What is your favorite road trip snack? Regardless of your preference for salty or sweet, chances are you’ve stopped at a Maverik to snag your go-to treat.
Look no further than the newest episode of the Hey U podcast if you’ve ever wondered how these items make it from their distributors onto Maverik’s shelves.
In this Operations and Supply Chain-centered episode titled “OSC- Operations that Fuel Maverik’s Success,” Hey U team members Degoal Moses and Christian Carabajal sit down with Brian Nichols and Scott Larson, two members of the Maverik Team, to discuss how “the right products make it to the right stores at the right time.”
Nichols and Larson have worked for the convenience store company for more than 20 years. Because of their immense experience, they are considered experts in the field of operations, meaning they have a strong understanding of the people and processes that keep Maverik running smoothly. They emphasized the collaboration between distribution and category management teams as essential in managing the flow of products in and out of their stores.
In addition, Nichols and Larson highlight important roles throughout the company that keep this collaborative process alive. These roles include those who serve as category managers, merchandising managers, manufacturing reps, or brokers. These employees work to evaluate which items should be added or discontinued from Maverik stores and create schematics to understand where each product fits on their shelves. By utilizing market research trends and analyzing consumer data, these employees have a direct say in what products you see when entering any given Maverik location.
Because Maverik executives promote a dynamic, “never stagnant” mindset, employees can evolve with the company with advancement opportunities offered throughout their careers.
Nichols and Larson also found that the Maverik work environment has encouraged them and their teammates to absorb new information constantly. At Maverik, employees are “always learning something new” and elevating their skills and titles. This explains why employee retention, loyalty, and career longevity are synonymous with the Maverik name.
Maverik’s core values of innovation, evolution, and adaptability also allowed them to adapt to a post-COVID marketplace. For example, technological advances such as online ordering and e-commerce, curbside pickup options, self-checkout stations, and partnerships with companies such as Uber Eats and Door Dash accommodated consumers in a desirably “frictionless” purchasing landscape.
Thank you again to Scott Larson and Brian Nichols for sitting down with the Hey U podcast. Whether you are an Operations & Supply Chain major or just looking to learn more about operations processes, check out this episode wherever you stream podcasts.
If you’re interested in learning more about Maverik and potential career opportunities, visit their LinkedIn page here.
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Riley Coughlin is a junior in the David Eccles School of Business. She is a first-generation student majoring in Marketing and minoring in Strategic Communications. She works for Business Career Services as a Business Career Ambassador on the design, social media, newsletter, and podcast teams.