ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Chester Cadieux, NACS 1970-1971 president and QuikTrip co-founder Chester Cadieux, died on Monday, March 14 at his home in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was 84.

It was a chance meeting between Cadieux and middle school classmate Burt Holmes that resulted in what is today’s QuikTrip: a 700-store chain that spans 11 states in the Midwest and South. Holmes had been in Dallas where he saw several small grocery stores called 7-Eleven. The young entrepreneur thought the concept would work in Tulsa and set out looking for a partner. At the time, Cadieux had earned a degree in business administration from The University of Oklahoma and spent two years in the Air Force. He was less than a year into a sales job but was looking for a better future, perhaps a business of his own. He knew that to begin a business, he needed one that required low capital, had a simple, non-technical concept and lacked strong competition.

Of their fateful meeting, Cadieux said, "Burt brought me what I was looking for, when I didn't know what I was looking for.” The two raised $16,000 (including a $5,000 loan from Chester’s father) and opened the first QuikTrip.

For nearly 44 years, Cadieux guided QuikTrip as president and CEO through a myriad of challenges as it successfully expanded into multiple states. Over the years, his business acumen and charitable spirit were recognized by numerous awards and honors.

Cadieux was named to the University of Tulsa Business Hall of Fame, the Tulsa Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Hall of Fame. He was also an Ernst and Young Southwest Retail-Wholesale Entrepreneur of the Year and an inductee of the Oklahoma Commerce and Industry Hall of Fame. QuikTrip was named to Fortune's Best Places to Work list for the 14th straight year just a few weeks ago.

In addition to overseeing QuikTrip’s journey, Cadieux served as chairman of the Phillips Theological Seminary, the Tulsa River Parks Authority Board of Trustees and the Tulsa Area United Way. He has also served on the boards of Wawa, Inc., Leaders Life Insurance Company and several other organizations.

As NACS president, Cadieux served at the start of a tumultuous decade for the industry: convenience store operators coped with the energy crisis, price controls, gasoline shortages, record food price inflation and increased competition. Yet in spite of these challenges, the industry flourished.

QuikTrip spokesman Mike Thornbrugh shared the following statement from the company: "On behalf of the Cadieux family, we are deeply saddened to announce that Chester Cadieux peacefully passed away yesterday evening at his home in Tulsa. Chester's vision, keen wit, insistence on fairness and marvelous ability to mentor people will never be forgotten. He humbly professed to be 'luckier than smart,' and over half a century Chester grew a small neighborhood convenience store into a company that is consistently recognized as one of the nation's best places to work. His greatest love was for his family. Our hearts go out to them and to all who were touched by Chester's extraordinary gifts."

Cadieux is survived by his wife Debbie, his six children, 10 grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

During an interview with Voices for Oklahoma, Cadieux shared some advice his father gave him and articulated his own passion for business and for people: “Growing up, my father always told me, ‘If you want to make any real money, you need to be in business for yourself.’ And I always, from junior high school on, I always wanted to be in business for myself. And you’re never really in business for yourself. You’re in business for a whole lot of people. But that’s what I wanted.”