Entry Details

About the Entry

Category: 
All Content > Impact/Investigative > Mid Atlantic

Title of entry: 
C-Store Dive investigates the rise and fall of Mountain Express Oil

Issue or Publication date:
4/23/2024

Publication name: 
C-Store Dive

View Website home page:
https://www.cstoredive.com/

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https://www.cstoredive.com/news/mountain-express-oil-bankruptcy-inside-rise-fall/711034/

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Entry Essay: 
Executives who run convenience retail companies value C-Store Dive’s sophisticated, in-depth coverage of the industry’s rapid evolution. As independent convenience store owners and small chains rush to sell and exit the industry, larger companies buy up assets left behind to expand their footprints.

Readers knew that Mountain Express, a company known for scooping up assets, quickly flamed out and was forced into bankruptcy. Reporter Brett Dworski’s investigation, “‘Epic failure’: The rise and fall of Mountain Express,” shed light on exactly how the company had failed.

Dworski was intrigued when, during a bankruptcy hearing, an attorney for one of Mountain Express’ lenders accused the company’s founders of siphoning funds, so he dug deep into Mountain Express’ operations. After eight months of deciphering hundreds of court documents and interviewing high-level sources who once worked there, Dworski created a narrative about a company fueled by secrecy and a highly flawed business model.

From the opening line, “It all came crashing down in the early evening on Aug. 24, 2023,” Dworski’s story explains the chaos on the business side of Mountain Express and highlights the toll the company inflicted on its workers and customers.

The article drove hundreds of new readers to sign up for C-Store Dive’s daily newsletter, and readers shared it throughout the industry.

Many former Mountain Express employees reached out to Dworski to show their appreciation and gratitude for his work once the story went live. One former worker noted, “I felt vindicated and like I could finally find peace about my experiences there.”

Industry sources connected with the company also reached out to tell an additional story. Dworski’s trust among sources and his continued investigation led to a scoop of the breakdown of a related chain, SQRL, which had acquired many of Mountain Express’ locations.