What is EZ GO? Our Mission To delight customers and earn their loyalty. The Beginning W. Carey Johnson purchased Runyon Oil Company, a two-man operation with a closet-sized office and warehouse, a bobtail gas truck, and six gas stations in Lawton, Oklahoma, in 1963. Carey Johnson Oil Company was launched. Adding four service stations over the next two years, by 1967, offices were moved into the warehouse at 702 F Avenue. Growth continued as Johnson Oil added stations all over southwest Oklahoma and expanded its commercial business. New Industry Launch By 1979, people had come to prefer convenience stores to the traditional service station, and Bedford Mitchell had joined the firm as a partner. Responding to changing customer needs became the driving force behind the creation of EZ GO Foods in 1980. The first EZ GO store was #9, at the corner of West Cache Road and Gasoline Alley. In the next three years, #30, #27, #35, and #16 opened. Bursting Boundaries In 1985, EZ GO burst the boundaries of Lawton and began opening highly successful turnpike stores. The first was #44 in Walters. The following year, #40, #41, #42, and #43 came on board. By the end of 1987, EZ GO had opened #36, #38, #39, #33, and #34 in Lawton. Weathering Economy The late 1980s and early 1990s were a rough period for the convenience store industry, with bankruptcies even among the largest chains like 7 Eleven and Circle K. EZ GO weathered this slowdown and continued growing, rebuilding several stores and opening a new one in Muskogee (#50). Again responding to the changing needs of its customers, EZ GO remodeled turnpike stores, expanded several of its buildings, and added new equipment and features to all stores. Customer Driven Change & Growth The first EZ GO/Burger King combination store opened at the end of 1993 on the Cherokee Turnpike east of Tulsa. The next opened for business in Altus in November, 1995. In March, 1997, EZ GO expanded into Kansas with two turnpike stores on I-70 near Topeka and Lawrence. Quick reaction to changing needs and a more highly trained workforce would need engineering to stay efficient and effective into the new decade. A new era of convenience focused on customer service became the norm, and competition was fierce. A New Visionary W. Carey Johnson, Jr. (Carey Johnson) grabbed the reins of EZ GO in 2000 with a vision of modernization, responsiveness to customer needs, integration of employees to Team Members, efficiency, and conservation. After the 2000 purchase of store #36 in Lawton, 2001 began with a raze-and-rebuild project at store #34. The new state-of-the-art convenience store and restaurant opened in June, 2002. New and aggressive hiring and training techniques for service-savvy employee Team Members helped EZ GO surge as a market leader across state lines and multiple markets. Team Members became the backbone of the company keeping customers in close touch with the information main line. In December, 2003, EZ GO purchased nine turnpike stores in central and northeastern Oklahoma from Phillips Petroleum. Included were the well-known midway stop on the Turner Turnpike at Stroud and the smaller stores along the Turner, Cimarron, and Will Rogers Turnpikes. With this purchase, EZ GO became the sole operator of Turnpike Travel Centers in Oklahoma. Modernization After a complete raze-and-rebuild, the first EZ GO store, #9, was re-opened in 2007. It became the largest and most modern convenience store in southwest Oklahoma, with sixteen fueling positions, two car wash bays, and a large canopy connecting the fuel islands to the store. It also featured expanded food offerings that became a signature element of EZ GO stores. In October, 2007, EZ GO completed acquisition of two Kansas stores from ConocoPhillips: #72 at Emporia and #75 at Belle Plaine. These additions gave EZ GO operation of half the concession areas on the Kansas Turnpike system. The next year, the Belle Plaine store was completely reconstructed, and in 2009, the same raze-and-rebuild project was completed at Lawrence. The new facilities were vast improvements and made EZ GO a new market leader in the Kansas convenience store industry. Modern Concept Driven by the needs of customers and under the direction and artistry of design of Carey Johnson, Jr., a unique, more energy-efficient design was implemented in EZ GO stores. It included tall columns with energy-producing wind turbines, cantilevered canopy over the forecourt, be-your-own barista coffee bar, and touch-free rest rooms with natural light. EZ GO began the new concept stores at Oklahoma turnpike facilities outside Chickasha and Muskogee in cooperation with McDonald’s. The new standards for modernization thrilled turnpike travelers, and all customer feedback regarding the design changes was positive. Due to the success of the turnpike renovations, EZ GO launched a new concept store in southwest Lawton, #19, in 2013. In 2014, EZ GO added a Turnpike Travel Center on the Indian Nation Turnpike in McAlester, the first EZ GO to offer compressed natural gas (CNG) as a fueling option. Later, CNG was added at the Turnpike Travel Center near Stroud. Still Growing Forward State by State EZ GO expanded into its third state in 2014, adding stores in Lincoln, Nebraska, and continued to grow in 2015, when it took over operations at two more Kansas Turnpike locations: Matfield Green and Towanda. The Travel Center on the H.E. Bailey Turnpike near Walters was rebuilt from the ground up and featured not only the new modern concept, but also a new spinoff restaurant, Back Forty Barbeque. The future is on the drawing boards for EZ GO. Its team members drive the information, and its commitment to customer needs drives the new designs, product elements, and direction. Technological upgrades offer customers direct access to problem solvers and decision makers in the company. Team members lead and attend training through a highly-evolved training system, preparing each of them to serve customers at every level. The EZ GO commitment to the support of team members and the needs of customers will keep EZ GO expanding into new markets and leading the convenience store industry well into the future. Our Products SOUVENIRS Support your state, novelties, local made or made to look local. ACCESSORIZE AND ADORN You need this! FUEL AND POWER A diverse combination of fuels to run things! QUENCH AND FULFILL! Quench your thirst, slake your hunger, energize and indulge! All Rights Reserved ©2021 EZ GO Stores | Website by Light Alive Marketing | View Sitemap