New station owner looks forward to serving community

by Dan Holland

For Sam Zayed, renovating and reopening the Sunoco station located at 5915 Darrow Rd., is all about providing top-notch service and products to the community. Zayed participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony with city officials at the location on Oct. 9.

“I really like the neighborhood and the people a lot,” said Zayed. “When I first toured the property, it was kind of a run-down store with a drive-thru, and I saw an opportunity where I could make a lot of improvements to it, which I did. It’s a great opportunity. … I’ve a had a lot of good feedback so far with people liking it.”

As part of a business makeover, Zayed brought in a number of new beverage coolers, installed new countertops and enhanced the interior lighting to create a better aesthetic.

“I carry a lot more products now. I carry a lot more craft beers, IPAs and wines,” said Zayed. “’We can always special order higher-end items for customers if they want, and we can give case pricing to anyone who wants that as well. We also offer a number of specials and deals, and we send out coupons in the mail.”

The family-owned and operated station, which includes a drive-thru beverage service, is one of several Speedy Gas service stations throughout the Greater Cleveland area owned by Zayed’s family and business partners. Zayed plans to be involved in the community.

“I talked with the mayor and some others with the city,” said Zayed. “We have stations in a number of Northeast Ohio communities, and we donate to the local schools and sponsor the sports teams. I told the school district to keep us in mind whenever they need a location to hold fundraiser school car washes. We will supply the water and rags and whatever else they need at no cost.”

Above all, Zayed hopes the location will become a staple of the Hudson business community. “We aim to be the kindest and friendliest family-owned business in Hudson,” said Zayed. “We treat every customer who walks through the door like family. And, we always try to keep the cheapest gas prices around. We aren’t trying to price gouge or anything. We’re just here to serve everyone in the community as best as we can.”