COLORADO SPRINGS — Murphy USA is expanding its presence in the Pikes Peak Region.
The Arkansas-based convenience store chain, which already has three dozen locations in the Denver metro area and northern Colorado, plans to add new stations on the north side of Colorado Springs.
The corporation currently has three convenience stores in this area, two in the Springs, and another in nearby Monument.
According to proposals submitted to the Colorado Springs and El Paso County planning departments, the new store layout would be about 2,800 square feet with multiple pumps at each one.
That is slightly smaller than one existing store but larger than the other two.
A building at one of the new locations would have to be razed to accommodate the new structure, according to the plans. The other would go on vacant land.
DENVER — Seven attorneys general — including Colorado's — have reached an agreement with Valvoline LLC, Valvoline Instant Oil Change Franchising Inc., and VGP Holdings LLC, requiring an end to what the law enforcement officials see as unfair labor practices.
According to the complaint they filed, Valvoline ordered hourly employees to sign non-compete agreements that prohibited them from working in any oil change business within one mile of their former employment. It stayed in effect for a year after they left. The employees also were barred from soliciting current Valvoline employees or customers.
"Non-compete agreements are widespread in the workforce," said Colorado Attorney Geneneral Phil Weiser. "These unfair agreements keep wages low, place an undue burden on workers, and significantly reduce their future job prospects. In Colorado we are committed to protecting workers and fighting for fair treatment for all. Today's agreement provides security that Colorado Valvoline employees will not be subject to such restrictive employment conditions going forward."
Under terms of the agreement, Valvoline must issue notices within fifteen days to all its current and former employees who left in the past year that their non-competition and non-solicitation agreements are invalid.
The agreement affects 940 current and former employees in Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, and Pennsylvania, whose attorneys general formed the coalition that negotiated the agreement.
If Valvoline violates the agreement it could be subject to a $500,000 fine.
GREENWOOD VILLAGE — Grease Monkey has identified Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, and Utah as prime areas for future expansion.
The flagship brand of FullSpeed Automotive has developed a three-year plan to open nine more Grease Monkey locations in the West. The first, in Las Vegas, is already in operation. Another, in Aurora, Colorado, will open soon.
"The states we are targeting for expansion present tremendous growth opportunities and have a strong demand for our products and services," said Tyson Daniels, who is leading the project. He has been in the auto lube business since he was 16 years old. He currently has eleven Grease Monkey outlets in four states.
DENVER — The carwash business continues to flourish in Colorado.
Breeze-Thru opened its fourth Loveland wash in July.
It celebrated by offering free washes to anyone who attended the grand opening.
In addition to the Loveland stores, the firm has two washes each in Fort Collins, Greeley, and Longmont, one each in Johnstown and Windsor.
In Windsor, Champion Xpress Carwash opened a new location in August and its celebration included a free ceramic top wash with ceramic wax for two weeks.
DENVER — Maverik has completed re-branding the convenience stores it acquired from Kum & Go in Colorado a year ago.
To celebrate its achievement, Maverik donated $1 million to Feeding America. Of that amount, $100,000 will go to the Food Bank of the Rockies.
AURORA — A security guard at a 7-Eleven fatally shot a man in self-defense, according to police.
The man who died allegedly approached the security guard from behind and pointed a gun at his head. The two fought over the gun until the guard was able to draw his own firearm and shoot his attacker.
The 36-year-old assailant was treated at the scene but later died at a hospital.
COLORADO SPRINGS — A Quick Quack carwash has brought back a popular spice-scented wash.
The scent comes from a blend of pumpkin and cinnamon which is released during the wash to allow customers to be immersed in lights, colors, and the aroma of the spice.
Quick Quack has ten locations in Colorado, all in Colorado Springs.
MEEKER — Police rushed to a gas station here after receiving a report that someone was screaming and being held down.
Unfortunately, the victim was deceased by the time they arrived.
Investigation revealed that someone had stepped on a person's pet lizard.
MAYBELL — This tiny town on the Yampa River has been forced to ridicule itself to put itself back on the map.
Once a popular tourist site, it is so unknown to the general population today that it has begun to promote itself by selling bumperstickers in its gas station sporting the tagline, "Where The Hell is Maybell?"
In case you were wondering, Maybell is a hundred miles from the popular ski resort Steamboat Springs.
AURORA — Is a 7-Eleven here haunted? Some think so.
The legend persists that the store was built on top of an old Indian reservation, angering the spirits there who routinely cause a ruckus between midnight and 3 a.m.
Things fall off shelves, strange-sounding voices emerge, and a set of glowing red eyes glare from the back of a Slurpee cooler, some say.
DENVER — The price of gasoline in Colorado was lower than a year ago in September, according to AAA Colorado, although at $3.43 a gallon, it was higher than the national average of $3.21 at press-time.
In September 2023, unleaded regular averaged $4.03 a gallon. A month ago it was $3.46.
Even the nine counties impacted by an EPA order to switch to reformulated gas had cheaper prices than a year ago.
Denver averaged $3.41 a gallon last month, down two cents from the previous month, and down 37 cents from a year ago.
Boulder was selling at $3.43 and a year ago at $3.99; Fort Collins and Loveland were at $3.38, down 60 cents from a year ago, and Greeley was $3.36, down 58 cents from a year ago. All of them were included in the EPA's determination that they had violated the Clean Air Act.
Other prices across the state included $3.46 in Pueblo and $3.39 in Colorado Springs. Both averages were about 65 cents lower than the previous year.
Originally published in the October 2024 issue of the O&A Marketing
News.
© KAL Publications Inc. 2024