Sammy Denham might be the most popular guy in Durango. That’s what happens when you spend 42 years managing the gas station that almost always offers the lowest prices in town.
Denham, 73, who plans to retire March 29, will tell you he’s not really the driving force setting gasoline prices at Peerless Tires and gas station, where prices typically are a few cents cheaper than the competition. It’s company policy to offer the lowest-priced gas in the markets where it operates.
Peerless has about 50 stations across the country, and Denham is among the old company hands. His employee number is 100 for a firm, which now has more than 13,000 employees.
Prices at Peerless, which sells between 8,000 and 9,000 gallons of gas daily, will remain the lowest in town even after his departure, Denham said.
“Everything’s pretty consistent in the gas business,” he said. “One day you make money and the next day you lose it.”
Peerles peaked at selling about 12,000 gallons a day about three years ago, but new gas stations in the area have cut into sales.
The ability to get gas from multiple refineries is the main factor behind Peerless’ ability to undercut competition, he said. Peerless can shop around for gas from refineries in as far away as Texas and southwest Utah as well as closer refineries in New Mexico for the best price.
Even with transportation costs, he said, sometimes it’s cheaper to buy gas from more distant refineries.
Joni Greiner of Durango said she’s a regular at Peerless.
“I come down from Falls Creek every day, and I pass it (Peerless) every day. It’s always the lowest. I always come back to Peerless. I’ve been coming here for 10 years,” she said.
Denham said he gets plenty of thanks from locals for Peerless’ gas prices, and now in the internet age, gratitude comes from tourists, who make it a point to find Peerless – driven there by GasBuddy and other apps that guide them to cheap gas prices.
Denham’s policy for the gas station and tire store, he said, has been simple, and it rarely fails.
“We don’t lie to people and we try to be kind. It’s been a good 42 years. There’s no regrets” he said.
But there’s a time for change, and Denham said he’s reached the point where he wants to enjoy life with his wife, Marcie, 66. Both of them are looking forward to spending more time with their two recently born grandchildren, who both live in Denver.
Denham began working for Peerless on March 5, 1977, and he plans to give his notice on Tuesday – 42 years to the day.
When the cold started bothering him, Denham, who grew up on a ranch near Olathe, said he figured it was time to hang up the hat.
“We haven’t had winter for years, and now here we are. It’s back, and now cold bothers my body. I used to ride horses, and I used to show off, but now it hurts me in the butt and in the arms. It’s OK. We all create our own destiny, but I am looking forward to sleeping in until 7,” he said.
Denham says he misses the ranching lifestyle, but he still plans to remain in Durango during his retirement. He was among the first residents to move into the Crestview neighborhood.
He remembers when a saleyard for livestock occupied the lot where Walmart now sits.
“Durango’s gotten bigger, and some of it’s for the better, but we need to get rid of those dang gum parking meters downtown,” he said.
After catching up with their grandchildren, Denham said he and Marcie plan to hitch up their Casita travel trailer and take a trip to San Diego and then work their way up the Pacific Coast Highway.
Next summer, they are thinking about a cruise to Alaska.
“I will miss the people and the work, but we’re ready to do the things we want to do,” he said.
parmijo@durangoherald.com
An earlier version of this story misidentified Shari St. Michaels in photo captions.
