Director, Susser Holdings Corporation
Sam J. Susser is the former chairman and chief executive officer, and a member of the Board of Directors of Susser Holdings Corporation. Previously, Mr. Susser was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Plexus Financial Services, a holding company based in Dallas, Texas, from 1987 through 1991. Mr. Susser’s experience includes various positions with The Southland Corporation, Plexus Financial Services and CITGO Petroleum Company, 1 where he served as President. Mr. Susser is a director and past chairman of the Audit Committee of Alberto-Culver Company. Mr. Susser previously has served on the Board of Directors of Garden Ridge Pottery and Computer Craft, Inc. He is the father of Sam L. Susser, Susser Holding Corporations President and Chief Executive Officer and a director.
The Susser family’s gasoline and convenience store business began when Minna Schwartz won the heart of an entrepreneur. In 1938 her husband, Sam Susser, took over operation of two service stations Minna had inherited and began selling fuel to local companies.
In his first year, Sam sold 360,000 gallons of gasoline. The business has flourished to become the largest non-refiner fuel distributor in Texas. Sam and Minna’s two sons, Jerry and Sam J. joined Susser Petroleum Company in the 1960’s. Together they invented the first system that allowed customers to purchase gasoline with a credit card from unattended stations.
Sam J.’s son, Sam L. Susser, joined the business in 1988. The company then became Southguard Corporation to acquire 26 7-Eleven stores. Southguard was merged into Susser Holdings LLC in 1998. The company’s retail convenience store operations are conducted through its subsidiary, Stripes LLC. From 1988 to 2002, Susser successfully completed nine major acquisitions, including A. N. Rusche Distributing Company. Rusche was a well-respected Houston-based jobber, and significantly strengthened the Company’s wholesale platform. Susser consolidated its wholesale operations in Houston through its subsidiary, Susser Petroleum Company LLC. Other significant acquisitions include Circle Ks, Tex Marts and Coastal/Maverick Markets. Susser Holdings Corporation also provides a broad range of environmental consulting, maintenance and construction management services to the petroleum and convenience store industry through another subsidiary, Applied Petroleum Technologies, Ltd.
At present, the company operates over 510 convenience stores under the Stripes® and Town & Country brands. The company also supplies fuel to 372 branded and unbranded dealers, five unattended fueling facilities and a significant number of other commercial customers.