Residents of Deer River, Minn., celebrate their giving community with food and fun during the Tanks of Thanks event in July 2014. CHS hosted the summer bash and selected Northern Star Cooperative, based in Deer River, and its employees for their community service. Opposite page, lower left: Northern Star Cooperative General Manager Dave DeLawyer enjoys the day with his granddaughter, Lyla DeLawyer. an active part of a community,” says Akhtar Hussain, marketing manager, CHS Refi ned Fuels. Community Eff ort “We give back in ways that make our owners feel proud to be part of something that’s successful. It’s about more than just dollars and cents. It’s about what’s good for the area and the people,” says Dave DeLawyer, Northern Star Cooperative general manager. “We try to do things that directly impact local groups,” says board member Vic Williams Jr. “We see results from what we give back to the community through scholarships, grants and money awards. The co-op donates to the DARE program to help keep young people off drugs and supports youth organizations, senior groups and more. It’s a testament to what happens when a successful business reinvests in the community.” The co-op and its Cenex convenience stores have embraced Tanks of Thanks since the program’s inception in 2012. “We deeply appreciate the CHS commitment to Tanks of Thanks. It’s one of the best things I’ve seen in my 38 years in the co-op system,” says DeLawyer. “Northern Star Cooperative has fully engaged in the program. We can all do something to help people in need.” Better Place to Live The co-op designates six people per location each year to receive a $50 Tanks of Thanks gift card from CHS for their good deeds, plus donates a matching $50 gift card. Team members at the Deer River Cenex convenience store show off their Tanks of Thanks spirit, wearing buttons and posting messages that encourage customers to nominate others for the monthly gift card drawings. “At our annual meeting, I tell people they can come to my offi ce and use my computer to nominate someone if they don’t have a computer,” says Jim Daigle, Cenex convenience store manager. “You aren’t going to see another retail brand out there giving away gift cards. Cenex Tanks of Thanks is a homegrown program. We’re locally owned. We’re honoring local people for the things they do to make Deer River a better place to live, and that money stays here in our community.” Cenex is a trusted brand in the co-op’s northern Minnesota territory. “It has been wonderfully received and continues to grow,” says Brad Box, energy division manager and assistant general manager at Northern Star. In addition to supplying farms, fl eets and the timber industry, the cooperative serves the area’s resort industry with high-quality Cenex fuels, lubricants, propane and c-store products. There for Each Other At the party, kids splashed down a water slide, played games of skill and bounced through an infl atable obstacle course. They got their fi ll of snow cones and cotton candy, but it didn’t curb their appetite for a tasty lunch shared with the entire town. “While I was serving potato salad, people came up to me and said, ‘Thank you for being here for us.’ And I replied, ‘It’s you folks who are here for us’,” says Jim Tarbell, Northern Star board president. “It meant a lot to our community to win this celebration.” Each month, 100 names are drawn from Tanks of Thanks nominations to receive $50 Cenex gift cards. Since the program began, more than 13,000 nominations have been received. ■ SEE MORE Visit chsinc.com/c to view a video and photos from the celebration. Your CHS Connection 21