Owner Reflects On Selling Buddy's Food Mart, Powell Petroleum

Tripp Powell spent nearly three-quarters of his 40 years working at the family business and has stepped away for good following a deal that he said is in the best interest of its numerous stores. Powell announced this week that Buddy's Food Mart and Powell Petroleum had been purchased by Vernon, Alabama-based Midstates Petroleum Co. — a company that Powell says will only improve upon the legacy first started by his father, the late Buddy Powell.

Powell's last official day was Monday, but he told Patch that the 13 locations are still in good hands, with Midstates bringing the growing Chevron brand to the stores. However, he said it was likely the Buddy's Food Mart and Powell Petroleum brands would be removed under the new ownership.

"I'd be lying if I said it wasn't difficult for me emotionally, to kind of separate out of it and make that decision, but it was the right one," Powell said. "They were the right buyers at the right time who have a good plan. I would not have done it if I didn’t think they weren’t going to bring a better value to the places."

He then stressed the impact that bringing on a major brand like Chevron would have on the stores.

"These guys are really going to put some time, money and effort into it," Powell said. "And Chevron is obviously one, if not the top, brands in the country and that’s probably long overdue and that's just something I never quite got around to."

The Tuscaloosa business has its origins with Powell's great uncle and grandfather, who started a wholesale fuel business in 1958 before his father bought the business in 1978 and added the first of what would become Buddy's Food Mart at the Skyland Boulevard location.

Tripp Powell followed in his father's footsteps, purchasing the business in 2009 after spending countless hours learning the trade, from stocking shelves to driving gas trucks.

"His model had always been doing convenience stores — doing groceries inside and gas outside," Powell said. "I kind of changed that model, because I wanted to own all of the properties and have someone else run the inside sales, then I sell all the gas. So that’s kind of what led us to where we are. It was kind of a perfect situation because that’s what these buyers also wanted, so it was just the right place at the right time."

Looking back, Powell said he was 12 years old when he first started working for his father.

"I was taking groceries off the shelves, cleaning the shelves and putting all the groceries back with labels facing forward," he said of his first job. "So I've literally been in this business my whole life."

By the time he turned 14, Powell was working summers and learned how to fix gas pumps and car washes, which prepared him for the task of owning his own business and running it as efficiently as possible with respect to knowing the ins and outs of every job.

"If something goes down and you can’t get somebody to fix it, you can go fix it," he said of the knowledge gained in his formative years. "Frankly, I enjoy that. That’s kind of my thing, being able to get out and put a wrench to something and most importantly not having to worry about an invoice coming in."

Powell gained a wealth of business knowledge working for his father, so much so that when he got to college, the experience he had gained was noticeable. But while he credits those valuable early life lessons, another story stood out to the multi-generational business owner.

He then reflected on the man who taught him how to drive a gas truck — Harold Evans, who passed away a few years ago after a long battle with cancer. Powell said Evans was a drill instructor in the Marines Corps during the Vietnam War era and had his truck driving license and hazmat certification.

"Learning how to drive a 10-speed truck from that guy was quite the experience and it was really fun for me because I kind of liked hard coaching and that dude did it," Powell said with a laugh. "I would say he was about 5-foot, 6-inches, maybe 120 pounds and you did not want to get him yelling. He knew what he was doing, was very educated in how to do what he was teaching me to do and I was not, so he let me know that."

Evans, even after being diagnosed with cancer, worked for Powell dispatching fuel loads until the day he died, which underscores the family nature of the business.

While the changing of the guard for the locations brings out a range of emotions, Powell said stories like working for his father or with people like Evans are memories that will last forever, which makes the entire experience worthwhile.

However, the most enjoyable part of his time as a business owner, Powell said, was community engagement and building relationships with customers. Powell's father was a noted philanthropist who had a reputation for doing things not for the attention, but because it genuinely helped someone. These ideals came naturally to his son and things as seemingly small as sponsoring little league baseball teams have meant the most, he said.

"It's a little cliché , but the example I give is if you call me and tell me your kid needs a patch on their All-Star uniform, I'm gonna slap a Powell Petroleum sticker on it," he said. "What kind of response do you think you would get if you called Mapco, Circle K, or Wal-Mart? That is an invaluable part of a community to have those threads that weave a community together and I just really hope that isn’t lost in this industry [as a whole]."

When asked about his plans for the future, Powell expressed that the answer is still be mulled over, due to his dedication to running the business until his very last day. While exact plans may still be in the works, Powell hopes to still find ways to be an active member of the community who contributes to the common good.

"Everybody in my business has a job and holds each other up, so if one of us falls, everything falls," he said. "So I did not allow myself to detach from the business long enough to consider what’s next for me. I know I want to do something that allows me to work directly with people."

The place occupied in the community by the Buddy's and Powell brands, he said, speaks to the longterm goal of the business being accomplished as calls continue to come in from longtime customers and even those who have left the area, but make a stop by Buddy's when they visit town.

"There is no bigger compliment you can pay somebody than saying their store is interwoven [in the community]," Powell said. "I feel like [the stores and community] are kind of tied together and I love that. I will miss that part of it, but I know there are memories that go back 40-plus years that aren't going away."