DECEMBER 1, 2003
Smoke Signals 3
Grand Ronde Station Set To Open In December With New Manager On Board
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Ready To Go Grand Ronde Station Manager Darrel Qlark stands in front of the nearly finished facility expected to open in December. With one drive-thru for three different
franchises inside, the station also will feature a car wash and cross-promotions for Spirit Mountain Casino.
Hard-riding Cherokee Darrel Clark wants to offer the "best" service to customers.
By Ron Karten
Darrel Clark comes from a hard
riding family. His father and uncle,
Gene and Bobby Clark, were rodeo
clowns inducted into both Rodeo and
Cowboy halls of fame. His brother
went into rodeo competitions, too, send
ing him off another way to stake his
claim, in football and baseball, a track
he now says gave him the reputation
of being the black sheep of the family.
Still, he knew how hard their jobs
were. "It's the hardest thing in the
world to make people laugh when
you're about to be run over by a ton of
bull," he said.
Every spring, he'd leave school a
month early to hit the rodeo trail, and
come back to school a month late, af
ter a circuit that took him across this
country and through Canada. Born
in southern California ("not L.A.," he
said) and raised outside of Burns, Or
egon, he said that the one thing all
this travel instilled in him was, "I'm
not afraid of change."
In the years since, he has owned res
taurants and delis and catering out
fits (serving 2,000 meals a day to the
staffs of Intel and Fujitsu in the Port
land metropolitan area), he's been a
rental agent for construction equip
ment and a stock broker (not livestock,
particularly after the market crashed).
As a Cherokee, he was particularly
interested in serving an Indian com
munity when the opportunity to man
age the Tribe's soon-to-open conve
nience store came up. But he quickly
found out that the Grand Ronde Sta
tion was not going to be your everyday
C-store.
With the blueprint for the facility
spread out under his elbows on a con
ference table, he started to tick off all
the extras that go beyond a generic C
store. He listed the Taco Time, TCBY and
Boyd's Coffee franchises that will fill
the drive-through end of the facility.
"The menu board," said Clark, "will
have a lot of options."
The genius of it, he added, is that
the coffee, espresso and pastries part
will dominate in the morning hours
with Taco Time and TCBY filling later
cravings, giving customers a reason
to stop by during any of the seven days
and 24 hours that the facility stays
open.
The denim shirts that some 30 em
ployees will wear while on duty have
the Confederated Tribes of Grand
Ronde logo stitched onto the front with
the logos of Taco Time and TCBY
stitched onto the sleeves.
Also beyond normal C-store fare, said
Clark, are gas pumps, stations to pro
vide propane for RVs and a car wash.
As the days dwindled before the open
ing in mid-December, Clark was con
sumed with everything from where to
hang a buffalo head to a supplier balk
ing at requirements for working with
an Indian nation to knitting together
four different computer systems.
The things that are driving Clark
crazy are going to be real advantages
for customers, however. Buy whatever
you like in the store, from franchise
sandwiches or coffee to regular refrig
erated sodas and packaged bear claws,
and you pay for it all at the same check
out line. Likewise with the three fran
chises: order from all at one drive
through, or inside, for that matter.
Buy a car wash and the facility will
give you a break on the price of gas.
Tribal and casino employees as well as
all Tribal members will see a discount
at the gas pump. Each gas pump will
have an advertising station above to
encourage casino use, and receipts will
also present special offers for those who
head for the casino.
The C-store also could be a leg-up for
many Tribal members, who are being
sought for positions at the store. "In
terest has been very good for Tribal
members," he said, "and we want to
hire as many as possible." Clark hopes
the business will be "a spot to enter
the job market" for many Tribal mem
bers. And with a staff including as many.
Tribal members as possible, staff rec
ognition of Tribal Elders will follow,
important because Clark's vision is "to
service the heck out of (Tribal Elders)."
For part of that effort, Clark has been
working with the Culture Department
to make photos of Tribal Elders part of
the decor. The look also will include
stone tile on the floor and theme-appropriate
cabinetry.
"We want people to know two things
right away," said Clark. "First, it's
Indian-run, and second, that we pro
vide some of the best service you've
ever had."
And to make that happen, he noted
the many hats he wears for the Grand
Ronde Station: "manager, chef, social
worker, driver, salesman, book
keeper. . ." With the fourteen hour days
he's been putting in to get the facility
open, he had nothing left to name for
his spare time activities.
Clark lives with his wife, Jo, and
daughters, Dallas and Dani, in Tigard,
and has a daughter, Desi, who is en
rolled at Portland State University.
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For the second time in school history, the Willamina High
School Volleyball team went to the state playoffs at Pacific
University. Led by Tribal youth, the team made the second
day of the playoffs for the first time in school history and went
on to finish in fourth place. Caitlin Zimbrick (left) blocks a
shot against Central Linn High School. Brittni Wilson (above)
and Zimbrick block a shot against Sherman High School.
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