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Fall 2010

1967 Stonework Restored During Renovations

Site 184 Fennell Avenue East, Hamilton “Before”

RetailerExPress

Site 184 “After” with its beautifully restored angelstone.

Everything old is new again – at least at Site 184 on Fennell Avenue East in Hamilton. Renovations at the site called for a fresh coat of white paint but the contractor recommended ridding the exterior of its multiple layers of paint first. “It was a happy accident,” says Bob Reid, Pioneer’s Director of Construction, who was on-site when the sandblasting began. “Underneath all those layers of paint was the original 1967 angelstone.” The stone was restored to its original beauty and the renovated building, formerly a two bay garage, is now a beautiful modern convenience store. “It’s a very attractive site,” adds Bob. Site 184 reopened on August 6th under Ibrahim and his wife Evon Slewa.

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Retailer ExPress Fall 2010

Fantastic Mystery Shopper Results in North BayCongratulations to Erin Lanouette at Esso Site 247 in North Bay who rated a “Wow/Excellent” customer service review in Pioneer’s mystery shopper program. The experience was so good that the mystery shopper took the time to give comments. Here they are.

“This was the best customer service experience I’ve had in a long time. The employee was very friendly and chipper. She seemed to be enjoying her day as well as her work. Everything was quick but most of all it was her positive attitude and the great energy that came from her, that truly made this a WOW experience. I would recommend this location to friends and family, as well I will return to this ESSO. It was busy when I arrived yet everything went smoothly. If all shopping experiences were like this one everyone would have a much better day! Great JOB!”

As District Manager John Evans noted “…staff can truly make a difference to a customer even when the site is busy.” Well done Erin!

A smiling Erin Lanouette behind the service counter at Site 247.

From left to right, Ed Whitehouse (District Manager), Mohamed Lemqadem and Ali Mansour (retailer at site 185)s

At approximately 6:20 a.m. on July 12, 2010 a male customer visited Pioneer Site 185 in Waterdown and requested to purchase a pack of cigarettes from customer service attendant Mohamed Lemqadem. During the purchase this person propositioned Mohamed by offering him $5000 to be permitted to install a device within the PINpad for a period of a week. Mohamed declined and immediately after the individual exited the premises, he contacted his manager, Ali Mansour, who contacted our POS help desk, his district manager, and the Hamilton Police to file a report.

Mohamed’s actions and the information provided led to an investigation by police and our payment processor, Global Payments Canada. He received a reward in the amount of $500 on behalf of the Canadian Banker’s Association for declining the offer to contribute to payment card fraud, and in conjunction with our agent/operator, for providing timely and detailed information including video footage to law enforcement, thereby enabling them to pursue the individual attempting to commit a crime.

“Congratulations Ali, Mohamed and staff. You should be commended,” said Troy Richter, Manager of Retail Systems in recounting the event. “These actions illustrate that the established procedures and protocols implemented by Pioneer are successful in the prevention of payment card fraud.”

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Anti-Fraud Action Taken at Site 185

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Ruby Kaur and Harry Dhingra, retailers at Pioneer Site 176 in Breslau roared to Red Bull victory as the Ontario convenience store retailers with the largest percentage increase in Red Bull sales during period 3 (April 7th to May 18th) of the competition. The couple enjoyed an exhilarating weekend as VIP guests at the Red Bull International Air Race World Championship held in Windsor on June 5th and 6th.

The Air Race features the best pilots in the world in a competition in which they navigate a 5 kilometre stretch of track along the Detroit River. The planes reached speeds of 370 km/h while navigating the giant air-filled pylons, which marked the low-level track. “It was amazing,” said Harry. “We were treated like Kings.”

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Pioneer is partnering with the City of Hamilton to encourage the reduction of litter and promote recycling behaviours in public spaces such as parks, trails, roadways, open spaces and facilities such as arenas. The city’s “Put Waste in the Right Place” program engages anyone using Hamilton’s public spaces to take greater personal responsibility for clean and healthy neighbourhoods and communities. Pioneer’s sponsorship of the program will help the city contain litter in parks, trails, arenas and divert garbage into the recycling stream to be used again as material for new products.

The “Put Waste in the Right Place” program sponsorship has also been the catalyst for fast tracking Pioneer’s own site recycling program. “It was coming anyways,” says Anthony DiMaulo, who has been overseeing the testing of various recycling formats at sites as reported in the Summer 2010 issue of the Retailer ExPress.

The Pioneer logo and the “Put Waste in the Right Place” logo will appear together on recycling containers both around the city and at area Pioneer sites. “Customers will see the tie in when they come to our sites,” notes Anthony. “This program has expedited the launch at Hamilton sites,” acknowledges Anthony. Hamiltonians will see the new storefront units in place at local Pioneer sites in late October.

A race pilot navigates the track above the Detroit River in front of a crowd of 160,000.

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Ruby Kaur and Harry Dhingra, VIP guests of Red Bull.

Design concept of the recycling container

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Site 176 Roars to Red Bull VictoRy!

Retailer ExPress Fall 2010

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Pioneer has added Ecolab as a supplier of car wash chemicals. Ecolab is a major soap supplier to the car wash industry, but it was their people and their business style that really stood out for Pioneer’s Mike Dietrich, Manager of Car Wash and Maintenance.

“I found them to be much like Pioneer,” explains Mike. “They have a ‘get it done, make it happen’ approach and a family-style way of working with people.” That attitude put them on the short list of potential suppliers. Mike traveled to Ecolab headquarters in St. Paul, Minnesota. The more he learned about the company, the more it seemed to be a good fit for Pioneer. But it was the tour of the research and development facility that really stood out.

They have what is called “the Patent Wall,” a wall covered in hundreds of patents of their processes. “It’s really impressive,” says Mike.

Ecolab is involved in all areas of cleaning, sanitizing, food safety and infection prevention. “When they clean hospitals they have to be able to kill HIV, Norwalk virus, HINI, etc.,” explains Mike. “So they have a Level 3 lab with samples of major viruses.” Level 3 refers to the level of biosafety containment precautions required when working with dangerous biological materials. There is only one level above Level 3. Although Pioneer’s cleaning challenges are more of the everyday sort, there is a lot of chemistry involved in producing the results we need for our customers.

During the tour Mike met Ecolab research scientists, a couple who have spent their entire careers working on specific problems. “Ever thought about what actually goes into the formulation of the tire shine?” asks Mike. “It needs to be applied across the entire surface of the rubber, wrap over the tire and down into the grooves, but not on the

mags,” he explains. “If you’re a chemist this is a complex problem. That’s the type of problem they solve.”

“For a good car wash you have to break the chemical bond between the paint and the dirt,” continues Mike. “If you have a problem (getting cars clean) they would analyze samples of the water and the dirt remaining on the car after washing, and figure out what the problem is.” He left the

site visit with a strong sense of Ecolab’s dedication to the carwash industry and to customer service. “They have a lot of resources to rely upon and they’ll go to great lengths to ensure great results.”

Mike was equally impressed with the market and site work-ups that Ecolab did for Pioneer’s Winnipeg Esso sites, which were selected as the trial location. Ecolab used existing water and dirt samples from Winnipeg but

reviewed each site’s equipment to determine the best product mix. Then they developed a comprehensive market

program of staff training, incentives, custom marketing materials, etc.

Beyond their product and service capabilities, the company appears to be a good fit for Pioneer in other ways. “Corporate social responsibility is something we care about and Ecolab are leaders,” says Mike. Their 2009 Sustainability Report includes a telling piece that reflects the company’s philosophy:

“At Ecolab, sustainability isn’t just about being responsible in our own operations…. we can’t just sell products. We need to be there for our customers as a partner, analyzing their needs and results and ensuring they get the best results at the lowest total environment impact.”

“From what I saw during the site visit and since, they have plenty to back their claims of ‘advanced technology, superior service and powerful marketing,’” concludes Mike. “This is a company with a lot of depth.”

Site ViSit earnS ecoLab SuppLy contract

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DeGroote School of Business

This fall, students of McMaster University’s DeGroote School of Business will attend lectures in the new Pioneer Petroleums Lecture Theatre, named in recognition of the company’s financial support for the project. The lecture theatre is located in the Ron Joyce Centre, which is the new home of the DeGroote School of Business’ Masters of Business Administration (MBA) and Executive MBA programs.

The four storey Ron Joyce Centre, located on the South Service Road in Burlington, will educate 700-800 graduate and executive students annually. “This was a major undertaking in Burlington and we understood that they still needed funding, so we decided to help,” said Murray Hogarth, Pioneer Group Inc’s Executive Chairman, noting that Pioneer provides support across a broad area in the communities in which it does business.

In addition to the naming of the lecture theatre, a new scholarship will bear the Pioneer name. Pioneer Petroleums Ontario Graduate Scholarship will contribute to the funding of an Ontario Graduate Scholarship to be awarded by the School of Graduate Studies to Master and Doctoral students at McMaster University with preference given to a graduate student whose research is entrepreneurial in nature.

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w i n t e r 2010 / 2011 ONTARIOVol. 1. #2

winter warm ups 12

arts & crafts 21

muskoka winemaking 26

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canyon country 16 amazeing harvests 8 herb hunting 32

Don’t forget to offer your customers a copy of ROAM Magazine. Your customers will enjoy this fRee magazine, created just for them.

Ensure they know about it by asking if they’d like a copy. It’s full of great ideas for things to do in Ontario and it’s free to our customers. So far, the feedback has been terrific and while you’re at it, read ROAM Magazine yourself. We’re always looking for new destinations to feature, vacation tips and anything else to do with motoring in Ontario. Send us your ideas and we’ll award a prepaid $50 MasterCard for the best two tips received in each issue! Send your ideas by fax (905-639-2490) or email (kimh@pioneer.ca) Kim Hoang at Pioneer Head Office.

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Pioneer ExclusiveFall/Winter ROAM Magazine

Retailer ExPress Fall 2010

Pioneer Welcomes…

Dawn Sutherland joined Pioneer on July 26th as a Data Entry /Control Analyst. She is familiar with the petroleum industry having worked at Shell Canada. Married with 6

children, Dawn enjoys getting away on weekends to camp on the shores of Lake Erie.

Dawn replaces Mandy Lipnicky who has been promoted to Financial Analyst in the Finance Department.

Wendy Spencer joined Pioneer on June 28th in Accounts Payable. She moved here from Calgary in 2009, where she worked as joint venture accountant in the oil and gas industry. She’s

married with two boys and spends a lot of time in hockey arenas.

Julianne Trotman is Pioneer’s new Loyalty Manager. She’ll be concentrating on using the Bonus Bucks data to better market to existing and potential customers. Julianne

is originally from Barbados. She now lives in Oakville but claims that she’s an island girl at heart. Julianne comes to Pioneer from Indigo and Choice Hotels.

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Congratulations Murray Hogarth, Pioneer Petroleums founder and chairman of the Pioneer Group Inc. on your milestone birthday!Murray’s secrets to staying young - Stay active and make sure you enjoy what you are doing. And never retire!

Cliff Mangroo joined Pioneer on September 13th as Business Analyst Manager. Cliff comes to us via The Beer Store, Canadian Tire and most

recently Metro. When he isn’t measuring results with a view to strengthening performance Cliff can sometimes be found playing softball near his home in Mississauga.

Ashlyn Vanderveen started on August 30th. She’ll be filling in as Pioneer’s Fuel Inventory Analyst during Lana Oliynyk’s maternity leave. Ashlyn loves music

and use to sing in a contemporary rock band.

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Long Point Lion’s Classic Car Show 110 Classic cars participated at the 10th annual Long Point Classic Car Show on June 27th. Murray Hogarth’s former Executive Assistant Isabelle Abbey and her husband Bob are behind Pioneer’s sponsorship of this Lion’s Club event.

CorVETTE Fever Corvette enthusiasts gathered to show off their restored vehicles at CorVette Fever. More than 100 Corvettes participated in the Pioneer-sponsored event held on June 27th at Port Dover. Pioneer has been a sponsor of Stoney Creek Corvette Club’s CorVette FeVer since its inception in 2005.

Port Dover was the place to be on June 27th to catch CorVette Fever. More than 100 classic cars were on display at the Pioneer-sponsored event, including this beauty!

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PioneerSponsors…

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Results of Pioneer’s Carbon

Audit

As a part of our environmental commitment, Pioneer has just completed our fist carbon audit with e3 Solutions Inc. The audit involved

the calculation of the carbon footprint of three different types of sites (location 38 Hamilton, 119 Hamilton and 244 Burlington) which will act as a carbon baseline for current and future operations. These sites represent various standard formats ranging from a small standard store with pop coolers to a large format store with walk in coolers and tunnel car wash. Our ability to measure the carbon performance of our operations will allow management to identify opportunities for operational efficiencies as well as environmental improvements.

Key findings: A large format store with a car wash has a carbon footprint of 150 tonnes. A small standard store has a carbon footprint of 40 tonnes. The impact of the car wash is quite large (110 tonnes) especially in the area of natural gas and electricity consumption.

Opportunities: Electricity makes up the largest portion of our footprint at 63%. Consumption is stable through the year and opportunities for reduction will be in the area of purchasing more energy efficient equipment for our operations. Natural gas is the second largest activity with 34% of our footprint. The greatest opportunity for reduction will be in the area of car wash operations specifically related to heating of water.

Success to Date: The success story is that our refrigerant hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) emissions, an important element of our footprint, are zero. Because of our specialized maintenance programs, we have not experienced any refrigerant leakages for the last two

years. This is not only good for the environment but also increases energy efficiency and reduces

energy costs.

Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC): A group of molecules used to replace the ozone depleting CFC chemicals as refrigerant gases. HFCs are powerful greenhouse gases ranging from 150 to 11,700 times more powerful than CO2.

Canadian Carbon StatisticsCarbon emissions per capita per person = 24 tonnes This is the second highest in the world. This includes a combination of:

• Home energy consumption• Industrial activity • Transportation• Agriculture

http://www.conferenceboard.ca/hcp/details/environment/greenhouse-gas-emissions.aspxFrom the total amount of carbon emissions per capita per person, 12 tonnes of it is emissions per household (based on personal activity).http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/16-002-x/2008004/c-g/gas-gaz/c-g001-eng.htm

Retailer ExPress Fall 2010

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You supported two great causes in our community through these golf events:

Pioneer Petroleums Charity Golf Classicin support of the RHLI Thirteenth (XIII) Regiment Foundation August 18th“A soldier shouldn’t have to worry about things back home while in combat for their country,” said Tim Hogarth, Pioneer Petroleums’ President and CEO and Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel of The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (RHLI). Thanks to the tremendous support for the Pioneer Petroleums Charity Golf Classic held on August 18th, $45,000 was raised to help support local soldiers from the RHLI and their families in Hamilton and Burlington through the 13th (XIII) Regiment Foundation.

The Foundation was established to help provide care when needed for the families of RHLI soldiers deployed on international or long-term domestic missions, and to provide some comforts of home to the soldiers themselves. The RHLI is an army reserve unit within 31 Canadian Brigade Group, the army in southwestern Ontario. It has components in both Hamilton and Burlington and a current strength of over 200 soldiers.

Thank You Golf SponSorS

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Tim Hogarth (second from left), President and CEO of Pioneer Petroleums and Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel of the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry, is shown presenting a $45,000 cheque to Tom Marlor (third from left), Honorary Colonel of the RHLI and Chair of the 13th (XIII) Regiment Foundation. The presentation took place at “Resolute Riley,” the RHLI’s competition held on September 11th at Valens Conservation area. First from left is Chief Warrant Officer Brian Robinson, Regimental Sergeant-Major of the RHLI, and first on the right, Lieutenant-Colonel Dan Stepaniuk, Commanding Officer.

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Thank You Golf SponSorS

Brady Financial Group/Pioneer Golf Classicin support of YMCA Strong Kids

Funds raised through the 9th Annual Brady Financial Group/Pioneer Golf Classic on October 5th help to build strong kids in our community. For every $151 that is raised, a child living in difficult financial circumstances will have an opportunity to attend a YMCA program to build the character and skills they need to succeed in life.

Between 2001 and 2010, $470,000 has been raised, helping over 3,000 children in our community. This year’s results were $80,000 and we would like to thank our sponsors because we know that many more children will get to enjoy the benefits of a YMCA program.

In support of 2 great causesin our communitiesThank you to our sponsors

Funds raised through the 9th Annual Brady Financial Group/Pioneer Golf Classic help to build strong kids in

our community. For every $151 raised, a child living in diffi cult fi nancial circumstances will have an opportunity

to attend a YMCA program to build the character and skills they need to succeed in life.

Since 2001, $450,000 has been raised to help approximately 3,000 children in our community.

Brady Financial Group/Pioneer Golf Classic in support of YMCA Strong Kids October 5, 2010

Funds raised through the Pioneer Petroleums Charity Golf Classic help build and sustain the Royal Hamilton

Light Infantry Thirteenth (XIII) Regiment Foundation, and will allow it to create sorely-needed new initiatives in

order to continue to support the Regiment and its soldiers.

Pioneer Petroleums Charity Golf Classicin support of the RHLI Thirteenth (XIII) Regiment Foundation August 18, 2010

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Retailer ExPress Fall 2010

Saving the Environment OnE REfill at a timELiquidXpress Canada has introduced a revolutionary idea to help keep some of the 1.2 million windshield washer fluid containers out of Canadian landfills – a windshield washer fluid refilling station. The new concept is being put to the test at Pioneer Site 244 on Appleby Line in Burlington.

The idea is the brainchild of Mississauga entrepreneur Jim Cicci who you may see pitching his idea on Dragon’s Den this fall. “It was very stressful,” he said of the 47 minute grilling the Dragon’s gave him. With help from his accountant he was well-prepared to make his pitch but at the last second before he walked out on stage, the producer took all his notes from him. “No notes this year,” he was told. He expects they will pick the worst six minutes to show.

In the end he was told to get some contracts first, and so he’s working on that right now. Pioneer has begun testing the customer response to the windshield washer refilling station and Dragon’s Den may tape a follow-up segment at Site 244 in mid to end of October.

Jim doesn’t know when the pieces will air, but in the meantime customers can try it out at Pioneer Site 244 on Appleby Line in Burlington. The patented refilling station is coin operated and works in similar fashion to a coffee vending machine or water dispenser. A windshield washer fluid refilling bag is also available if customers don’t have their own container to refill. In time Jim can see windshield washer fluid being mainly purchased this way.

“Many people are looking for a way to reduce their impact on the environment,” notes Jim. “This is a simple solution. It’s easy to use and it saves the consumer a little money as well.”

The LiquidXpress Windshield Washer Fluid Refilling Station at Site 244 in Burlingtons

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Wave &Win with Visa payWave™

Pioneer customers have a chance to win their Visa purchases for the month by using the Visa payWave™ card, the faster way to pay. The contest, supported by Visa bill inserts and P.O.P. at the pumps and in-store, runs during the months of September and October. Customers are automatically entered when they use Visa payWave at Pioneer and two lucky customers will win their Visa purchases for the month (up to $5,000)!† No purchase necessary. Two (2) prizes available to be won up to CAD $5,000 each posted to the primary cardholder’s Visa payWaveTM account as a credit for purchases (less returns) during October, 2010. The Contest runs from Sept 1/10 at 12:00:01 a.m. ET to Oct 31/10 at 11:59:59 p.m. ET. Skill-testing question required. Full contest rules available at 1-888-242-9991 or www.visaperks.ca. ®2010 Visa. All Rights Reserved.

Pioneer Strength at Esso National Retailer ConferencePioneer Petroleums’ commitment and enthusiasm for our Esso relationship was apparent at the Esso National Retailer Conference held from September 13th – 15th at the Harbour Castle Westin in Toronto. Pioneer’s contingent of Esso dealers, retailers, district managers and head office personnel was roughly 100 strong. With 750 dealers and retailers in attendance, the number of Pioneer attendees clearly stood out.

“The Pioneer presence was an important part of showing our strength as an RBD (Retail Branded Distributor),” said Brian Kitchen, Vice President of Operations. “It was a very good conference with workshops, a supplier showcase and special pricing opportunities.”

Some added support for our Esso dealers came in the form of extra special pricing from Pioneer on Gilbarco’s already discounted show pricing.

United WayPioneer Petroleums will help kick off the United Way of Burlington and Greater Hamilton’s 2010 Campaign this fall with a $3,000 commitment in support of their initiatives to prevent poverty, strengthen neighbourhoods and support seniors.

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The Retailer ExPressFall 2010 editionA publication for Pioneer Retailers and Head Office employees.

Send us your Pioneer stories.

Editor: Geoff Hogarth geoff@pioneer.ca

Assistant Editors: Kim Hoang kimh@pioneer.ca

Wendy Eveleigh wendy.eveleigh@pioneer.ca

Tel: (905) 639-2060 Fax (905) 639-2490

© 2009 Pioneer Petroleums. All rights reserved.

www.pioneer.ca

Site 121 BronteSite 121 at 754 Bronte Road, Oakville operated by Gayle Webster and Annelise Samson was rebranded from Sunoco to Pioneer in 4 days in late August. The Bronte site reopened on August 20th.

The new Pioneer-branded site in Brontes

New eco-Friendly uniforms Pioneer is pleased to announce that after working with our uniform supplier, GT Corporate Apparel for the past year, new and more sustainably-produced uniforms have gone into production. The new uniforms include a full-zip fleece made of 62% recycled PET (polyethylene terephthalate - the material used in water bottles, etc.) and 38% polyester, and a golf shirt made of 50% bamboo

charcoal and 50% “Cooltech” wicking yarn. The fabrics are being custom-produced for Pioneer.

“It wears well and has good washability,” says Dan Edwards, Pioneer’s Warehouse Manager, “and I found

it cooler than the current garment.” Dan has been testing a prototype of the new bamboo golf

shirt for the past 12 months. “The previous shirt was less effective than we had hoped at keeping people cool,” says Dan. “This one is good.”

Although the style and appearance of the uniforms are virtually the same, there is one noticeable difference: an outside label to let customers know that we’ve made the switch to a more sustainable eco-friendly product.

The fleeces will begin to be available in December (depending on size) and the golf shirts will follow in January 2011.