Garb-Ko, Inc./7-Eleven

In 1927, an employee at the Southland Ice Company in Dallas, Texas (where blocks of ice to refrigerate food were sold) began selling milk, bread, and eggs on Sundays and evenings when the grocery stores were closed. This was the launch of the convenience store concept. The company’s first convenience stores were known as “Tote’Em” since customers “toted” their purchases out with them, and often featured real totem poles outside the stores.

In 1928, the stores began selling gasoline. In 1946, the stores were renamed “7-11” because they were open from 7AM to 11PM. In 1963, 7-11 entered the franchise business, and by 1980, opened their 1,000th international location. Today, 7-Eleven Stores is the recognized pioneer and leader in convenient extended-hour retail stores. It ranks as one of the nation’s leading merchandising and retailing organizations. In 2000, Garb-Ko/7-Eleven established the scholarship fund to help SVSU attract outstanding students and encourage the students’ continued progress and achievement.

Visit www.garbko.com or www.7-eleven.com to learn more about the company.