The outside of the Toot N’ Totum station at Pancake Boulevard and Western Avenue in Liberal. The company is celebrating 75 years of business this year, and CEO Andrew Mitchell said he is proud and excited to commemorate the milestone. L&T photo/Elly Grimm

ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

 

There are very few companies who get to say they have made it 75 years in business and recently, one that has a presence in Liberal reached just that.

Toot N’ Totum is marking 75 years of operations in 2025, and as CEO Andrew Mitchell tells it, the company started rather humbly.

“The company started back in 1950, and that's when the first sign came up in Amarillo, Texas. Everything was started by my grandparents, Novie and Eldon 'Lefty' Mitchell, and she actually had two other businesses she was running at the time, a chinaware store and an electric company,” Mitchell said. “From there, they decided to branch out into the convenience store world, and the opened their first c-store on 15th and Washington in Amarillo, Texas, ultimately growing the chain to six stores over the next five years. After my grandfather passed away in 1955, Novie took the reins of everything, and she helped lay the foundation that shaped Toot N’ Totum to what it is today. By 1988, the chain had grown to 50 stores in Amarillo. In 1996 was when my dad, Greg Mitchell, took over as president and CEO, and my mom, Julie, began to steer the chain’s expansion across the Texas Panhandle. Eventually, the company began to prioritize vertical integration, expanded into lube shop and car wash operations, and moved into new   areas, including Kansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. I'm third-generation, and I took over as president and CEO in 2023.”

Mitchell said it is exciting for the company to have reached such a major milestone.

“It's really exciting to look back at so many of the different leaders who have come and gone and helped the company get where it is today,” Mitchell said. “We're the lucky ones who get to help build on what's been going on for the past 75 years and celebrate it. I've been with the company since 2005, and John's been here for multiple years as well, so we're at a great point in the company's history. There's been so much amazing growth that's happened because of our guests, and we want to create great experiences for every one of our customers. We strive to do that every day through our five values, which are honoring and valuing all of our team members and our guests – we see a lot of different faces every day, and if we can do one thing to help the customers who come into one of our stores, we're doing things right. I'm very excited about reaching 75 years, and I can't wait to see us reach that century mark in 25 years, that would be amazing.”

In 75 years of operations, Mitchell said there have indeed been many changes.

“The direction of the convenience store has changed a lot in the past 75 years, such as different types of payment and the investments we've put into expanding our lube center and car wash operations, the types of food we offer at our stores and things like that,” Mitchell said. “Those dynamics are always interesting, but seeing how technology has evolved is one of the biggest changes I've noticed, and we're working all the time to make those work for us. A huge benefit to our company is our marketing department, they're taking leaps and bounds in getting everything out about what we do. Food has also drastically changed, and people are always on the lookout for somewhere where they can get a great meal and maybe a few other items all in one spot. We also strive to make sure every store is clean and customer-ready, because if we don't do that, we're not doing our job.”

John Lutz, vice president of fuel and marketing for Toot N’ Totum, said there are already thoughts about the future.

“We've got some really big things coming up throughout the year, and with this being the company's 75th anniversary, we're making some bold and big moves to commemorate that,” Lutz said. “One of the main projects we're working on is the relaunch of our mobile app, which will be happening in February, and it will be such a wonderful upgrade for our customers in terms of aesthetics and user-friendliness. There will be multiple discounts on fuel and food and other items, and we want as many people as possible to use the app so they can earn those points and take advantage of those discounts and deals. We'll also have days when we'll be doing giveaways and other fun things. We want to develop that strong app platform that brings a new and much better guest experience. We're also going to be redoing what we call the Spirit Pumps, and there in Liberal, there will be a fuel pump where customers will be able to use it, and some of those proceeds will go toward Liberal High School and some of the programs there. Not every company gets to say they've been in business for 75 years, and not every company makes it through three different generations of leadership, and all of that is really impressive. The best way to keep up with what we'll be doing throughout the year is to sign up for the mobile app, because there will be so much shared through that. We want people to stay tuned for what we're doing, it's going to be the biggest celebration we've done as a company. Like I said earlier, food continues to be a big thing, and every month, we have a new food offering for our customers, and we've made a lot of improvements in those offerings. We don't want to stay stale, we want to keep things fresh and new for our customers, and we're constantly in contact with our stores' managers about how things are going. Since we're able to do that, that helps us respond quickly to fix any issues that might be going on.”

Overall, Lutz said, the future looks bright for Toot N’ Totum.

“Something we'll want to increase is service to the truckers who come through our stores. One of our locations is very highly focused on the trucking community and making sure they get the fuel they need as well as some of those amenities they need, like food and a shower facility,” Lutz said. “We're really wanting to improve those drivers' experience so as they're on the road and see a Toot N' Totum, they'll want to pull in because they know we'll have everything they need. We have a lot of respect for truck drivers because they're truly part of the backbone of our economy, and we're frequently thinking of ways we can continue catering to them. We want to somewhat decouple from that gas station mentality where you went there mainly to get gas and there weren't really any amenities for drivers, but we want customers to come, get the fuel they need, and also get some snacks and drinks and other needs. We're really wanting to make improvements everywhere. I actually had lunch with a couple of the Toot N' Totum team members there in Liberal recently, and it struck me how this company has grown into such a large and successful organization throughout the years, but we're still a family company and focused locally in each of the communities where we're set up. We're more than a convenience store, we want to also be almost a hometown store and even as we continue growing, we want to keep that and know everyone personally as much as possible.”

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