On Thursday, November 17, Joni Jo Goss told the Chester Rotary the story of Jiffy Mart, Champlain Oil, the Cairns family in South Burlington. and how she came to Chester to run eight Jiffy Mart convenience stores in the area.
Joni Jo grew up east of Walpole, NH, and now lives in the same house she was raised in. Her career began working in the Walpole Jiffy Mart 18 years ago where she proved herself and was promoted to run the previous Chester Jiffy Mart on the triangle to the Depot off Main Street. At the new location on the corner of Main and Route 11 to Springfield, Joni Jo is now District Leader for eight stores and reports to the Perkinsville, VT, office that runs 34 stores in Vermont and New Hampshire.
Jiffy Mart is part of Champlain Oil, a South Burlington, VT, company. Champlain partners with CITGO, Mobil, Irving, Shell, and Sunoco and is involved in truck fleet services in the two-state area. It has agreements with Subway, Dunkin Donuts, Ramunto's Pizza, Burger King, McDonald's and others. The company was founded in the mid-1940s by C. Douglas Cairns and is now run by his two sons.
Jiffy Mart's credo is 'customer service" says Joni Jo. She plans to join Rotary — community service is another part of the company's belief.