Today, Family Express® is a company that is nationally recognized for its passion for building relationships with its customers, its employees and its communities. The company's endless pursuit of innovation and differentiation are the hallmarks of its national reputation. But how did Family Express® achieve such success? What were its roots and what were the key junctures of the long journey that has made Family Express® what it is today?

Gus Olympidis, President and CEO of Family Express®, journeyed to Northwest Indiana from Greece at the age of 18, and enrolled at Indiana University pursuing a business degree. Sidetracked by a sign at a 7-Eleven store in Griffith, Indiana, proclaiming "available for franchise", Olympidis immediately saw an opportunity to be seized. With an appetite for entrepreneurship, this was an irresistible lure in a decision that he has often described as "youthful indiscretion". He scraped together his own resources, along with the help of a partner who was bought out months later, raised $6,000 and purchased a 7-Eleven franchise. The rest is history.

Nearly three years later, he decided to form the company that would later become known as Family Express® Corporation. After struggling to secure financing, he opened the first Time Low store which was an independent unaffiliated convenience store located at the west side of Valparaiso, Indiana. That was Christmas Day, 1975. A laundromat attached to Time Low was later converted to house one of the company's two learning centers, along with the currently existing Valparaiso West Family Express®. Like the majority of convenience stores of that era, Time Low did not offer fuel, but as the industry evolved, so did the stores.

Anticipating growth far beyond one store, the company incorporated on January 27, 1976. Nine years later, in 1987, the name changed to Family Express® in an effort to create a softer presence in the overall marketplace, and to reveal an environment that offers a friendly welcome to female consumers. Brighter, bolder signage also took form. The Time Low colors of green and white were replaced with attention grabbing green and orange.

In March 1993, Family Express® moved into its current headquarters in Valparaiso, Indiana. As was intended, the new building's design fosters collaboration and teamwork with its architecture inspired to attract beaming sunlight from all four directions. Daylight streams in through the vaulted ceiling, symbolic of the company's open and friendly environment.

Being a visionary, Gus Olympidis constantly pursued innovation and differentiation in order for the small company to remain strong and competitive in the marketplace. He saw the repetitive task of counting cash in the stores as inefficient and not customer-relevant. In May 1997, a Family Express® innovation triggered the installation of the cash management system into the stores. These new bill reader machines reduced cash-counting anxieties, eliminated the need to sort and count cash, and most importantly, they allowed store personnel to focus on customers.

In February 1998 Family Express® introduced its own gasolines including the high performing FE 9300 premium. At that time the stores were re-imaged with the company's current signature colors, teal and white with a splash of magenta. This began the rollout of a variety of proprietary brands that have become synonymous with Family Express®.

On September 8, 1999, Family Express® acquired Carter Oil. This acquisition extended the company's reach into the Lafayette, Indiana, market and improved its exposure along Interstate 65. A second learning center opened in July 2004 in Lafayette, underscoring the company's commitment to employee training and cultural development.

Family Express® Gasoline's were introduced first, soon followed by Java Wave™ gourmet coffees. Cravin's Market Fresh sandwiches and baked goods rolled out in the spring of 2002, and the Squeeze Freeze™ frozen carbonated beverage followed in April 2003. Family Express® water and ice were introduced in July 2003, and Family Express® milk products came along shortly after that same year.

In December 2003 the 60k square foot Central Distribution Center was purchased and totally redeveloped to its current state. By combining inefficient direct store deliveries of perishables into a centralized, cost-effective hub, Family Express® has re-engineered traditional logistics into a dynamic new format. Just another example of innovation and unconventional thinking. With this innovation and the resulting unparalleled freshness of daily delivery, Family Express® has entered the marketplace with efficiencies that make it formidable even against bigger stores. In February 2005, the central bakery began production featuring Square Donuts, and the central commissary is expected to go online in April 2006.

Today Family Express® is principally focused in the art of "building relationships" with customers, community, and co-workers. Its unique culture is powered by its biggest competitive advantage.its people, which is its "living brand".