Convenience Matters

Brand positioning is a significant part of business because it’s ultimately about how you communicate your offer to customers—and if it resonates. We'll share common pitfalls that businesses fall into and how to fix them. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: Kathy Guzmán Galloway, Head Wizard, The Clarity Wizard With 20 years of CPG experience, Kathy has helped hundreds of organizations increase revenue and decrease risk by clarifying their brand positioning. She’s worked with brands like Nature Made, Lay’s, and Chiki Chiki Boom Boom, among others, to turn strategy and data into action.  

EV sales were down year over year Q1 of 2024, slowing a steep increase in sales over the past few years. We're discussing what drove this change and what it means for convenience retailers. 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.

Culture is the cumulative effect of what people see, hear, experience and believe. In this episode we're breaking down how industry leaders can build a high-performance culture. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard and Chrissy Blasinsky About our Guest: Mark Miller, Author and Co-Founder, Lead Every Day Mark is a seasoned business leader, a Wall Street Journal and international best-selling author, and a dynamic communicator. He worked for one of the world’s great organizations for almost 45 years. Mark began a nearly 45-year career at Chick-fil-A as an hourly team member (and 16th corporate employee) and recently retired as the Vice President of High Performance Leadership. 

Consumers are in a better—but not great—mood than a year ago. NACS surveyed consumers to capture their perceptions of convenience stores related to gas prices, crime and jobs. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: Adam Rosenblatt, Founding Partner, Bold Decision Adam Rosenblatt is one of the nation’s leading political consultants sought after for his ability to help clients achieve victory through effective research-based strategies and messaging. He designs and executes cutting-edge quantitative, qualitative, and data analytics programs for campaigns as well as non-political clients like NACS.

Are they convenience stores/gas stations that serve food, or restaurants that happen to have gas? A new book visually explores these community destinations. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: Kate Medley, Photojournalist and Author of “Thank You Please Come Again” Kate Medley is a North Carolina-based visual journalist and filmmaker documenting the American South. Her latest book is “Thank You Please Come Again: How Gas Stations Feed & Fuel the American South.”

The convenience industry's foodservice future is bright thanks to its commitment to innovate. Hear how a regional distributor is working with a celebrity chef to elevate its offer. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guests: Andrew Zimmern, Celebrity Chef Chef Andrew Zimmern is an Emmy-winning and four-time James Beard Award-winning chef, TV personality, writer and social justice advocate. A star of cooking shows on Travel Channel, The Food Network and currently host two shows on the Magnolia Network: “Family Dinner with Andrew Zimmern” and “Family Restaurant with Andrew Zimmern, he has devoted his life to exploring and promoting cultural acceptance, tolerance and understanding through food. Michael Ray, President, Team Modern Michael is the third-generation president of Team Modern, a family of companies headquartered in Somerset, KY. He has served on the board of the Convenience Distribution Association as well as being an active member of NACS, the Kentucky Petroleum Marketers Association and the Tennessee Fu

Convenience stores are integral to the communities they serve—for the products they sell and how they give back. Hear how one relationship ties mobility with a local need. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guests: Renée Power, CMO/GM Mobility Marketing North America, Shell Renée is a natural collaborator with a track record of strong vision articulation, developing high-performing teams, and trusted partnerships. She has worked for Shell on four continents in a variety of commercial, operational, and marketing roles in retail and lubricants across the value chain. Kristine Templin, Chief Development and Marketing Officer, Meals on Wheels America Kristine oversees the national fundraising strategy for corporate partnerships, major donors and special events while working collaboratively with Meals on Wheels Member programs. With more than 20 years of cross-industry experience, Kristine has focused the last decade of her career on forging strategic partnerships and developing highly creative and visible consumer/

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

What are your stores famous for? For HOP Shops, it’s their disco bathrooms. The concept is so popular that a couple recently got married in one. Hosted by:Jeff Lenard   About our Guests: Ann Gilbert, Human Resources Manager & HOP Shops' Marketing Manager at Valor Oil As marketing manager for Valor Oil, Ann is responsible for the development and supervision of all marketing and communications strategies for its HOP Shops convenience stores. She also oversees a number of human resources functions for the company. Damon Bail, Vice President of Operations and Marketing for Valor Oil Damon has been vice president of operations and marketing for Valor Oil for the past 5 years. Prior to that, he served in leadership roles for several c-store companies including RaceTrac, MAPCO Express and Buchanon Energy Co. (Bucky’s).

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.