CORPUS CHRISTI, TX - Erich Wendl, one of the founding members of NACS and its 1979 president, died on Monday at the age of 80.
Wendl was born in Munich, Germany, and raised in the grocery business. In 1953, he took on an internship in the U.S., with H.E.B., never fully expecting to stay in the United States. But he did, and that year he also met, and later married his wife, Elvira. During a tour of duty with the U.S. Army, he became a naturalized U.S. citizen and subsequently settled in South Texas.
In July 1961, Wendl bought six Corpus Christi convenience stores, formerly known as the Cabell Minit Markets. At the same time, he was interested in learning more about how to succeed with this still relatively new business concept, which was quite different than the grocery business. A month later, Wendl was one of the 14 retailers who founded NACS, during an August 13 to 15, 1961, meeting in Kansas City.
"Harley Riedel (president of Tampa, Florida-based Pic Quick and who later became 1964 NACS president), contacted me and said, 'Look, we€™re about to form, or we€™re talking about forming a trade association, a convenience store group. And maybe you should come and hear what we€™re trying to do and be part of it,€™ Wendl told NACS in 2001. "I went to the Hotel Muehlebach in Kansas City and you know the rest of the story."
By the end of the 1960s, Wendl€™s chain of Maverik Market stores had grown to 35 locations. The company grew before he sold the company€™s 102 stores in 1995 to Coastal Market, Inc., a subsidiary of Houston-based Coastal Corp.
Wendl was named "Retail Grocer of the Year" in 1975 by NARGUS (National Association of Retail Grocers of the United States) and served as NACS president in 1979. (Up until the early 1980s the top elected leader at NACS was known as the president; today the term is chairman.) That year, the NACS Show in New Orleans, then known as the annual meeting, more than doubled in size, with a 54,900-square-foot expo, significantly more than the last expo, the 20,000- foot expo from 1976. (Back then, the expo was only held every three years.) Erich also served as president of Texas Retail Grocers Association, and was president of Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce, among other leadership roles.
"My daddy was a character and most people who met him have an Erich Wendl story," his daughter, Barbara Pender, told the Corpus Christi Caller Times. "He was a great father, who always pushed me to do my best."
"Erich€™s contributions to our association and our industry are immeasurable. He helped found and cultivate the association that today represents an industry that is an everyday part of our lives. He was a great visionary and leader, he was a great friend to many of us in the industry and he will be missed," said NACS President and CEO Hank Armour.
Wendl is survived by his wife, Elvira; two children: Barbara Pender and Carl Wendl; and four grandchildren: Erich Wendl, Brittany Wendl, Rose Pender and Claire Pender.
Services will be at Seaside Memorial Park in Corpus Christi. Details on the services are still being finalized and will be posted at seasidefuneral.com/obituaries.