The convenience retail business runs in Dave Carpenter’s blood. Carpenter is a third-generation convenience store owner and president of JD Carpenter Companies, a business his grandfather started in 1935. Dave’s grandfather owned filling stations that served motorists traveling through Iowa. His father ran the company before Dave took over, building the operation to 21 convenience stores and truck stops located across the state.

After Dave sold his Iowa-based stores in 2010, he started looking for new business opportunities. His search took him to Colorado, where in 2011, he began building 7-Eleven stores in the Denver area and around the state. Today, as a multiple store (BCP) franchisee, his company operates eight 7-Eleven stores employing about 80 people.

“I always enjoyed the competitive and personal service aspects of the convenience retail business,” said Carpenter. “It’s about providing products and services that best serve people’s needs and doing it in a way that keeps customers coming back.”

In 2013 as he was developing his sixth 7-Eleven site, he imagined creating something special for his customers. At 3,500 square feet, this Centennial-based store would be significantly larger than the average 7-Eleven. Situated in a commercial and residential area adjacent to the Denver Tech Center, Carpenter figured the location would be busy around the clock. The store also offers a full selection of prepared food items to cater to the needs of an upscale demographic of patrons including office workers and local residents.

But Dave wanted to create a better customer experience not just in the store, but also in its washrooms. Along with a larger-than-average store size, Carpenter also planned for spacious washrooms to handle the expected high volume of customers. At approximately 550 square feet, both men’s and women’s facilities would be more than twice the size of typical convenience store lavatories. The washrooms would also feature doorless entries to facilitate traffic flow.

Washrooms in his previous 7-Eleven locations were equipped with standard sinks, paper towel dispensers and hand dryers. With those fixtures came paper towel litter, overflowing trash cans and water splashed on countertops and floors – along with customer complaints and the need for frequent upkeep. In addition, ordinary wall-mounted hand dryers were noisy and ineffective.

After some searching, he found the ideal solution in the new all-in-one Advocate AV-Series Lavatory Systems manufactured by Wisconsin-based Bradley Corporation. Carpenter selected Advocate double units for both the men’s and women’s bathrooms. The Advocate’s innovative design enables his patrons to complete the entire hand-washing process – soap, rinse, and dry – in one place by combining a touchless soap dispenser, faucet and hand dryer in a single unit.

“Customers love the clean, modern look of the Advocate as well as its functionality,” said Carpenter. “No one expects to see fixtures this attractive in a convenience store.”

Anissa Henry, operations manager for Dave’s 7-Eleven locations in Colorado, couldn’t agree more. She says that the Advocate gives this store an upscale image that appeals to its clientele. Henry gets a steady flow of compliments from the store’s patrons. She added that some people actually have taken photos of the Advocate and posted them on their Facebook pages, Yelp and other social media sites.

And as the person responsible for ensuring that the bathrooms are always clean and safe, she says the Advocate systems have completely eliminated paper towel waste and help keep the washrooms cleaner throughout the day.

“Keeping the bathrooms presentable throughout the day is one of our most demanding jobs,” said Henry. “With the Advocate units our floors and sinks stay tidy and ready for the next round of customers.”

Carpenter also took steps to minimize the store’s environmental footprint. Solar tubes were installed throughout the building to utilize natural light during the day. The building also employs LED light fixtures, which are dimmed during the day and come on automatically during the evening hours and at night to provide a pleasant, well-lit shopping environment. And, in the washrooms, the Advocate’s high-efficiency hand dryer reduces energy consumption by 50 percent.

“All of these environmentally friendly features are good for our planet, and they really help lower our monthly electricity bills,” added Henry. 

The future is bright for Carpenter and his dedicated team. He already has three more 7-Eleven locations in the planning stages, with additional locations on the horizon. And he plans to install Advocate units in the washrooms of his new stores.

“We’re completely sold on the appearance and functionality of these fixtures. They’ve had a positive impact on customer’s perceptions of what a convenience store should be,” he said. “All we need to decide on is surface colors.”

Whatever choice Carpenter ultimately makes, one thing is for sure. He will continue to do what’s best for his customers.