawing - there are 20 gifts available$7.69/pay period ($200 total contribution for the year) enters the employee into the corporate $40 gift drawing; and the employee is entered into a drawing for a $500 mall gift card - there are 2 gifts available; and the employee is entered into the Tom Dinsdale Chevrolet Cadillac drawing for a new BMW 328i.Mary would like to encourage all locations to build in their own incentives to promote participation and she has a lot of great ideas to share if needed. Live United.
United Way Campaign 2009
Charlie Bosselman Ken Caldwell Brian Gallagher
Bob Wenzl Wayne Davis Patrick Daley
Kudos! I just wanted to compliment the employ-
ees at the Pump & Pantry in Burwell. They are most times, the first people that tourists see when they come to Burwell and what a fine example of a Tourist Bureau they are. Smiles always are on their faces. I have seen and experienced them help me and others from out of town (with directions and any questions they might have). They are always so very friendly and helpful. Gratitude and kindness are great words to ex-perience these fine ladies. Customer service is exemplary at the Burwell Pump! There is no possible way that they can be outdone. The ladies there are ALWAYS kind, consid-erate, and exceedingly helpful. Their per-sonal touch and caring help many whom stop in the Pump. Kara, Sami, Tiffany and Dorothy do care about the customer and I am so glad that they are always there with a smile!- Dee-El Dawe, Burwell, Nebraska
I am writing in regard of several great people that work at the Holdrege Pump & Pantry. It starts with “Linda Clark.” A great person, always smiling and always work-ing! The rest of the crew are also “above average employees.” I always stop at the store because of the great employees. Thank You.- Darrel Wissmann, Bertrand, Nebraska
On Aug. 9, my wife, granddaughters (ages 6 and 4) and I stopped at the Salina, KS Bosselman Travel Center for supper and a chance to stretch our legs when Rebeckah, our oldest granddaughter, took off on her own. We were joined in our search for her by several of Bosselman’s employees about 50 truck drivers and two sheriff’s deputies before she was found almost two hours later, safe and sound by the Lord’s blessing. My wife and I wish to thank and express our deep-est gratitude to all who were involved in our search for Becky, especially one lady trucker whose handle is Tweety Bird. She comforted my wife through part of the ordeal. We’re also grateful to the truck drivers that stayed beyond their allotted time and may have had late deliveries due to their efforts. Thank you and God bless you all for your efforts. - Dave & Cynthia Haug, St. Louis – reprinted from the Salina Journal
On Thursday, May 29, my friend Lorie and I traveled on I-80 on our way to Lincoln, Ne-braska. It was the day that tornadoes struck several parts of Nebraska. During our trip, the radio told us to seek shelter. We stopped at Bosselman’s in Elm Creek. The staff not only did their very best to protect us, they did it calmly and pleasantly. We were told to go into a center hallway and sit down on the floor. During our time there, the lights went out. We were eventually told the danger had passed and we could all go. All this time I am sure the staff at Bosselman’s were concerned about their own families and homes. Yet, those who were there that day took care of us. Ev-ery person working there, from the man who I think was in charge to the young woman and young man were very kind to us and an-swered all our questions as best they could. I thank them all! I am sorry I do not know their names. During our trip we had to stop at another truck stop and it was not the same. We were left to decide for ourselves what was best. I thank you and your wonderful staff for their excellent care of us. May God bless you all!- Roni Jaure, Rawlins, Wyoming
I just wanted to take a moment and let you know what outstanding service I received from Bonnie Zimmerman a few weeks ago when I needed a tire put on a rim. The me-chanic (didn’t catch his name) was speedy and courteous as well. You’ve definitely have some “keepers” at your shop. It was a pleasure doing business with you folks, as small as it was, and I look forward to using your services again. - Barry Blessing, NewsCenter1 - KNBN (NBC), Rapid City, South Dakota
Letters From Our Customers
I think Bosselman’s Travel Centers are the cleanest and nicest travel centers I have been in. I have been a truck driver for 14 yrs. and have been in a lot of truck stops. Yours is the nicest. - Donna Hanlon, Tampa Bay, Florida
Catherine Weaver, driver for CRST, called to let us know what a GREAT JOB the Jamestown Shop did for her yesterday, 8/20/08.She knew there was something wrong, but didn’t know quite where. These guys were very polite, and she was very impressed that they really listened to her. They were tenacious at troubleshooting the problem. She said they were very kind to her. She said they are great guys who are extremely proficient at their jobs.The problem they identified was a leaky wheel cylinder in one of her drive tires. Because it was warranted work, she had to take the truck somewhere else to have the repairs done, and when they dug into it, they found the seal was broken. She felt really bad that these guys didn’t get paid for the troubleshooting that they did. She told me -- they probably saved her life. Keep up the great work, Brian Enditto, Remoe Longhair, Leroy Gaddy, and Austin Yazzie!!! Your efforts are much appreciated!!!
I want to thank Bobby, Hillary, and all your staff in Sioux Falls, SD (Boss Shop) for all their help with our broke down U-Haul. They were very pleasant and helpful. In a time of need they go above and beyond in their work. We believe they are an asset to your company. - Richard Schwinler & Cherrie Haberman, Hot Spring, SD
41ST Pump & Pantry To Open In Grand Island
The 41st Pump & Pantry store is sched-uled to open in December in Grand Is-land, Nebraska. Located in a hot spot just south of the Conestoga Mall at 1235 Allen Drive, Store #42 will feature all the amenities of the Pump & Pantry name.
Mickey Carlson of Chappell with his ‘31 Ford Coupe in the 1905 to 1975 Class Jeff Brady of Ogallala with his 95 Pontiac Trans Am from Ogallala in the 1976 to Current class
The first annual Bosselman Big Springs Car Show with the Prize Patrol was a huge success! 27 auto entries along with 3 motorcycle entries were featured. The teamwork and cooperation from all departments was great! Jennifer from H.R. and Jerry from Maintenance manned the sign in table and took photos. Jerry also entered his ‘95 Z28 Camaro. Tyrene, Food Court Manager, and her husband, Duane from the Boss Shop, entered their Corvette. John Hernandez from the Restaurant entered his ‘68 Chrysler and ‘65 Mercury as well as helped set up and man the car show. Brant Brown from the Boss Shop entered his ‘08 Harley and helped with awards. Harriett and the crew from the Motel 6 came over to support as well as help with voting.
Big Springs Car Show
Jerry Fenwick of Brule with his 1941 Ford 1-Ton truck won the People’s Choice Award
Thank You Bosselman’s From Justin’s Run
This year’s grand total raised for Storybook Island was $1,300. Justin is the son of Garry Erickson, Shop Manager of the Boss Shop in Rapid City, SD.Justin’s Run is a benefit Motorcycle Run that the Erickson’s organize every year, and the profits benefit Storybook Island. The Run was named after Justin when he was 3 years old and was diagnosed with Austism/Asberger’s Syndrome.
This is Justin Erickson presents a $100 check from Bosselman’s to Connie Lazotte, Executive Director of Storybook Island in Rapid City, SD
Bosselman Carriers’ administrative offices have moved to 4705 Juergen Road, inside the new Bosselman building. The new building also houses BCSI and Petroleum Equipment.Bosselman Carriers continues to grow, now with over 40 transport units, stretching its services as far as Alabama and California this year, with drivers that live in Kansas, Iowa, and Nebraska. The Bosselman Carriers shop is set up to take care of all Bosselman Family of Companies equipment when service is needed.
New Bosselman Building houses BCSI, PEC, Carriers & Energy
Project Extra Mile Honors Bosselman Inc.
Project Extra Mile presented Bosselman Inc. with the Retailer Award of Excellence at its annual recognition dinner on Aug. 14 in Omaha.Management at Bosselman Inc. has been involved with the Hall County Project Extra Mile Coalition for a number of years. The business has adopted several policies to prevent alcohol sales to minors, including training for all employees and internal enforcement operations to ensure that its staff is abiding by the standards set in place.“We are honoring Bosselman Inc. because of their commitment to preventing illegal alcohol sales to minors,” said Diane Riibe, Project Extra Mile executive director. “This establishment has outlined clear expectations for its employees and is a leader among other retail outlets that have worked to prevent underage alcohol use.”
Project Extra Mile Award
Bosselman Carriers on the Move
THE PLAY-BY-PLAY
12:05: Ceretti orders the burger. A table nearby has just ordered three Big Maxes, so the waitress warns it will take awhile. Ceretti admits he is nervous and is not overly confident. When asked if he will finish the whole thing, he replies, “I hope.”12:28: The Big Max arrives, with a steak knife stabbed through the center. Ceretti waits while the Grandma Max crew gets the camera. In the meantime, he and the burger stare each other down.12:30: Our athlete begins eating. He sets aside the top bun and devours the toppings. Then, Ceretti smothers ketchup on the patty and begins to cut it into pieces. It is hotter than he
anticipated, but he does not slow down.12:35: Ceretti is gaining on the guy sitting a table over, who started his burger 10 minutes earlier. Ceretti wants the speed eating record.12:40: Ceretti is about halfway finished with the patty. He tells the waitress he is still hungry and inquires about dessert.12:47: The patty is gone. “I almost forgot what this thing looked like in the beginning,” he says. All that’s left is the top of the bun.1:00: Much of the bun remains. Our man is hitting the wall. “I shouldn’t have said that thing about the dessert,” he says. Ceretti rips the bun into pieces so it will look smaller on his plate. He begins crushing the pieces in his fists to condense the surface area. The dude at the other table is finished and is joking with his table mates.1:05: Ceretti wonders where the waitress is. He might need a bucket or garbage can. Half the bun remains.1:11: The athlete has taken many stomach stretching breaks. The look on his face is pained. The waitress encourages him by singing the Rocky theme song.1:15: Three pieces of bun remain. He begins to dunk them into his water cup. While he admits how unappetizing this is, he has come this far. Ceretti sees this as the only way to finish.1:17: Ceretti finishes. He has eaten all four pounds of burger and bun. His picture will grace the wall of champions. He does not look proud. After the waitress hands him his picture, he immediately leaves the booth.
By Betsy MikelPhotos by Eric RowleyWe miss the Olympics already. And because we can’t wait four years for more sculpted athletes racing against the clock and each other in the name of shiny medals, we bring you an event that’s not quite an Olympic sport, but should be: eating a four-pound burger in under an hour. Anthony Ceretti took our challenge and attempted to tame The Big Max at Grandma Max’s in Altoona.
Man Vs. 4 Pounds Of BurgerReprinted From Juice Magazine/The Des Moines RegisterAugust 27, 2008
Name: Anthony Ceretti, 25Height and Weight: 6’3”, 182 poundsMinor League Stats: 20 Hard-shell tacos at Taco Johns. Philly chee se steak, green beans, hamburger, cole slaw and eight cheese sticks at Cheddar’s. He has never attempted The Big Max.
THE ATHLETE
THE BURGERName: The Big MaxCost: $16.99, $18.01 with taxHeight and Weight: About seven inches, four pounds Two pounds of ground beef and two pounds of bun, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles and cheese.Rules: You cannot leave once the burger hits the table. You may remove two toppings. To win a shirt and your name and picture on the championship wall, you must eat the whole burger within the hour. If you fail, your picture will be mounted on the “Tried and Died” wall.
THE TRAININGDiet: Steady consumption of Wendy’s and McDonald’s. No dinner or breakfast prior to attempting The Big Max.Coaching Staff: WebMD and YouTube, who taught Ceretti the key is good chewing and stomach stretching, that he must consume the majority in the first 5 minutes before his brain catches on and that this challenge is entirely mental “Once you convince yourself you can do it, you can,” Ceretti said.Pump-up Music: Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell”
The Nebraska Lottery is celebrating their 15th Anniversary this year. Anniversary plans included recognizing Top 50 Retailers from their first 15 Years. Representatives of the Nebraska Lottery traveled across the state in mid-September to recognize these stores as sales leaders and to thank them for “Helping to Build a Better Nebraska”.Three Bosselman Pump & Pantrys were recognized with this honor on September 16 and 17. They are: Store #7 in Aurora, Store #16 in York, and Store #23 in Holdrege. Congratulations!
Nebraska Lottery Celebrates 15 Years
The Nebraska Truck Driving Championships were held June 13-14 in Grand Island. Frank Daily placed 1st in the straight truck class. As a group, Mugs Gath-je, Alan Cram and Frank Daily placed 3rd in the overall competition. In addition to Bosselman Carriers, companies represented in the Nebraska Truck Driving Championships included FedEx, ABF, Yellow Freight, Conway Carriers, Crete Carriers, Shaffer Trucking, Wynne Transports, Grand Island Express, and many more. Placing 3rd overall is something for all of us to be very proud of! If you see Mugs, Alan or Frank, tell them congratulations!Eight Nebraska drivers, including Frank Daily of Bosselman Carriers, moved on to compete in the National Truck Driving Championships after placing first in their class at the Nebraska Truck Driving Championships. Frank represented Bossel-man Carriers at the competition in Houston, Texas on August 19-23, competing in the straight class. He placed 77th out of nearly 400 competitors. Congratulations Frank on this great accomplishment of being recognized at the National level!
Nebraska Truck Driving Championships
Pump & Pantrys and Travel Centers Help Fight Childhood CancerA yearly tradition continued in 2008 as Bosselman Pump & Pantrys and Travel Cen-ters sold pinup Pumpkins for a dollar to customers, supporting St. Jude’s. Thousands of retail locations across the country united to help fight childhood cancer through the 17th annual St. Jude Halloween Promotion sponsored by MillerCoors and benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.During this month-long promotion, employees asked patrons to make a $1 donation to St. Jude to join in the fight against catastrophic childhood diseases. In return for the contribution, donors had the opportunity to write their names on pumpkin-themed pin-ups which were displayed at each location through Halloween.MillerCoors adopted the St. Jude Halloween Promotion as its official Halloween project in 1992. Since then, the program has raised more than $37 million for St. Jude.At press time, $16,959 had already been raised, which is over 75% of our goal of $20,000!
Boss Shop News41 Boss Truck Shop employees from 4 of the shops have successfully completed a training course on Basic Commercial Tire Service. The 4 Shops were: Altoona, IA; Big Springs, NE; Jamestown, NM; and Tulsa, OK. To complete the course, there are 5 hours of classroom time and participants must pass a test consisting of 40 questions. They must then pass the hands-on training by demonstrating proper use of tire tools and safety procedures. The class procedures and guidelines are set by the Tire Industry Association (TIA) and the Rubber Manufacturer Association (RMA), of which Bosselman’s is a member. Bosselman’s has 3 certified instructors in the commercial tire service: Randy Haines, Doug Doty and Rick Brown.
Adam Onnen, a technician at the Grand Island Boss Truck Shop, has been nominated for the “Technician of the Year” award through the Nebraska Trucking Association and was honored at a banquet in Omaha, October 14 & 15 at the Annual Convention. Adam has been employed at the shop since March 2003. He is currently the shift supervisor and holds several certifications. They include Medium Truck Alignment, Commercial Tire Service, Air Conditioning, Wheel End, DOT Inspector and Brake Systems. Congratulations Adam!
A celebration will be held in November. Manager Pat Cozad promised em-ployees last year, “If they make it four years, I would shave my head, and my Assistant Manager, Steph Fry would dye her hair pink, so that will be fun!” We can’t wait to see the photos from THAT! Congratulations, Grand Island Grandma Max’s!
Grand Island Grandma Max’s Restaurant Goes Four Years Without A Recordable Accident!
The Bosselman Family of Companies continues to grow as it announces plans to open a Caribou Coffee inside the Pump & Pantry at 1616 2nd Avenue in Kearney, Nebraska. Construction is ongoing, with completion slated for mid-November. Hours at the south Kearney location will be 6 am to 10 pm for both the store and the drive-thru, and the store will employ approximately 15 staff members. Menu items will include both hot and iced coffees, teas, espressos, smoothies, non-coffee “Snowdrifts”, and hot chocolate; Coca-Cola products; a variety of pastries including cakes, muffins, scones, breads, bars, bagels, cookies and donuts; plus sandwiches, pastas, and seasonal items. Caribou was selected by Bosselman Inc. because of its premium quality coffee, along with an excellent Bakery product.
Caribou Coffee To Open In Kearney
Ambest Service Centers once again held a Firestone Tires Sales Contest this year. Congratulations go out to the Boss Truck Shops in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Big Springs, Nebraska! Tulsa won in the Small Shop Class and Big Springs placed 2nd in the in the Medium Shop Class of Service Centers. 41 shops nationwide took part in this year’s contest selling Firestone tires. As a reward for their hard work, Dustan Walker from the Tulsa Shop and Brant Brown from the Big Springs Shop have won trips to the annual Ambest Meeting and will also be going on a New Orleans fishing trip. Congratulations, Tulsa and Big Springs Boss Shops!
Boss Truck ShopEmployee Honored
Boss Shops Win Big
