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Vice President David Walker introduced today's speaker, Julia Stafford of Stripes. Ms. Stafford grew up in Krasnoyarsk, Russia. At the age of 16 she won a scholarship from the United States Congress to study in the United States. Graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Mississippi University for Women, she joined the Executive Development Leadership Program of Hecth's Department Stores (now Macy's) in the Washington, DC area, where she worked with the Buying and Merchandising Team for several years. After the merger and restructuring within Macy's Julia joined Total Wine & More, the nation's fastest growing privately held retailer of fine wines and, at the same time, earned her MBA in Marketing & Strategy from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland. After a short-term assignment with Wal-Mart's New Store Format Development team in Phoenix, Arizona, Julia discovered a fantastic convenience store retailer named "Stripes," located in the beautiful Texas city of Corpus Christi. She joined the Stripes team in March 2010 and has been working as Category Manager ever since. She is responsible for diverse areas of business, such as Hot & Cold Beverages, Bakery, Ice Cream, Ice & Non-Foods. Julia is an avid reader with a special interest in topics related to business, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability. In her spare time, she enjoys our beautiful beaches and gorgeous weather with her husband and 2 daughters.
According to Ms. Stafford, Stripes was started by Sam Susser in 1928. He had two sons and both of them joined the company. In the 1970s, Stripes added food to the services that they provided. Tacos were very popular, and Stripes has sold over 200,000,000 tacos. Stripes is a public company headquartered n Corpus Christi. They have over 900 employees and have been feautred on the Fortune 500 list. Stripes bought out Maverick Markets.
Ms. Stafford also explained that Stripes is heavily involved in the community. They invest in the community and are involved in education and health care for children. Stripes gave $2.8 million in 2012. The money was distributed in Texas and New Mexico, as well as the Children's Miracle Network. Stripes also gives out scholarships, works with the March of Dimes, United Way, and 4-H programs, and is the sponsor of the Slush Monkey Certificates Program.
Ms. Stafford was presented with a "tax shelter" for sharing her time with our club.
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