In 2005, in order to convey a clearer, stronger and more unified presence around the world, energy giant Chevron/Texaco simplified its name to Chevron. At the same time, the company unveiled a new, more streamlined logo along with an ambitious program to refresh almost 8,500 stations in the U.S. with new canopies in just five years. Now approximately halfway through the project, Chevron relies on a newtwork of key industry partners such as Alcoa Architectural Products of Norcross, GA, and Calcraft Corporation of Rialto, CA—material manufacturers, fabricators and installers—to ensure that the brand image is consistent in all markets.
Chevron’s designers developed five new canopy designs for the Station Refresh Program to provide the station owners with the flexibility to tailor their investment to a level appropriate for the sales generated at each location. Aluminum composite material (ACM) is specified for each of the five designs.
“The timing was right,” said Geoff Vogel, CID manager for Chevron. “The company image hadn’t changed in 17 years. The name change provided the impetus to create a new brand identity that would be highly visible to the consumers in our markets.”
Chevron’s refreshed stations have an open, more contemporary look, designed to be bright and inviting even in the dark of night. Each canopy design incorporates a state-of-the-art, energy efficient lighting system with spotlights strategically placed to focus on the pumps, trash valet and to help customers see more clearly while filling up. Accent lighting on the canopy itself improves the station’s night presence. Key elements of the design for the new Level 1 canopy, created for the highest producing stations, is the addition of blue LED lighting on the blue ACM, which yields a “glow” effect, a rounded bull-nose edge in Chevron “Image Refresh” White ACM, and the updated logo.
Calcraft Corporation completed a turnkey installation at the Chevron Station at 2130 San Ramon Valley Boulevard in San Ramon, CA in September 2007. The station—owned and operated by Bridgehead Gas & Oil—pumps over 150,000 gallons of gasoline per month, qualified for a Level 1 makeover. Calcraft fabricated and installed 1,000 sq. ft. of Reynobond ACM, 3mm, PE core in Chevron “Image Refresh” White with Duragloss finish and approximately 500 sq. ft. of Reynobond ACM, 3mm, PE core in Chevron “Image Refresh” Blue with a Duragloss finish for the new canopy.
“Chevron provides the specifications for each station,” said John Sevo of Calcraft. “We then meet with the station owners to survey the property and prepare a proposal for their site. Once the permits are in hand we fabricate the panels in our Rialto plant and complete the installation within 5 to 7 days. We make a point of working on one part of the canopy at a time so the station can continue to pump gas during the renovation.” Working in conjunction with Chevron, Calcraft offers an optional turnkey package that includes fascia, signage, trash valets, POS units and Pump Spanners for dealer sites.
“It was extremely important to Chevron that we partner with companies that consistently provide quality product with a low Total Cost of Ownership,” continued Vogel. “The relationships we’ve developed with our vendors are key to the success of our efforts to promote image stability at all of our stations. We don’t have to worry about the product being right, problems are corrected quickly and inventory is always kept in stock with a “secured” supply line. And, we’re confident that the material will continue to look good with minimal attention despite what station owners do.”
Alcoa Architectural Products keep ACM panels in Chevron colors warehoused for quick delivery. According to Vogel, Chevron selected Alcoa as one of its primary material partners because of the consistent quality of Reynobond ACM, the company’s reputation and 10-year product warranty. “Our partnership goes deeper than just a customer service arrangement,” said Frank Meehan, the West Coast Sales Manager for Alcoa Architectural Products. “We’ll always go the extra mile for our partners. For example, when Houston was hit by a hurricane last year, about 300 stations were damaged by the winds. Alcoa offered to station quantities of Reynobond ACM in Texas at its own expense, and provided extended terms to Chevron’s dealers to assist with the recovery.
A lot of care went into achieving the right colors for the Chevron Refresh Program,” continued Meehan. “And we want to insure that those colors will remain vibrant and unblemished throughout the lifetime of the product. That’s why we recommended our Duragloss paint finish with a ten-year warranty for the program. It’s durable and cost-effective, and saves station owners several hundred dollars per installation.”
To further assist Chevron, Alcoa initiated an ongoing third-party accelerated Paint Testing program to measure attributes such as paint fade and caulk as well as gloss retention. Duragloss and Coraflon FEVE are two types of paint specified by Chevron for use in the Image Refresh Program. Since Alcoa is paint agnostic it can supply either of these two paints. The test, which has been extended for a second full year, shows that the Duragloss finish with a primer coat performs as well as or better than the FEVE paint finish. The Duragloss paint system offers Chevron and their customers the best value and saves them money.
After photos by Brett Drury, Architectural Photography Inc., Escondido, CA