ATHABASCA – Winning awards is becoming a tradition at the Whispering Hills UFA in Athabasca.
After 25 years of working at the United Farmers of Alberta (UFA) Petroleum station, Mark Neaves has won the 2021 Achievement of Imperatives for the fifth time in his career.
“An increase in fuel sales, increase in oil sales, health and safety scoring, and overall site image within Athabasca and Wabasca” were all part of the criteria his site was assessed on to earn the award Neaves explained in an Aug. 4 interview.
“This [award] is for Area 4 which takes in Westlock, Barrhead, Camrose, Morinville, Wildwood, Edson, and Hinton,” explained Neaves. “There’s quite a few agencies in Area 4.”
Each of the sites are assessed once a year before a winner is chosen, meaning they must not only meet the standards but exceed beyond all the others, and Neaves has had a lot of practice.
“1986 is when my dad, my brother and I took over Athabasca. My dad retired and I took over as an agent in 1994,” Neaves said.
While all his years spent there are a huge part of his success, Neaves also places a lot of credit with his employees.
“The biggest thing is my staff, I've got a lot of long-term staff,” Neaves explained. This group of staff includes Blair Katona, Sheena Makin, Mike Radkewich, and Ernie Grach. Some of his staff have been working at UFA for over 35 years while others sit closer to the 10-year mark.
“I want to say a big thank you to them for all their hard work,” he said. “(I) definitely couldn't be here without them.”
Neaves also acknowledged that their large farmer customer base plays heavily into their success.
“We’ve got a lot of long-term customers that have been with us, with Whispering Hills Fuels, since 1986. We wouldn't be here without the farmers and the commercial customers that deal with us,” Neaves said.
When winning an award such as this, Neaves said that pride was the first feeling to come to mind. No matter how many times the award is won, it still gives a reason to be proud of the site and the employees.
“It's a lot of work, but it pays off,” he said.
Neaves is excited to meet new customers, who can be assured they are dealing with the best of the best as the Achievement of Imperatives award shows and new customers can be anyone looking to save on fuel costs.
A part of the increase in fuel sales is customers who can get free UFA gas card so they can save at the pump because UFA prices tend to be several cents cheaper than the traditional gas stations.
“We look forward to a bountiful fall harvest and hope that we get good harvest weather,” he concluded.
