Bill Stephan owned and operated this full-service gas station and auto body shop since it opened in 1959 until 2002, when his son Craig took over. Stephan’s Service has been open for over 50 years with only one single deviation from regular seven days a week business hours.
We had to shut down Sundays, because there was no fuel, during the oil crisis in 1979 that left a nationwide fuel shortage in its wake.
A large remodel of the shop and gas pumps spanned the years from 1996 to 1997. We never closed one single day through it all.
Stephan moved here, with wife and two kids in tow, from Grand Prairie, Texas in 1958 to open a gas station in the town where his brother lived. He opened Stephan’s Standard in March of 1959. A timeline in the window of Stephan’s Service tells the story of several changes and new developments that have occurred since that first opening. For example, in 1974, Stephan’s Standard changed to Stephan’s Amoco, and in 1976, Stephan’s Amoco opened the first automatic car wash in Bonner Springs. In 1984, Stephan’s Amoco changed to all unleaded fuel, and in 1998, BP and Amoco merged, creating the need for another name change: Stephan’s Service.
The longevity of his business had been the product of an upbringing where he was taught to finish things he starts and to see challenges through to the end, no matter how hard they may seem.
We come from a family that never quits. Once you start something, you see it through. You don’t just give up and quit.
Craig, who bought the business from Stephen in 2002, used to help his father in the shop all through high school and college.
Remaining open for 50 years is quite a feat and Stephan’s Service has acquired its fair share of regulars out of the hundreds of people it serves on a daily basis. There is Bonner resident Lois Schaffe, for instance, who has been coming to Stephan’s Service since the day it opened.
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| Craig Stephan |
Occupation: I own Stephan’s Service, the BP gas station on Front Street.
Place of birth: I was born and raised here in Bonner Springs.
Family: Wife, Kathy; sons, Andrew and Garrett
Q: What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?
A: Taking over the station from my dad.
Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
A: Treat other people the way you would like to be treated.
Q: What 3 things would you like people to know about you?
A: Most people don’t realize that I have a plastics engineering degree from Pitt State, everyone just assumes that I went to Pitt for auto tech. I have been a commissioner for the Planning and Zoning Commission in Bonner Springs since 2001.
Q: What did you want to be when you grew up?
A: I really didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up. I just knew that I didn’t want to run the station. But after graduating from Pitt State and working in the plastic industry for several years, it just felt right to come back and continue running the family business.
Q: What’s your ideal vacation spot?
A: Table Rock Lake
Favorites:
Song: “Remember When,” by Alan Jackson
Color: Red
Food: Italian
On Sept 11, 2001, reports came over the news stating that gas prices were going to reach over $4 per gallon, causing customers to panic and rush to the nearest gas station.
As the lines started to form at our station and the traffic backed up east of the 7 Highway bridge, it was apparent that we were going to need more help. At approximately 3:30 p.m., we had ten workers trying to help manage the over abundance of traffic, help pump gas for customers, and keep the lines moving in an orderly fashion. We were able to keep a chaotic situation from getting out of hand and allow our customers to get their fuel in a timely manner.
Unfortunately, we were forced to raise our self-serve pumps to our full service prices in order to cover our extra labor cost. We were at those prices for exactly 4 hours. After it was all said and done, we ended up with a surplus of $370. It was never our intent to make extra profit, so we mailed a check to the American Red Cross for $370 to aid the victims in New York.
Our employees then took it upon themselves to donate their extra money they earned on that day, which we matched dollar for dollar. Fortunately we were able to donate a total donation of $770 for the American Red Cross in aiding victims of this national tragedy.
Craig Stephan
Owner, Stephan's Service Station