FRONT END Profile
Champlain Farms
Continues Legacy
Wesco Inc.’s Champlain Farms remembers its heritage, looks ahead as the third generation prepares to carry the torch. Erin Del Conte • Executive Editor
Bottom right: Wesco’s first service station in Burlington, Vt. , in 1970. Top left: The Burlington site today.
With fresh prepared foodservice, beanto-cup coffee and newly upgraded fuel pumps, Wesco Inc.’s Champlain Farms is set to open its 41st c-store location this spring as the company celebrates more than 50 years as a family-owned business. Now, the third generation of the family business is stepping into leadership roles at the South Burlington, Vt.-based chain and preparing to carry the company into the next 50 years. 14
CSTORE DECISIONS •
November 2021
FROM THE BEGINNING
Champlain Farms can trace its roots to the 1970s, when Walter Simendinger established Wesco Inc. An industry veteran, Walter had spent 16 years purchasing real estate for Mobil Oil, and he knew a good corner when he saw one. He purchased a gas station in Plymouth, Conn., and moved his family to Hartford. His son, Dave Simendinger, now president of Champlain Farms, remembers growing up in the family business.
cstoredecisions.com
