Rebranding requires many steps when it involves a large merger or acquisition, but nothing is as tall an order as changing the appearance of the buildings you acquired. A few tasks involve, speed and accuracy.  That is what was asked of Performance Painting Contractors when tasked with the updating of various stores after a recent acquisition.

Marathon Petroleum Corporation subsidiary Speedway, LLC closed an acquisition of Hess Corporation’s retail stores in May of 2014. It was shortly after the rebranding process began that Performance Painting was put to the test. Speedway was expanding its Midwest roots to the east, transforming more than 1200 Hess Express stores to the Speedway brand. This included an expansion into 23 states along the East Coast and Southwest region. The state of Florida accounted for nearly 20 percent of the locations acquired (248).

The Project 

Performance Painting’s team collaborated with Speedway’s branding department to convert over 600 of these stores from Virginia to Key West, Florida. Our team was to ensure that normal operations of the stores would not be distributed – and we accomplished that. The project involved applying paint to standing seam metal roofs, areas of stucco, gas pump canopies and sign supports on the exterior. On the interior, the project involved preparing and painting metal cabinets, slat walls and miscellaneous signage throughout each store location.

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The Challenge 

The challenge of such a large scale rebranding was converting these 600 stores in just six months. A very strategic plan of coordination efforts across state lines, with multiple vendors, store employees, project crews, and the unpredictable weather was developed and implemented. Each store had to be converted using a new paint scheme and all new signs added in a matter of three days. This was inclusive of any other potential issues that can inevitably create delays on any construction project.

Originally, the customer had Performance Painting manage a few stores in the Jacksonville, Florida market. Once the customer met the team and experienced the level of service, and professionalism, Performance Painting was asked to take on the responsibility to convert the  remaining stores on Speedway’s schedule. The Performance Painting team was able to successfully work with the customer and develop a streamlined reporting process for impeccable communication with stakeholders, upper management, construction crews, and on-site staff at each location. With these commercial painting projects in multiple states and running concurrently, communication and accurate reporting was a key process in managing and coordinating the rebranding efforts.

Ensuring the coatings would not fail and were properly applied was very important to the client. Performance Painting adjusted the product specifications after finding a flaw in the original specifications to ensure the results for a durable and long lasting product. Crews were able to work around any schedule delays to achieve ‘on-time’ re-brand openings previously scheduled for each and every location.

Project Success

In the end, Performance Painting’s project managers and crews were applauded by local store staff as they stated that “they were the most professional and courteous construction company they had ever worked with.” The right people, products, and processes helped make this project a success.

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