Convenience Matters

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 Neig

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. Sta

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.

The rise of electric vehicles in Norway could force convenience retailers around the world to reconceive the traditional fill up and rethink their business models. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard and Chrissy Blasinsky About our Guest: Magnar Møkkelgård, NACS Relationship Partner Nordics Magnar Møkkelgård is currently the relationship partner for NACS in the Nordics. He enjoys receiving visitors from other countries with special interest in the EV development in Norway. He worked for Reitan Convenience for 30 years.

Many consumers say they are “all in” on certain climate change policies, but their views soften once they learn how these changes would affect them. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: Rich Carrione, Vice President of Operations, Warm Thoughts Communications Rich Carrione is vice president of operations for Warm Thoughts Communications, a marketing agency specializing in the residential energy industry. A 20-year industry veteran, Rich oversees Warm Thoughts’ extensive portfolio of work supporting heating fuel, petroleum and convenience store associations. He also developed the industry’s largest consumer research study about energy issues, representing more than 4,000 respondents across the entire Northeast. He is a sought-after speaker on energy topics and regularly presents at industry meetings and regional conventions.

Convenience retailers can create affordable marketing campaigns with college athletes. These campaigns can help drive traffic and fun to your stores. Here's what you need to know to get started. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: Shannon Carroll, Contributing Writer, NACS Magazine Shannon is an award-winning journalist with a reputation for finding and telling great stories. She has interviewed Olympic gold medalists, World Cup winners, Super Bowl champions, World Series winners, and leaders in the convenience store industry.  

William Shatner sat down to talk about what’s on his mind—and it’s a lot—following his NACS Show appearance in 2018. It’s one of our most popular episodes and definitely our longest. And worth another listen. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard, VP of Strategic Industry Initiatives, NACS and Henry Armour, President and CEO, NACS About our Guest: William Shatner Captain Kirk, T.J. Hooker, Denny Crane, so many TV shows and movies and record albums, the oldest person to fly in space...need we go on?

How does a local convenience retailer with a few stores get millions of views on YouTube? We’ll take you through the process and talk about how you can adapt his ideas. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard and Chrissy Blasinsky About our Guest: Babir Sultan, CEO, FavTrip Babir is the CEO of FavTrip, with has locations around Kansas City. He also has built a highly successful online presence with two video series and recently published the book, “Fuel for Success.”  

NACS veterans share an insider's look at what attendees can look forward to at the NACS Show, how they can prepare and how they can make the most of what they saw, learned and heard at the global c-store industry's premier event. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard and Chrissy Blasinsky About our Guest: Jeff McQuilkin, Director, Exhibit Sales and Services, NACS A trade show expert and veteran, Jeff has been with NACS since 2017. He has extensive tradeshow industry experience with both for-profit and non-profit organizations. In his spare time he enjoys hiking, photography and classic cocktails. His favorite band of all time is The Beatles and is a master Slurpee pourer.