From C-Store to the Texas Statehouse

One Texas convenience store owner puts her business expertise to work as a state senator.

March 23, 2016

NACS Ideas 2 Go shares innovative ideas—both big and small—from convenience retailers across the country. In addition to NACS Magazine articles, since 1994, the Ideas 2 Go video program has featured hundreds of interviews with retailers from nearly every state and five countries. To watch these retailers in action, visit nacsonline.com/ideas2go.

Running a successful convenience store chain can be equated to running a state. Both require a focus on meeting the needs of the customer—or constituent. For Texas state Senator Lois Kolkhorst, moving into politics was simply an extension of her desire to give back to the people she’d gotten to know through Rattlers convenience stores. “We have convenience stores in a lot of the counties in my district,” said Kolkhorst, who owns the 14-unit Rattlers with her husband, Jim. “I wanted to give back to our state and country, which has given us so much.”

A Family Affair
Jim’s father was an Exxon distributor, so he grew up familiar with the fueling and convenience store industry. “My father started in the wholesale business, but Exxon encouraged him to get into the convenience store side of things, which he did in 1992,” Jim said.

However, Lois and Jim, who married in 1987, had embarked on other careers before Jim moved back to Brenham, Texas, to run the c-store business for his father in 1994. Because of job obligations, Lois didn’t make the transition until the following year when she eventually took over marketing for the stores. Jim’s father’s retirement in 1997 put them in charge of the business, which then included Kolkhorst Petroleum Company and its convenience stores. The couple eventually rebranded the stores under the Rattlers banner and expanded the chain to 14 locations.

The stores specialize in “Friendly. Clean. Texan.”—the motto Lois said summed up their vision for the chain. “We’re primarily in rural areas and smaller towns, which is kind of our niche,” Jim said. “We pride ourselves on having clean locations with nice, bright sites of about 3,500 square feet.”

Rattlers offers a standard selection of snack items and has configured its space with higher gondolas to provide a wider variety of products. But the stores are known for their beverages. The chain has a very extensive fountain drink program with flavor shots, but it’s at the coffee bar where Rattlers excels.

“We wanted our coffee to be our destination driver,” Jim said. To achieve that, he partnered with Independence Coffee, a Texas micro roast company in which the Kolkhorsts bought an interest. “We’re not that big into foodservice, but we have a very extensive coffee bar that has Independence Coffee, plus an amazing array of syrups and specialty creams,” he said.

The Kolkhorsts recently introduced a loyalty reward program for their customers called Rattlers Rewards, which has proven to be a popular move. “For a small to medium-sized retailer, it’s a little bit unique to offer a rewards program,” Jim said. “But it was the right move for us, judging by the positive customer reception.”

Serving the People
Working in the convenience store industry made clear to Lois her passion for service and instilled in her the need to make a difference in a bigger way. “I’m a better lawmaker because I know how to run a business, how to make payroll, how to interact with customers—I bring a level of expertise to my role as senator that I wouldn’t have acquired without Rattlers,” she said.

Fourteen years ago, Lois successfully ran for state representative. She served continuously in the Texas House before winning a special election to the Texas Senate in December 2014. “It’s been a balancing act,” she said of her dual roles as legislator and convenience store operator. While Jim handles more of the day-to-day aspects of the business, Lois has stayed very much in touch with Rattlers. “We talk daily about what’s going on at the stores, and I’ll also talk with him about certain legislation and regulatory issues,” she said.

Lois tries very hard to keep her lawmaker side separate from her convenience store owner side. “One of the top issues for us right now is the tax structure, which funds our schools, among other things,” Lois said. “I also ensure that state officials understand that our retailers are not only trying to make a business successful, but they’re also collectors of state taxes (sales and fuel, for example).”

The downside of being a state senator with a very public business is that at times, people judge Rattlers by a different standard. “I think people view our stores more critically than other convenience stores because of my political position,” Lois said.

For now, the Kolkhorsts are concentrating on maintaining their busy work schedules. “It’s a balancing act that is very difficult with two such diverse careers,” Lois said. “But then again, we’re partners as well as husband and wife, and we put God first, then family, then our business and careers. It’s an order that has served us well over the years.”

Sarah Hamaker is a freelance writer and NACS Daily and NACS Magazine contributor based in Fairfax, Virginia. Visit her online at www.sarahhamaker.com.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement