Mission : SEC

It might be Labor Day for most of America today, but today, the staff at the Conoco "Bread Box", located off of Lovell Road in the northwest section of Knoxville, was hard at work. With the daily business at hand, the management graciously took some time to talk some Tennessee football with us, as well as the business they run.

Chuck Baine and Bobby Fischer are responsible for twenty "Bread Box" stations throughout Tennessee, with 14 of them being in the Knoxville area.

The Lovell Rd. Conoco "has been open for three years," said Fischer. "But it's been a hidden gem for us. We had to build it quite a ways back from the highway, so we were worried a bit. It's been a great spot for us though."

As for Tennessee football Saturdays, both Baine and Fischer noted the increase in traffic.

"We get quite a nice increase in sales and traffic during football weekends," Baine said.

"However," said Fischer, "we're not around downtown Knoxville. The stores we have there just get swamped."

There's a lot of Tennessee pride throughout the store, despite both Baine and Fischer's wishes to paint the store orange instead of red. Tennessee car flags cover the coffee area, while Tennessee coolers, key chains, lapel pins, and anything else orange can be found inside the store. Both Baine and Fischer were decked in orange shirts. The Bread Box polos proudly display the "Power T" along with their logo.

"We've got to keep it Conoco colors," said Baine, noting the red and classic metal trim inside the store. "However, if we had it our way, we'd replace that red with orange. You should see Bobby's office."

"It's all orange and white," Fischer said, smiling. "In this town, you've got to have orange."

While decked in red, and stocked with Vol gear, the Conoco store is as clean and neat as any gas station one will ever find. To the Bread Box staff, having a neat, clean appearance is vital to business.

"It's the presentation of the store that helps sell the product," Fischer said.

As for the presentation that Tennessee's football team put on display last Saturday, consider Vol fans sold.

"Ainge took a lot of grief last year," Baine said. "But he had a terrific game. They just really played great."

"Hopefully, you can interview us again when we head to Atlanta," Fischer said.

And with the victory on Saturday, working on Labor Day seems more like fun than actual work at the Bread Box.