It all started in 1972
After traveling the country for many years as an employee of Royal Dutch Shell, Joe launched Dutch Oil Company in Columbus, with the support of his faithful wife and four children. As an entrepreneur, Joe was responsible for many “firsts” in the local market. He was the first to offer a free car wash with a fuel fill-up; first to operate 24 hours per day; and the first to offer same day dry cleaners in a convenience store.
Joe also pioneered many other new marketing concepts, such as starting a pharmacy business within a traditional convenience store in 1990. Since its birth in 1972, Dutch Oil Company has expanded into a number of other business entities, forming “The Dutch Group” of companies, serving many customers in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and Louisiana. The various companies of The Dutch Group are still privately held, and mostly family owned, with 40 consecutive years of positive sales growth.
The 9 pillars
At The Dutch Group, how we accomplish our mission is as important as the mission itself. Fundamental to the success of our organization are these core values:
- Honesty: All our relationships and actions will be based on truth and honesty.
- Service: We will seek to be defined by the service we provide our customers, our shareholders, our communities, and each other.
- Vision: The job of everyone in our organization is to anticipate the future by reading the present, to be creative and proactive, and to experiment and take risks in pursuit of our mission and long-term success.
- Trust: Trust holds all relationships together. It is built on respect for others, kept promises, demonstrated competence, and consistently doing the right thing. Trust is demonstrated by giving our employees clear expectations, then trusting them to do their jobs. Trust cannot be bought or commanded and is won only slowly, but it can be lost in the twinkling of an eye.
- Quality: Whether in service or in products, we are committed to excellence.
- Team Concept: We will strive to work together as a team. We are each family members contributing our part to the success of the team. Families unite behind a vision of the future. Families care for and support each other. Families hope and work together. Families celebrate successes together. Families hold each other accountable but never blame each other.
- Joy: Life can be hard with many issues and problems, and since most of us have to work, we will strive to enjoy our work, even through the storms of life. Sometimes we may not be happy, but we can seek to find deep inner joy and peace, that leads to enjoyment in our work. So when you smile you make others smile, and as we encourage one another, the joy is recognized.
- Respect: We will strive to respect each other and our customers. Respect is earned by practicing the Golden Rule of treating others the way you want to be treated. Respect is earned by your fellow worker, and not necessarily gained by title, position, tenure, or accomplishment. Respect is gained and received when you give more respect to others than you get yourself.
- Potential: We want to be a place of realized potential for our employees and, through them, for our customers and shareholders as well. A place of realized potential offers challenging work, thrives on innovation, builds associates through learning, trusting, and caring, and relentlessly pursues excellence.