In 1990, Jo Shalla started working at Sapp Bros. Travel Centers as a cashier. Thirty-five years later, after moving through roles in bookkeeping and store management, she’s now the general manager at the store’s Ogallala, Nebraska, location. The Omaha, Nebraska-based retailer operates 18 travel centers across the country, from Toquerville, Utah, in the west to Clearfield, Pennsylvania, in the east.
As a general manager, Shalla said she does “a little bit of everything,” from helping her staff with their needs and interacting with guests, to stocking merchandise, placing orders and managing the books. She’s also often jumping in to run the register, work on the fuel pumps, clean the store and even cook. “It’s a lot of multitasking!” she said.
Why she loves working in the convenience industry:
I love working in the convenience industry because every day is different. It’s never boring! It is a challenging industry that is constantly changing.
What she finds most fulfilling about her job:
The most fulfilling part is the relationships you build with everyone. We come into contact with a lot of people in a day; our guests, vendors, employees, colleagues and our support system.
One of my favorite things is when someone stops in and says hi when they are traveling through. We get to hear about someone traveling to see family or friends, going on vacations or to graduations and weddings, moving into new homes, getting new jobs and having babies. The list goes on. We get in on the highlights of their lives.
What she would tell someone considering a job in convenience:
Do it! You get to meet a lot of new people and stay in touch with people you already have met. We get to see some guests daily, others weekly, some monthly, some quarterly, some yearly and some just when they show up!
We are considered essential, so when the world is shutting down, we get to go to work and help our customers.
