Gas station/convenience store dares to take on big guys

There’s a rare new business in town: An independent gas station.

While most of us buy auto fuel from a petroleum giant, FavTrip is one of a kind.

The business is not a franchise, a licensee of another company or a subsidiary. There’s only one FavTrip, and it’s in Sedalia, owned by a group of investors.

Babir Sultan is manager and a shareholder in the business.

“From my six years in the business, the goal is to go your own way,” he said in an interview last week at the station.

 “Once you sign up with a company like Valero or Conoco, and you lock into a 10-year contract, they don’t care about you. They don’t care anything about you.”

Rather than deal with that, FavTrip buys from whatever gasoline supplier it wants. There are no corporate fees or forced advertising purchases, or even dictates on what color to paint the pumps.

Sultan said FavTrip now buys fuel from CarterEnergy, a supplier in Overland Park, Kan.

“We ask from them that they give us the best gas on the market,” he said.

FavTrip offers more than gasoline, though. It sells fountain drinks, tobacco products, lottery tickets and some grocery items, making it competitive with other gasoline/convenience stores. The business also sells diesel fuel.

“We want to provide the best service with a family touch,” he said.

Sultan said the property, home to other gas stations, had been vacant for about eight or nine years. The investors bought the property, which still had buried gasoline tanks. “We had the tanks inspected and new linings put in,” he said.

New pumps were installed, and the building was remodeled. A smaller, older building sits on the north edge of the property, and Sultan has hopes for another business renting it, perhaps a food vendor. He hopes to sell liquor in the future, but that will require obtaining a license.

“By far, the city of Sedalia has been very cooperative as far as permits go,” he said. “It’s been a great experience.”

The best-selling item is a fountain drink, he said, adding that he also sells Monster drinks for $1.49.

“We go out of our way to be competitive. We hope to have the best pricing,” he said.

Sultan has moved to Sedalia and doesn’t disparage the culture shock of moving from Kansas City to Sedalia. “I like it here,” he said. “I find it peaceful.”

Sultan said that being a tech guy, one of the popular phrases is “adding something to my fav page,” meaning a favorite.

The name lent itself to the new business: “Our slogan is to make it your favorite trip.”

He said the logo, a golden circle, was made in Italy by a fellow student. “The circle means ‘Keep coming back.’ ”

The business employs three full-time workers with plans to be open 24 hours eventually.

“We’re still stocking up,” Sultan said. “It’s a work in progress.”