Young Professional Patrick Morgan
The Fourth Generation

A fourth-generation Carrolltonian (from Carrollton, Ga), jobber, and convenience store owner, Patrick Morgan, with Morgan Oil Company, has recently joined the GACS Board of Directors.

GACS Today: Patrick, tell us about yourself and your company.

Patrick Morgan: My great-grandfather, W.M. Smith founded the company in 1933. He built service stations in the West Georgia area. My grandfather, Bobby Morgan, was a tankwagon driver. He and my grandmother, Betty Smith Morgan, took over the business in 1972. My dad, Jimmy Morgan, came to work at the company when he was 19. He built  Amoco convenience stores and car washes. I get to take the reins and compete with numerous dealers and c-store chains with over a thousand stores. In addition to eight stores, we have a tankwagon business, a lubricant business, and car washes, all of which have quickly become my responsibility. I joined the company full-time after graduating from the University of Georgia in 2020. I had worked in maintenance during the summers and was learning the wholesale business when the pandemic occurred. Suddenly I found myself in the c-store operations, juggling all parts of the business in a world of minimal staff and massive inventory shortages. I took full control of the wholesale business after my aunt retired in April of 2022 (yeah, right after Russia invaded Ukraine and oil was over $100 a barrel). It didn’t take me long to learn that I would forever wear multiple hats.

GT: What role has GACS played in you becoming the businessman you are today?
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PM:  I have been a part of GACS my entire life. I can remember participating in the convention children’s program. My dad would bring the entire family, including some of our friends who were like family. This industry has a lot of family-owned businesses, and the trade shows were like a reunion more than a business trip. By going to these events and being around my dad, I learned that this industry is not just a job, but a lifestyle.  What I appreciate about GACS is all the connections I have made. We are not a big company with numerous corporate roles. I don’t have someone purely focused on environmental compliance. My buyer is a University of West Georgia student who works with me to onboard new vendors and place new items. I wear numerous hats every day, and I am fortunate we have so many industry colleagues I can call to learn the day to day surprises!  Although this industry has an extremely high turnover rate, there are lots of people with decades of experience, and I appreciate them sacrificing their time to participate in GACS and share their knowledge with the next generation. I hope young professionals today realize that success can’t be achieved in a forty-hour work week. Your job may take you forty hours, but to learn, grow, and expand your skillset takes many more. 
GT: Who has had the biggest influence on your success and growth as a young professional?
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PM: My father — I’ve seen him brave the elements to load trucks with fuel for the local EMC to use to send fuel to hurricane devastated areas. I have gone with him to refill kerosene heaters on Christmas Eve. He still answers the after-hours maintenance line (although staff usually call my cell phone). He has ingrained in me what dedication requires, and more importantly, how to take pride in what you do.

GT: What do you feel are some of the most important lessons your dad has taught you?

PM: The foremost is to focus on the little things. We all sell the same cigarettes and candy bars, and even now, brand loyalty is not as strong as it was in the Amoco days. The big picture does not matter if you don’t execute the little things like maintaining a clean, well-lit store. You can remodel your cooler doors and create product sets, but the data you use to create those sets is only good if the cooler is adequately stocked.

You cannot be above changing the trash, wiping down the pumps, stocking the cooler, and of course, cleaning the bathroom. He has taught me to lead from the front and by example. Another key lesson of his is that every customer matters. Treat your smallest customer like they are your biggest customer. If you can earn their business and make them a lifelong customer, you will have a successful business.

Consistency is key to keeping your regulars. Out-of-stock is not an option. Broken equipment must be replaced or removed. Communication to the customer must be worded in a friendly manner and signage must be typed. These are not achievable goals, but something you must strive for every day. This may seem elementary to many people in GACS, but I promise every operator has found a handwritten out-of-order sign at one of their sites. If you haven’t, you haven’t looked hard enough.

GT: ​Anything you’d like to add?
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​PM: I would like to thank all the mothers and grandmothers who focus on maintaining the little things in my stores. These women do so much for their families, and I am so appreciative that they take the same pride in the stores as I do. My dad has always said that cashiers are powerful people. They have the ability to make someone’s day or to ruin someone’s day.  My cashiers are superheroes.
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