Convenience Matters

The April 8 solar eclipse is more than a once-in-a-lifetime event for tens of millions of Americans. It’s also an opportunity for convenience stores that are in or near the path of totality.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard

About our Guests:

Leah Ash, Editor/Writer, NACS

Leah joined NACS in 2023. She served in several editorial-related roles before joining NACS. Leah earned a B.A. in English from St. Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Joe Lackey, President, Indiana Grocery & Convenience Store Association

Joe has been president of the Indiana Grocery & Convenience Store Association since 1973, working closely with legislative leaders to solve member problems and concerns. Prior to that, he was active-duty military in Europe and Vietnam, then joined the National Guard and Reserve, retiring as a Colonel.

If there is one thing Americans can unite on, it’s complaining about gasoline prices. NACS resources can help educate consumers about the industry and correct misperceptions.

Hosted by:

Chrissy Blasinsky and Jeff Lenard

There are upwards of 200 billion coupons issued in the United States every year, mostly paper. Digital coupons, called 8112s, are reshaping the coupon landscape. How can convenience retailers jump on the emerging opportunities?

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard

About our Guest:

Sam Jonas, CEO & Co-Founder, nData Services

Sam is a 25-year entrepreneur with a focus in the payments industry. Today he is focused on how digital coupons will revolutionize couponing by providing high-value digital discounts directly to consumers' phones, eliminating paper coupons and not requiring a consumer to be a member of a loyalty program to receive the discount.

With increased costs and prices over the past few years, it’s important for convenience retailers to communicate their offer and deliver value.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard and Chrissy Blasinsky

About our Guest:

Leroy Kelsey, NACS Director, Research

As director of NACS Research, Leroy is responsible for disseminating key industry metrics that empower convenience retailer and supplier members with the ability to understand performance opportunities in the areas of financials, store operations, merchandising, shopper insights, foodservice, fuels and more.

Pick a big moment in the convenience store industry’s history and John Roscoe was there. He popularized many of the huge advances we see today in our industry and shares what he thinks is the path forward.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard

About our Guest:

John Roscoe, Convenience Industry Icon

John Roscoe was named one of the 50 most influential people in the convenience store industry by Convenience Store News for good reason: He was in the room during many of the industry’s critical junctures, and led conversations that greatly affected the ultimate direction of the industry.

The Big Game is the most watched event of the year and is a great forum for brands to showcase their latest offers. It’s also a great forum to elevate important societal issues, like the fight against human trafficking.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard

About our Guest:

Cheryl Csiky, Executive Director, IN OUR BACKYARD

Cheryl is the executive director of IN OUR BACKYARD, a national anti-trafficking nonprofit that links arms across America in the fight against human trafficking. She has been a leader in the fight against human trafficking since 2011, working from recovery to restoration and possesses expertise in many aspects of human trafficking.

The modern nicotine user is much different than a few years ago. With more options available, hear how consumer behaviors and expectations have changed.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard

About our Guest:

Melissa Vonder Haar, Writer/Consultant, MelissaV Inc.

Melissa has written about the convenience retailing industry for nearly two decades and has written numerous feature articles for NACS Magazine. In addition to her work at MelissaV Inc., she also is marketing director for iSee Store Innovations LLC.

The early forecasts of the convenience retailing industry’s 2023 performance are positive. Which trends stood out and what do preliminary numbers tell us about where the industry is heading in 2024?

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard and Chrissy Blasinsky

About our Guest:

Chris Rapanick, Managing Director, NACS Research

Chris oversees the day-to-day operations of NACS Research, manages and directs departmental financial and operational performance, and drives strategic development of NACS long-term research capabilities and offerings for the convenience industry.

Electric vehicles may be the future, but that doesn’t mean they don't have challenges today. Hear how Plaid Pantry is redefining EV charging at convenience stores.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard

About our Guest:

Jonathan Polonsky, CEO, Plaid Pantry

As the CEO of Plaid Pantry, a chain of convenience stores in the Pacific Northwest, Jonathan leads a team of over 700 employees across 106 locations, serving more than 50,000 customers daily.

Over the past year, we visited more than 100 convenience stores. We’ll share what we saw at c-stores and what it might mean to your business in 2024.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard and Chrissy Blasinsky

Our top-downloaded episode of 2023: Store managers have a significant impact on hiring and retaining great people. Hear how one retailer is coaching her team so they can be at their best.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard and Chrissy Blasinsky

About our Guest:

Annie Gauthier, CFO & Co-CEO, St. Romain Oil Company (dba Y-Not Stop)

Annie is CFO/Co-CEO of St. Romain Oil Company (dba Y-Not Stop), based in Mansura, Louisiana. A third-generation co-owner, she works with her two brothers and 300-plus team members to refuel and refresh the Louisiana communities where they operate.

What's fact or fiction related to how quickly electric vehicles will grow sales? How today's market evolves is dependent upon economics and politics, and both are highly unpredictable.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard

About our Guest:

John Eichberger, Executive Director, Transportation Energy Institute

John has more than 20 years of experience in the fuels industry, including more than a decade leading the Transportation Energy Institute (formerly known as the Fuels Institute). Prior to that, he served for 15 years as vice president of government relations at NACS, with a focus on fuels- and energy-related issues.

Wages and benefits are the largest expense to your business, but can also have the greatest ROI. Competitive hiring practices can help you get and keep great people who advance your business from the front line. Find out if your offer is competitive and learn about the data and resources NACS has to help.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard and Chrissy Blasinsky

About our Guest:

Jayme Gough, Market Research Manager, NACS

Jayme has been at NACS since 2017 and loves “geeking out” on industry data collected and analyzed by NACS. In her current role, she oversees the NACS suite of HR-focused research projects, most notably the annual NACS Compensation Survey.

Convenience stores are in the relationships business. Over the past two decades, Michael Davis has played a central role in connecting retailers. Listen as he shares ideas on how to connect with industry peers.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard and Chrissy Blasinsky

About our Guest:

Michael Davis, NACS Vice President of Member Services

Michael has spent the past 18 years at NACS and even longer in the industry, always taking that extra step to connect retailers to solutions and each other. His background includes owning and operating a small c-store and coffee bar, website design, online publishing and trendspotting.

NACS Show panelists share ideas on how organizations can develop processes to come up with great ideas—and execute them—over and over.

Hosted by:

Gray Taylor, Executive Director, Conexxus

About our Guests:

Emily Sheetz, VP, Innovation and IT, Sheetz Inc.

Emily is responsible for the development of and execution of company strategy as well as innovation, which includes the newly formed Sheetz Incubator. She is a third-generation family member and one of eleven active in the business. Emily previously served as director of talent development, responsible for all training and leadership development across the company.

Vish Ganapathy, Director, Customer Engineering Retail, Google

Vish has over 27 years in the information technology business, focusing on retail, wholesale/distribution, CPG and supply-chain segments.

Convenience retailers share how the The Good Jobs Strategy is helping their companies increase employee productivity, contribution and motivation.

Hosted by:

Henry Armour, President & CEO, NACS

About our Guests:

Zeynep Ton, Professor, MIT Sloan School of Management, President, The Good Jobs Institute

Zeynep's research focuses on how organizations can design and manage their operations in a way that satisfies employees, customers and investors simultaneously. In 2014, she published her findings in a book, "The Good Jobs Strategy: How the Smartest Companies Invest in Employees to Lower Costs and Boost Profits." Zeynep cofounded the nonprofit Good Jobs Institute to help companies transform through assessments, workshop, and longer-term partnerships. In 2023, Zeynep published “The Case for Good Jobs: How Great Companies Bring Dignity, Pay & Meaning to Everyone's Work.” NACS partners with the Good Jobs Institute to bring the Good Jobs Strategy to the convenience store industry.

Varish Goyal, CEO, Loop Neighborhood Markets

Varish has worked in the convenience and fuels retailing industry since 2002. He has served as CEO of Loop Neighborhood Markets since 2018 and is also president of Vintners Distributors Inc. The company operates more than 100 stores in California under the Loop Neighborhood Markets brand.

Joe Hamza, Chief Operating Officer, Nouria Energy Corp.

Joe has been with the Worcester-Massachusetts-based Nouria Energy Corp. since 2015. The company operates 175 locations throughout New England, 60 Golden Nozzle car washes and a wholesale business servicing over 300 locations in New England and New York. Prior to joining Nouria, Joe was vice president of sales and marketing at Tedeschi Food Shops Inc.

Being a local brand in rural America is a huge differentiator for consumers. By showing your commitment to the local community, you ultimately build trust—and that leads to sales.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard

About our Guest:

Akhtar Hussain, Director of Refined Fuels Marketing at CHS Inc.

Akhtar is responsible for brand marketing, retail development and imaging, and equipment for the Cenex brand, which has more than 1,400 convenience store locations across 19 states. In his nearly 20 years at CHS, Hussain has held a number of roles including manager of petroleum equipment and manager of refined fuels marketing.

Three acclaimed road warriors share their stories from the road and their ideas on how your stores can be "discovered" by more people travelling on highways -- or even in your neighborhood.

Hosted by:

Don Rhoads, President/CEO, The Convenience Group LLC and 2022-23 NACS Chairman

About our Guests:

Stephanie Stuckey, Chair, Stuckey’s Corp.

Four years ago, Stephanie purchased Stuckey's Corp., the company her grandfather founded in 1937 and grew to nearly 400 roadside stores. She and her business partners restored it to profitability, tying its future to a celebration of the great American road trip. She also served in the Georgia House of Representatives for 14 years, representing DeKalb County.

Al Hebert, Founder of “Gas Station Gourmet”

Al knows convenience stores. He created Gas Station Gourmet in 2007 and has been writing a column for NACS Magazine since 2011. When Al is not enjoying a great burger or fried chicken at a local convenience store, you can find him on News 15 KADN-TV in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Stafford Shurden, Creator of “Gas Station Tailgate Review”

Based in Drew, Mississippi, Stafford is a farmer, restaurant owner and former justice court judge. But he is best known for his viral video series, “Gas Station Tailgate Review” in which he eats and reviews gas station food from the tailgate of his pickup truck.

In the current labor climate, many companies are trying to hire quickly. Family Express, however, is finding that spending more time during the hiring process, from application to job offer, is working out much better.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard

About our Guest:

Alex Olympidis, President of Operations, Family Express Corp.

Alex is the president of operations for the 80-plus store Family Express Corp., headquartered in Valparaiso, Indiana. The company is known for its “Living Brand” in which associates greet customers with a friendly smile that is one technique in building one of the most statistically productive labor forces in the convenience store industry.