The Florida convenience retailer was recently chosen as the best truck stop in the country based in part because the growing chain specializes in both small-town touches and modern innovations.
By David Bennett, Senior Editor
It’s too easy to compare Johnson & Johnson Inc. to a hive of activity.
That’s not to say the Madison, Fla.-based company isn’t busy growing its business. It’s always hectic at the company’s chain of 18 Busy Bee locations. It’s just that the keepers of the Busy Bee brand are diligent in creating bee-related tag lines and sayings.
Inside the company’s flagship store in Live Oak, Fla.—above a large cache of cooler doors—it reads “Don’t hurry…Bee happy.” A store promotion isn’t beautiful—it’s ‘bee’autiful.
The third-generation family company is striving to make the chain inviting to customers and a good workplace for its employees. With its next growth phase on tap, Busy Bee certainly isn’t a quiet drone but an enterprise flying high.
HONEY POT
At 20,000 square feet, Busy Bee’s Live Oak location, built three years ago on US 129, is its largest travel plaza so far—about four times the size of the average Busy Bee location.
Last year, the annual Trucker Path App survey chose the Busy Bee on US 129 as the best truck stop in the country. The survey looked at 3,500 truck stops that had more than five ratings within the Trucker Path app—a total of some 71,000 ratings nationwide.
The 20,000-square-foot travel plaza boasts a full coffee bar, fountain drinks, candy by the pound, fresh yogurt with toppings and gourmet beef jerky. The retailer also sells Buttah Bees, a proprietary snack offering that consists of corn puffs with a butter-toffee coating.
Specialty offerings also include private-label fresh jars of honey, containers of various salt water taffies, a counter featuring homemade fudge and a vast souvenir shop. Collectively, the company’s merchandising strategy helps distinguish Busy Bee from the competition.
“To achieve this, we look for items that are not conventionally found in other locations,” said Megan Forcey, Busy’ Bee’s director of advertising & e-commerce. “We are constantly striving to differentiate ourselves outside the industry standard. This is also achieved with the help of our amazing vendors, who understand our high expectations.”
There are also a Dunkin’ Donuts and a Burger King inside the store. Busy Bee also operates Hardees, Subway and Hunt Brothers Pizza at other locations. All of the franchises on site are owned by the company.
“We are always open to expanding into other QSR (quick-service restaurants) franchises and concepts,” said Forcey. “At this time we are working on building our franchises with Burger King and Dunkin’ Donuts. Be on the lookout for something new.”
Busy Bee’s unique offerings are part of the c-store’s penchant for good customer service, which has been adopted in various operational areas of the convenience chain. For instance, the company completed Europay, Mastercard and Visa equipment upgrades at all of its locations. In addition, Busy Bee has automatic tank gauge devices now that provide the chain comprehensive fuel site data for advanced fuel asset management as well as company-wide efficiency.
To ensure truckers feel this sense of welcome, Busy Bee added showers with marble counter tops at its flagship location. Motorists can also clean clothes in the laundry area or sit in the main section of the shower building and relax while watching the large flat-screen television.
Lastly, the retailer is known for large, clean bathrooms. All these amenities helped earn Busy Bee the title of ‘best truck stop in the country.’
Also, Busy Bee has entered a partnership with Tesla at its Live Oak location that will include installing 12 Supercharger electric charging stations in conjunction with the Silicon Valley electric car maker in part of an innovative pilot project that not only services electrical car motorists but broadens the customer’s experience.
“The Live Oak location has also expanded this year to include pay at the pump for the trucker diesel area,” said Forcey. “We wanted to make sure to have this option for the truckers to help with the convenience of their visit.”
2017 is also when Busy Bee began remodeling some of its legacy stores in the Lake City, Fla. area.
“We have remodeled two of our locations thus far making them on trend by adding a cleaner more streamlined concept,” Forcey said. “Almost all of our locations now feature Wi-Fi and a phone-based rewards program.”
Busy Bee is looking to expand, adding two additional travel plazas in Florida before the end of the decade.
THRIVING COLONY
The beginnings of Johnson & Johnson can be traced to 1935 when J.P. Johnson worked as a Sinclair commission agent. With an unwavering dedication to customer service, Jacob Kin Johnson started working in his father’s company at the age of 14.
Kin Johnson took over with a strong passion and persistence in growing Johnson & Johnson Inc. This paved the way for the third generation and partnership that Jay Johnson and his sister Elizabeth Johnson Waring—then company vice president—enjoyed for many years.
In 2015, the company lost the president of Busy Bee, Jay Johnson, who passed away unexpectedly in June 2015, at 44 years old from an accident. From riding with his father in the gasoline truck delivering fuel, the younger Johnson not only became the company president but an entrepreneur who loved business and saw it as a vehicle to improve the lives of others.
After his death, Waring, now company president, CEO and co-owner, has taken up the reins of the growing retail business. She is affectionately known as the ‘Queen Bee.’
Waring began working with her parents helping in the family business at 10 years old, sweeping floors and counting change. She has embraced the guest-oriented culture ever since.
“What an honor it is every day to continue our family business. It gives me a great sense of pride to continue the work that my grandparents began, keeping the legacy alive,” said Waring. “Our parents reared us, working within the organization, and they have always been visionaries in the industry. We are passionate about our teammates, our guests, our Busy Bee brand, all the locations in our hive and the generations that follow behind us.”
COMMUNITY BUZZ
The philosophy of Busy Bee is the company would be nowhere without the community’s support. It feels an obligation to give back and reciprocates throughout the year, said Marshall Beck, director of marketing.
“We sponsor Snow Days, Fall Festival fishing tournaments, local runs, and a bevy of other community events,” said Beck. “We have given away Jeeps, four wheelers, money, a Ranger, a truck, and had a heck of a celebration while having the drawing. We had a contest where winners could win groceries for life or a certain time/amount. We always support any civic and school organization that has a need. We are involved in these communities and appreciate what these communities do for us.”