Convenience Matters

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.  

How can you develop a holistic brand strategy and identify points of differentiation for your brand? Hear insights from two presenters of a special advanced category management certification course offered in conjunction with the NACS Show. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guests: Lucia Romanello Crater, EVP Sales and Business Development, Impact 21 Lucia has 25-plus years in the convenience store industry, with a track record and proficiency in driving growth and market share gains. She is a founding member and current officer of the Network of Executive Women in the Consumer Products Industry (NEW) and is a past chairman of the NACS Supplier Board. Liza Salaria, Senior Principal Consultant, Impact 21 Liza taps into her expertise in small-format merchandising, marketing, branding and business strategy to help companies realize their business objectives. Prior to joining Impact 21, she served as senior director of brand concept development at Sunoco, with past experience as SVP of marketing & merchandisin

As the global convenience retail industry gets ready for the 2023 NACS Show, a James Beard Award finalist takes us on a tour of some of the unique c-store and restaurant fare around Atlanta. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: Mike Jordan, Food and Culture Writer Mike Jordan is an Atlanta-based multimedia journalist covering culture through food, business, entertainment, travel and technology. He had written for NACS Magazine and the top general media publications in the country.

A new Transportation Energy Institute research report highlights how several surprises affected the retail fuels market over the past 10 years, and what industry stakeholders should be prepared for in the next decade. 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 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.

Retail design teams do great work but, in many cases, can benefit from experts. We look at how to decide what’s best for your business in developing and executing a digital strategy. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: Rick Sales, President, Abierto Networks Rick is founder and president of Abierto Networks, a leading digital engagement solutions provider focused on the convenience store and convenience foodservice retail industries and used in more than 4,000 locations across the country.

NACS was founded in August 1961, but its roots go back decades earlier. We share stories about how and why the industry--and NACS--was created, and where it's going. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard

E-fuels are increasingly seen as a global alternative to electric vehicles, which until now have been the only option for achieving the decarbonization objectives set by countries throughout Europe. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: Dr. Lorenz Kiene, Owner and Managing Director, Luehmann Group Lorenz is owner and managing director of the Luehmann Group, overseeing different initiatives to promote the ramp up of green technologies in Germany.  

The acceptance of cannabis in retail has come a long way in the past decade. Today, consumers talk about the properties—a sleep aid, a solution to chronic pain, or some other benefit—as opposed to the stereotypes a few decades ago. With these changes are changes in laws and regulations regarding its sale. 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.