J & H Family Stores 76th St. Truck Stop installs DEF

In the Fast Lane 
by Author Michelle DeBrocke 
Delivery One News

D1 Partner J&H Oil Company recently opened two bulk DEF lanes at their popular truck stop in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Air1® is now available on these fuel islands dispensed from a 2,000 gallon above ground tank hooked up to Gilbarco dispensing systems installed next to the existing diesel pumps (as seen below). J&H Oil Company plans on refilling their facility with their 2,400 gallon bulk DEF delivery truck. Considering the winter weather climate in Michigan can be extreme, J&H and has taken precautionary measures to prevent any freezing of the Air1® at the pump by using a heated piping system. J&H's station resides at a busy intersection (U.S. 131 and 76th Street) and moves approximately 4.2 million gallons of diesel a year and anticipates selling at least 10,000 gallons of Air1® in 2012. The truck stop also offers retail packaged Air1® options for customer convenience.

“J&H Oil Company takes pride in meeting all of our customer’s needs with competitive pricing of only high quality products. Offering Air1® at this particular station will not only grow our retail business, but the experience will help us in our development of additional DEF retail applications in the near future,” states Dan DeHaan, Warehouse Operations, J&H Oil Company. 

Family Skate!

Calling all Griffins Fans!

J & H Family Stores are sponsoring the Post Game Family Skate!

Go to our facebook page and tag yourself in our pictures for a chance to win a FREE gas card!

The Best of 2011

This week on Facebook I asked you to comment on your favorite memory of 2011. I quickly realized what an unfair question. ONE memory from 2011. Not Fair. I think it was equally un fair for me to not share mine.

Here are a few of my favorite memories of 2011

• selling over 49,000 Mentos for Helen DeVos Children's Hospital
• working the Helen DeVos Radioathon
• the holiday parades, the grinch
• the pumpkin path trick or treating event at Lamar Park
• Griffins Pumping Gas for Charity
• Gene from Mott Children's hospitals presentation at our manager meeting
• hearing Pete's (creator of Wings of Mercy) store about how the charity was started
• The walk for Alzheimer
• having over 3,000 packs of Mento's take over my office for the troops
• the J & H charity Golf Outing
• losing a manager who was pregnant at the golf outing (we forgot to pick her up on the far back hole at egypt valley) Sorry Jackie
• the GVSU tailgate
• shooting footage for our TV commercials
• launch, glitch and then launch of our Return and Earn program
• hate to say it but Speedpass week
• collecting toys for Santa's Cupboard
• the tour of the Helen DeVos Children's Hospital 

There are so many more that I'm sure will come to me later but those are a few of my top ones. How about you?

A Friendly Christmas Competition

This month our stores had a Christmas decorating contest. The theme was around our December Community Kickback charity, Santa's Cupboard. Thank you for your generous donations! We have collected over 40 toys!

If you are a regular at our stores then you are well aware of the fact that employees like a little bit of competition..that is putting it mildly. They want YOU to decide who had the best in store Christmas display.

Check out our Facebook page and "like" which photo you think is the best. The store with the most likes by Friday will be our winner!

Some of our stores also participated in the Lowell Christmas Parade. The floats theme was also around our December CKB charity, Santa's Cupboard. It looks like the Grinch showed up again!

Have yourself a merry little Christmas

I cannot believe that it is only one week until Christmas! My holiday shopping is done, wrapped and under the tree. My baking is (almost) done. I have a week full of holiday parties.

Does it get any better?

The holiday season is in full swing which means ....the end of 2011 is almost here and as 2011 comes to a close it is my responsibility to finish dot the I's and cross the T's with our Community Kick Back campaign.

This year you have helped us raise over $35,000 for local Michigan charities. THANK YOU.

As I look back over the list of charities for 2011 I can't help but feel extremely blessed this holiday season.

I feel blessed about things that sometimes (and usually) I take for granted. I have a place I call home, all of my family is here and safe for the holidays and this morning my brother-in-law and his wife (finally) gave birth to a healthy baby girl.

Looking over charities like The Gilda's Club, Helen DeVos and Mott Children's hospital, the Alzheimer Association really put into perspective what is really important in life.

The first few weeks of this month, I'll admit it I was a scrooge. I didn't want to go to parties because I was busy or because I just wanted to stay home.

How blessed are we to be able to have so many family and friend parties? That we have food to take to them?

There are many in our community though who are going through troubled times. Going through a first holiday without a friend or family member, have a child who will spend Christmas in the hospital, can't pay that last bill.

Christmas is a season of hope and giving. West Michigan is such a giving community. I encourage you to help the charities of this community because they do work so hard to help those who are less fortunate.

Thank you so much for all of your support of our campaign this year. You've helped more people than you will ever realize.

Thank you for your Giving hearts and have a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

No Tricks, Just Treats

This Saturday, October 8, Gezon Mobil's Cheryl and Dave participated in the Wyoming Pumpkin Path. Kids could trick-or-treat around Lamar Park for goodies from local businesses. Cheryl and Dave went as "Peace and Quiet" (a hippie and a mime). This was a monumental event..those of you who know Dave from our Gezon location know he is anything but quiet!

Everyone had a wonderful time and scored some awesome treats! With all of the candy that was given out it's a good thing the local dentist had a booth!

Just Clowning Around

Carlee And Charlie to Entertain the Panhandle

On August 11, two clowns from the Kelly Miller Circus will be visiting locations in the Panhandle area of Montcalm County.  Carlee and Charlie are advance clowns to remind citizens of the soon to arrive Kelly Miller Circus.

They promote the excitement and anticipation of the upcoming performance of the Kelly Miller Circus by presenting their own special show.  The show presents a fun mix of audience participation, silly comedy skits and colorful clown magic all wrapped around a bit of circus history with a focus on the importance of teamwork.

The audience will learn that the circus is an international traveling community with people from all over the world coming together to present a great show.  From performing artists to ring crew, ticket tellers to truck drivers, every job in the circus is important to the success of each and every performance.  Carlee and Charlie recruit members of the audience to help demonstrate the importance of teamwork with a fun challenge using a spinning plate that provides an excellent “Kodak Moment”.

The show is for children of all ages but primarily geared for elementary school-age children.

Sponsored by J & H Family Stores, and with the cooperation of other locations throughout the area, Carlee and Charlie will be following a fairly tight schedule.

M-46 Truck Stop         9:00-10:00 a.m.

Township Library         10:00-11:30 a.m.

Howard City Mobil      11:30-12:30 p.m.

First Bank                    12:30-1:30 p.m.

Pierson Mobil              1:30-2:30 p.m.

Independent Bank        2:30-3:30 p.m.

Advance tickets for the circus will be on sale during these events.  After these events, tickets for the Circus can be purchased at J & H Family Stores(Pierson, Howard City, M-46 Truck Stop), Community First Credit Union, Leppinks, Sticks N Stones, First Bank and Independent Bank.  Savings from advance sales will end on August 25^th so be sure to get your tickets early.