Maverik Adventure's First Stop opens

RITZVILLE — After months of road, site work and building construction, a new convenience store and gas station has opened at the Interstate 90-state Highway 261 interchange.

Maverik Adventure’s First Stop officially opened at noon Dec. 17.

The Ritzville location is part of a corporation that includes locations in the Spokane, Cheney, Tri-Cities, Couer d’Alene and other nearby areas.

Store manager Stanley Steiber moved from Nevada into town during October to manage his third Maverik location.

The brand-new store has about 20 employees, including specialized workers in the store’s extensive food service offerings.

“We open requisitions with job openings,” Steiber said. “People apply for it. They answer basic questions and talk about the jobs they did before.

“We can train people to do the pizzas. So, it’s people with or without experience, because we can train you.

“There’s a lot of opportunity to move up in the company, too.”

Steiber said although the store is open 24/7, many hot food items don’t appear until 4 a.m.

“Our motto is to have the coolest convenience store experience on the planet,” Steiber said.

Steiber said his main teaching point for staff is: “Treat everybody with dignity and respect, and that’s a very positive reinforcement for everybody.”

The store is located on state Highway 261.