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Scott Simon is ready to take on Wawa

You've got to hand it to Scott Simon, who turned 56 Tuesday. The man has courage, taking on the challenge of trying to revitalize Swiss Farms, a convenience store chain headquartered here in the heart of Wawa Land.

Scott Simon, President and CEO of Swiss Farms, is shown at their drive thru market at 301 W. MacDade Blvd. in Milmont Park, PA on Aug. 10, 2016.
Scott Simon, President and CEO of Swiss Farms, is shown at their drive thru market at 301 W. MacDade Blvd. in Milmont Park, PA on Aug. 10, 2016.Read morePhotographer: CHARLES FOX

You've got to hand it to Scott Simon, who turned 56 Tuesday.

The man has courage, taking on the challenge of trying to revitalize Swiss Farms, a convenience store chain headquartered here in the heart of Wawa Land.

With its corporate offices in Broomall, Swiss Farms has 13 stores, mostly in Delaware and Chester Counties. Swiss Farms operates as a drive-through store. The customer pulls up, an employee runs out, takes the order, and then hustles back with coffee, milk, eggs, bread, sandwiches, even such organic products as green tea and Annie's Organic & Natural Mac and Cheese.

"There's enough space in the whole world - everyone's looking for something," he said. "Listen, I go to Wawa. Everyone has disposable income and everyone looks for certain things. We call it a hook. In retail, everyone has a hook, and that's what makes them special."

So what makes Swiss Farms special, especially compared with Wawa?

First, the drive-through component is hands down a complete differentiation.

I'd also say our staff. We're not transaction generated. It's much more personality driven. When you drive through with your car, the intimacy is so much greater than two people in line and you're waiting. Now [the employee] can say, "Hi, how are you? Oh, I remember you. You got the pretzel from me last time. How'd you like it?" So, the skill set of a staff that's engaged with the customer is a big component.

And where we're going to go with the fresh food program.

Is Wawa a tough competitor?

It's not just Wawa. It's CVS. It's Walgreens. It's Staples. Staples sells bread. They sell juice. They sell granola.

We all compete for a share of somebody's wallet. The real question is how do we retain and "loyalize" that customer so they don't have a chance to want to go anywhere else.

There's enough out there for everybody. But I also think competition is healthy. The more they're shining their penny up, the more we need to shine our penny up. That just makes it a win-win for the consumer.

Any expansion plans?

I'm in negotiation with a guy that owns 14 Sunoco stations. We're going to rebrand his Sunoco stations into Swiss Farms. We're going to retrofit the space and then, on the buildings that we can, we're going to make up the drive-through component.

Are you going to sell gas?

From the petroleum to the retail, it will all be Swiss Farms. As we look to the future, we will have models that will be a hybrid model. You'll have a drive-up model. You'll have a walk-in model.

Any other plans?

There are other lines of business that we're going to create within Swiss Farms. For instance, I have two transfer trucks. They're refrigerated. They're beautiful transfer trucks. I only need them four hours a day, five days a week. We're going to monetize those trucks to partner up with other people requiring refrigeration.

You said you are soon launching a new fresh food program. What is it?

We'll partner up with other local vendors. So, for instance, Modern Palate [in Colmar] is a great partner for us. It's a food manufacturing catering company that is going to be providing us a full line of entrées - breakfast, lunch, dinner - all fresh, clean food, that you can go home and put in the oven. It's something that your mom would make, blackened chicken, fish, vegetables. Under $10. There are no artificial ingredients.

Any advice for how young people can use what they learn in an entry-level job like this to advance in the world of work?

Treat it like that. Believe in it like that. You can come to work thinking it's just a job. But if you treat it as though this is a step to the next direction, you can look for skills you can work on in this job that will get you the next job.

What might those be?

Basic blocking and tackling. Good eye contact. It's being sincere, following up. It's taking pride that no one leaves here unsatisfied. It's taking ownership.

How did you get started?

I went into the Coast Guard when I was 17. After testing you, they decide where you're going to go. I could spray paint or go to cooking school. It was a real easy choice.

Interview questions and answers have been edited for space.

jvonbergen@phillynews.com

215-854-2769

@JaneVonBergen

SCOTT SIMON

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Title: Chief executive, president.

Home: Malvern, hoping to move to Bryn Mawr.

Family: Wife, Lynn Simon; daughters, Alex Clarke, 31; Sarah, 29, Samantha, 27.

Grew up: California.

Diplomas: Bradley University, master's in business; undergraduate work/certifications in culinary, hospitality from UCLA, California Cooking Academy, Coast Guard Cooking School.

At your service: Waited on Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Bette Davis while clerking in a posh grocery.

Loves: His Westie, Max Oliver.

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SWISS FARMS

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What: Drive-through chain of 13 convenience stores in Delaware, Chester Counties, based in Broomall.

Employees: 195.

Owner: MVP Capital Partners in Radnor, which has also invested in Saxbys, Destination Maternity.

Dollars: Sales declined 4 percent over five years, expected to increase 5 percent in 2016.

Ambitions: Expand nationally.

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Swiss Farms' Scott Simon on minimum-wage economics. www.philly.com/jobbing

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