2008 Dynamic Dozen, No. 1: Cody Ventures LLC dba Cody's Convenience Stores

Not to mention the fact that acquisitions and new construction continue to grow the Cody’s footprint.

When Cody’s first travel center opens in April at 3445 E. Kearney St., it will be the chain’s 37th store. The travel center, which according to its city building permit has a $1 million estimated cost, will cater mainly to tractor-trailers and recreational vehicles, with a 10,000-square-foot store, 10 diesel bays, 16 passenger-vehicle fueling stations and a car wash.

A new store also is scheduled to open at 2149 S. Campbell in March, the same month in which Jared has said he plans to close on 10 additional stores in undisclosed southwest Missouri locations.

Cody Ventures reported revenues of $91.9 million in 2007, up from $30.6 million in 2006 and $11.2 million in 2005. With 200 percent growth between 2006 and 2007 – and 723 percent growth since 2005 – it’s not surprising that Cody’s ranks No. 1 among the 2008 Dynamic Dozen companies.

Cody’s rapid growth includes acquisitions, such as the Dec. 28 transaction in which the company paid a reported $1 million for six Express Lane stores after former owner Waddill’s Markets Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

That deal pushed Cody’s ahead of local competitor Rapid Robert’s in terms of store numbers.

But Jared also credits same-store sales growth with Cody’s increased revenues, noting that those sales come down to a few key factors.

“Customer service, product selection, promotions, and cleanliness are key,” Jared said. “When we take over these stores, we start getting them cleaned up. With our acquisition of Express Lane, you’ll start to see some significant changes once we’ve got better weather.”

For Cody’s, cleanliness is more than just looking good – it represents the cornerstone of food purchases and repeat business.

“When stores are cleaner, and they are better lit, it gives (customers) a better sense of security,” Jared said. “Coming into a dirty store, it’s hard to sell ready-made food to people. It’s amazing how many people won’t go back to a store because they have dirty restrooms.”

Dave Clem, vice president of sales for Amcon Distributing, supplies convenience stores including Cody’s, and he knows the difference between clean and dirty stores.

When a store is clean, Clem says, it sells more of everything, because people will take the time to stop and shop.

“You are seeing a lot of fountain and cigarette sales and food service,” Clem said. “If I go in and the restroom is real clean, that pretty much tells me the store will be clean. I travel a lot and I know where the clean stores are.”

Going forward, the company will continue to emphasize cleanliness in its stores, according to Tom Cook, director of operations for Cody’s Convenience Stores.

“Especially with the amount of food service in our stores and the way we are lending our stores more and more to food services, cleanliness has got to be part of the picture,” Cook said, noting that it will take about four months to whip a store gained through acquisition into shape.

“We’ve got to have that perception of quality in what we do and how we operate our business. Cleanliness is a huge part of that. A clean store just feels good,” he added.

Merchandise promotions – particularly for food – are increasingly important as it gets harder to draw people away from the gas pumps and into the stores.

“What a lot of guys are doing now at the pump is just scanning their credit card and then driving off,” Clem said.

“They won’t come in and buy anything. Gas is just too expensive. What (Cody’s is) doing is promoting at the pump. Once they get them in the store, they can obviously attract them with different things like fresh-made sandwiches, pizza or hot dogs,” he added.

To drive those sales, Jared said Cody’s likes to amp up the promotions offered by their suppliers, so that customers can rely on the fact that two-for-one specials at other convenience stores will be three-for-one deals at Cody’s.

“We always make our promotion a little bit better or a whole lot better,” Jared said. “It increases overall sales because it drives more volume. People feel they are getting a better value.”

Added Cook, “We want people to be driving by our marquee board, squeal their tires and stop and say, ‘That’s a good deal.’ So a lot of time we take the grocery store concept and say we’re going to take some loss leaders this month and that’s how we’re going to drive business into the store. We are not afraid to try new things.”