CSN November 2024 by ensembleiq

BOLDER. BIGGER. BETTER.

THE INDUSTRY’S NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS

RETAILER EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR CHUCK MAGGELET IS MOST PROUD OF THE CULTURE HE INSTILLED AT MAVERIK

PREVENT UNDERAGE SALES

OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS

Ensure that retail remains the most trusted place to responsibly sell tobacco products.

Did you know the average number of FDA compliance checks per month are approaching pre-COVID-19 levels?

In 2023, as of 9/30/23, the FDA conducted 9,381 compliance checks per month, which was an uptick from previous years.*

*Source: FDA CTP Violation Rate analysis was completed using publicly available raw data posted online at fda.gov.

Calculations of Total Compliance Checks and Violation Rates were computed by AGDC based on Decision Data published. Inspections data FFY 2019 - 2023

Modernize and simplify the ID check process with AVT, helping to reduce the likelihood of selling tobacco products to underage individuals

Improve ID check rates at a store and individual employee level, with We Card™ Training, available for Free via AGDC

State and Federal Law

Summaries and additional resources via the We Card™ resource center

Reinforce your sales associates’ understanding of ID check requirements and policies with Mystery Shop incentives

The Art of Empowerment

Many leaders measure their success by how much their people succeed

LEADERSHIP IS TOP OF MIND for the Convenience Store News team this time of year as we host our annual Future Leaders in Convenience Summit and Hall of Fame Awards Gala.

Still a relatively new leader myself — having taken the helm of the CSNews editorial team a little over two years ago — one of my favorite parts of the job is having the opportunity to interview veteran leaders and hear about their secrets to success. One question I always ask during these interviews is how they would describe their leadership style.

Here are some of the responses I’ve received so far this year:

“Just put great people around you, put people that you believe are smarter than you around you, and people that are different in the way they think and different in the way they approach things. I’ve always said that when I’m doing well, people don’t need me very much because they’re making decisions, they’re leading their business, they feel empowered.”

— Alex Miller, the new CEO of Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.

“I usually approach leadership from a servant leadership perspective, focusing on understanding what people’s needs are in order to be successful in their roles and working really hard to provide them with what they need. … I’ve found when you hire really talented people, you give them what they need to be successful, point them

EDITORIAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS (2016-2024)

in a certain direction and then, get out of their way and allow them to do what they do.”

— Darren Rebelez, the 2024 CSNews Hall of Fame Retailer Inductee

“I think probably one of the best things that a leader can be is good at asking good questions and then taking the time to listen, and then diving in on, ‘What was the genesis of that concern, that comment, that question, that suggestion?’ There are a million little details that are happening every single day. We’ve got great people who are closer to those details, and I need to make sure that I’m listening for their ideas because I know that the last thing we want to do at Maverik is wait for me to come up with the next big idea because we have so many good people thinking about things.”

— Chuck Maggelet, the 2024 CSNews Retailer Executive of the Year

Are you seeing a theme here? Because I certainly am.

These leaders do not measure their success by their own accomplishments, but rather by the accomplishments of those they lead. These leaders empower their teams and ensure an open line of communication so they can learn quickly of pain points and address them.

Going forward, I will be applying these lessons. I urge you to do the same.

For comments, please contact Linda Lisanti, Editor-in-Chief, at llisanti@ensembleiq.com.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

2021 Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award

Finalist, Best Infographics, June 2021

2018 Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award

Finalist, Best Editorial Use of Data, June 2017

2023 American Society of Business Press Editors, National Azbee Awards

Silver, Data Journalism, January/April/June 2022

2023 American Society of Business Press Editors, Upper Midwest Regional Azbee Awards

Gold, Data Journalism, January/April/June 2022

Bronze, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, March 2022

2016 American Society of Business Press Editors, National Azbee Awards Gold, Best How-To Article, March 2015

Bronze, Best Original Research, June 2015

2016 American Society of Business Press Editors, Midwest Regional Azbee Awards Gold, Best How-To Article, March 2015 Silver, Best Original Research, June 2015

2020 Trade Association Business Publications

Intl. Tabbie Awards

Honorable Mention, Best Single Issue, September 2019

2016 Trade Association Business Publications

Intl. Tabbie Awards Silver, Front Cover Illustration, June 2015

2024 Eddie Award, Folio: magazine

Winner, Business to Business, Retail, Single Article, May 2024

Honorable Mention, Business to Business, Magazine Section, October 2024

2023 Eddie Award Honorable Mention, Folio: magazine

Business to Business, Retail, Full Issue, September 2022

Business to Business, Retail, Single Article, March 2023

2022 Eddie Award, Folio: magazine

Winner, Business to Business, Retail, Single Article, March 2022

Winner, Business to Business, Food & Beverage, Series of Articles, October 2021

Honorable Mention, Business to Business, Retail, Single Article, September 2021

2020 Eddie Award, Folio: magazine

Business to Business, Retail, Series of Articles, September 2019

2018 Eddie Award Honorable Mention, Folio: magazine

Business to Business, Retail, Website

Business to Business, Retail, Full Issue, October 2017

Business to Business, Editorial Use of Data, June 2017

2017 Eddie Award, Folio: magazine

Winner, Business to Business, Retail, Single/Series of Articles, May 2017

Honorable Mention, Business to Business, Retail, Single/Series of Articles, June 2016

2016 Eddie Award Honorable Mention, Folio: magazine

Business to Business, Retail, Full Issue, October 2015

Business to Business, Retail, Single/Series of Articles, August 2015

Laura Aufleger OnCue Express

Richard Cashion Curby’s Express Market

Billy Colemire Stinker Stores

Robert Falciani ExtraMile Convenience Stores

Jim Hachtel Core-Mark Chris Hartman Rutter’s

Playing the Long Game

Will electric vehicle chargers charge up c-store profits?

AT LAST MONTH’S NACS Show in Las Vegas, I tried to scope out all I could about electric vehicle (EV) chargers and their impact on convenience stores.

When electric vehicles started gaining traction, the hype around EV chargers being the next big thing for convenience stores was hard to ignore. Industry forecasts predicted EVs would soon dominate the roads, and c-store retailers were urged to prepare.

However, here in 2024, the reality is more subdued — and the question is whether EV chargers will really deliver the profits convenience store retailers expect.

Despite the challenges, the c-store industry shouldn’t give up on the idea of installing EV chargers.

Adoption Lag: While EV sales are increasing, they haven’t exploded as predicted. This slower growth presents a dilemma for c-stores, which thrive on high-volume, quick-turnover transactions. Investing in EV infrastructure now might not make sense if the customer base remains small in the short term. In addition, the adoption rate of EVs varies widely by geographic region, as Sioux Falls, S.D., is different from Los Angeles.

Logistical Challenges: Unlike fuel, which fills up in minutes, EV charging takes time — often 20 minutes or more — posing logistical challenges for store layouts. Many c-stores aren’t set up for long-stay customers; they’re designed for quick in-and-out visits. How does a store accommodate EV drivers who are there for extended periods? More importantly, do EV customers actually come into the store during their charging time? We don’t know yet if these customers are making the same kind of profitable purchases that fuel customers do. This uncertainty leaves a big question mark around the true revenue potential of EV chargers.

Integration Issues: Another hurdle is the integration of EV chargers with the store’s point-of-sale system and loyalty program. Right now, most EV chargers are separate from the store’s operations. Customers pay for charging through third-party apps, meaning retailers miss out on capturing valuable customer data. Without this integration, it is difficult for c-store operators to track customer behavior or build loyalty programs around EV drivers. This creates a disconnect that could prevent c-stores from fully capitalizing on the opportunity.

The Opportunity Ahead: Despite the challenges, the c-store industry shouldn’t give up on the idea of installing EV chargers. While profitability might not be immediate, EVs are undoubtedly part of the future, and chargers will be crucial to the nation’s transportation grid. Convenience stores, with their accessible locations, are well-positioned to provide this service. However, success will depend on learning and adapting.

Now is the time for operators to experiment. Figure out what kinds of services and amenities will appeal to EV drivers during their longer visits. Work with technology partners to integrate EV payments with existing systems. The retailers that take the time to understand EV customer needs and prepare their infrastructure will be the ones to benefit when electric vehicles finally become mainstream.

EV chargers may not be a goldmine today, but the long-term payoff could be significant. The operators that act now, investing wisely and learning from early efforts, will be better prepared for the inevitable tipping point when EVs become the norm.

For comments, please contact Don Longo, Editorial Director Emeritus, at dlongo@ensembleiq.com.

48-ct. Convenient cases with 8-ct. inner cartons

The #1 PB&J in Frozen Snacks and Handhelds1 is crushing even more cravings. With two new in-demand flavors for customers to choose from, it’s the perfect on-the-go snack that satisfies tastebuds with smooth, tasty fillings in every bite. Easy to stock and store so they’re ready to enjoy anytime, anywhere!

• Honey +14% YOY across the total store2

• Raspberry #1 new flavor request from consumers3

• Grab n go Uncrustables product moves at 19 units per store per week4

Convenient 48-ct cases with 8-ct

9-month frozen shelf life and 5-day

FEATURES

COVER STORY

24 It’s Been an Adventure Retailer Executive of the Year Chuck Maggelet is most proud of the culture he instilled at Maverik.

FEATURE

32 Ones to Watch

This year’s record-setting class of Future Leaders in Convenience steals the spotlight.

FEATURE

52 One for the Record Books

This year’s Top Women in Convenience Awards Gala featured a record number of honorees and drew record industry attendance.

E DITOR’S NOTE

4 The Art of Empowerment

Many leaders measure their success by how much their people succeed.

VIEWPOINT

6 Playing the Long Game

Will electric vehicle chargers charge up c-store profits?

SMALL OPERATOR

20 Hands-On Leadership

The King family has grown their business from one location to nine, with more stores on the way

LEARNING LAB

80 How to Become an Effective Team Leader

Convenience Store News’ third Future Leaders Learning Lab webinar provided actionable strategies to inspire and empower a team.

INSIDE THE CONSUMER MIND

98 Sustainability & Sustenance

How much do c-store shoppers care about their health and the health of the planet?

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BRAND MANAGEMENT

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT/GROUP PUBLISHER, CONVENIENCE NORTH AMERICA Sandra Parente sparente@ensembleiq.com

EDITORIAL

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Linda Lisanti llisanti@ensembleiq.com

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Melissa Kress mkress@ensembleiq.com

SENIOR EDITOR Angela Hanson ahanson@ensembleiq.com

MANAGING EDITOR Danielle Romano dromano@ensembleiq.com

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Amanda Koprowski akoprowski@ensembleiq.com

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR EMERITUS Don Longo dlongo@ensembleiq.com

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Renée M. Covino, Tammy Mastroberte

ADVERTISING SALES & BUSINESS

ASSOCIATE BRAND DIRECTOR & NORTHEAST SALES MANAGER Rachel McGaffigan - (774) 212-6455 rmcgaffigan@ensembleiq.com

ASSOCIATE BRAND DIRECTOR & WESTERN SALES MANAGER Ron Lowy - (330) 840-9557 - rlowy@ensembleiq.com

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE & CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING Terry Kanganis - (917) 634-7471 - tkanganis@ensembleiq.com

DESIGN/PRODUCTION/MARKETING

ART DIRECTOR Lauren DiMeo ldimeo@ensembleiq.com

The 2024 Convenience Store News Technology Leadership Roundtable & Awards Dinner shed light on what’s working, what isn’t and emerging solutions in the tech space.

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Pat Wisser pwisser@ensembleiq.com

MARKETING MANAGER Jakob Wodnicki jwodnicki@ensembleiq.com

MARKETING COORDINATOR Mateo Rosas mrosas@ensembleiq.com

SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES LIST RENTAL mbriganti@anteriad.com

SUBSCRIPTION QUESTIONS contact@csnews.com

CORPORATE OFFICERS

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

CHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Jennifer Litterick

Jane Volland

Ann Jadown

Derek Estey

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“It’s literally no maintenance or cleaning and does all of the work for you! We didn’t know there was a concept like this until we discovered smoodi.” -current smoodi customer (Director of Retail & Catering)

ARKO Reportedly Exploring Sale of C-store Assets

Sources claim the company is working with investment bankers at Citigroup to sell its portfolio of 1,500-plus stores. ARKO would then move forward as a standalone fuel distribution business.

Delek US Wraps Up Sale of Retail Assets

A subsidiary of FEMSA, one of the largest conglomerates in Mexico, paid $385 million for the portfolio. The stores are primarily located in Texas and New Mexico.

Amber Energy Named Winning Bidder for CITGO

The company was selected by Robert Pincus, the special master appointed to oversee the sale. The new owner plans to focus on operational improvements, strategic growth efforts and more.

Maverick Travel Center Gets New Owner

Buyers from the Dallas-Fort Worth area acquired the Santo, Texas-based travel center in an all-cash transaction. The site spans 10 acres of land and features a dog and horse walk, RV parking and two restaurants.

1 3 4 5 2

California Bolsters Ban on Sale of Flavored Tobacco Products

The state’s new legislation defines new enforcement mechanisms to combat the sale of illegal tobacco products. It also establishes a list of all the tobacco products that are permissibly unflavored and allowed to be sold in California.

GLP-1 Drugs Are Changing the Dynamics of the Shopping Basket

Building Brand Loyalty With Social Media

Recent data shows that on average, consumers spend two and a half hours on social media each day. Although this time spent digitally is substantial, there are countless brands, creators and public figures, among others, vying for attention.

If c-store operators can create social media content that captures someone’s attention, makes it feel relevant to them and warrants engagement or sharing, it can only enhance brand loyalty, according to Ryan Kristobak, associate director, social media at Bounteous x Accolite, a digital transformation services consultancy. “When brands actually respond to customers in comments, in direct messages, resharing content they’ve tagged the brand in, etc., people feel seen,” he said. “And when people feel seen, they want to return that energy through loyalty and advocacy.”

For more exclusive stories, visit the Special Features section of CSNews.com.

MOST VIEWED NEW PRODUCT

Welch’s

Zero Sugar Juice Line

These changes in eating habits are trickling down to the shopping basket. In the first half of 2024, Protein Salty Snacks saw an 82.5% increase in dollar sales across the NRS network vs. a year ago, while Performance Nutrition Shakes enjoyed a 19% dollar sales increase. EXPERT VIEWPOINT

Users of GLP-1 drugs might be more inclined to purchase foods that align with dietary guidelines emphasizing protein and vegetables, while reducing carbohydrates and sugars, writes Suzy Silliman, senior vice president of data strategy and sales for National Retail Solutions (NRS). Along with these food group changes, more frequent and smaller meals and snacking occasions are now recommended over the three traditional “mega” meals.

Welch’s introduces a Zero Sugar Juice Line, offering both refrigerated and shelf-stable options. Two refrigerated varieties, Passion Fruit and Grape, are available in 59-ounce cartons. Three shelf-stable varieties — Tropical Punch, Strawberry and Concord Grape — are available in either multiserve 64-ounce containers or single-serve 10-ounce sizes. Each serving of Welch’s Zero Sugar Juice contains zero grams of sugar and provides 20% of the recommended daily value of vitamin C. All flavors are now available at retailers nationwide.

Welch’s Concord, Mass. welchs.com

Give Your Customers the Snacks They Love

7-Eleven’s Parent Makes Moves to Solidify Company

Seven & i Holdings will split into two businesses, with one focused solely on convenience and fuel retailing

SEVEN & I HOLDINGS CO. LTD., the parent company of 7-Eleven Inc., is planning a significant move to focus on its convenience business.

“We are going to speed up our transformation,” said CEO Ryuichi Isaka. “This plan is designed to bring out our strengths and achieve greater growth.”

According to Isaka, the plan calls for Tokyo-based Seven & i to split into two businesses: one focused on 7-Eleven, other convenience stores and gas stations; and one consisting of a collection of 31 less profitable retail operations, such as the company’s superstore business, Loft general goods stores, and the operating company of Denny’s restaurants in Japan.

The latter holding company, in which Seven & i will keep a minority stake, will be named York Holdings Co. Seven & i is seeking for it to become an equity method affiliate by February 2026, with a planned initial public offering to follow.

Seven & i followed this announcement with news that it plans to trim its North American store count by 444 locations. The “underperforming” stores were selected based on current strategic longterm plans, the company shared during its

Oct. 10 earnings call. 7-Eleven currently operates more than 13,000 c-stores in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

In its earnings report for the six months ended Aug. 31, Seven & i noted that while the North American economy is generally in a good state, this is not the case across all income levels, which has contributed to multiple months in a row of declining foot traffic.

“The North American economy remained robust overall thanks to the consumption of high-income earners, despite a persistently inflationary, elevated interest rate and deteriorating employment environment,” Seven & i stated in the earnings report. “In this context, there was a more prudent approach to consumption, in particular among middle- and low-income earners.”

These moves come as Seven & i tries to fend off Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.’s acquisition proposal. Seven & i previously rejected Couche-Tard’s original nonbinding takeover proposal, reported at approximately $39 billion, on Sept. 5. In a letter sent to Alain Bouchard, company founder and executive chairman of Couche-Tard’s board of directors, Seven & i stated that the “opportunistically timed” offer “grossly undervalues” its standalone path and additional actionable avenues to realize and unlock shareholder value.

The parent company of the global Circle K brand is not giving up, however. In early October, it increased its offer by 22%, to reach approximately $47 billion. As of press time, Seven & i had not announced a decision on the revised proposal.

Eye on Growth

Stewart’s Shops is buying the assets of the Jolley Associates convenience store chain and S.B. Collins, including the Clarence Brown heating oil business in St. Albans, Vt. The deal involves 45 Jolley stores in New York, New Hampshire and Vermont.

Onvo opened its first Onvo-branded gas site. The East Stroudsburg, Pa., location marks Onvo’s inaugural foray into serving passenger vehicles with an Onvo fueling experience that is catered specifically to gas customers.

Parker’s Kitchen cut the ribbon on its largest store to date. The Kingsland, Ga., convenience store, which opened in early October, spans 7,122 square feet of retail space and features larger retail, food and checkout areas.

Yesway added eight new Allsup’s locations to its portfolio in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma over the last six months. These new large-format stores each span approximately 6,277 square feet and operate 24 hours a day.

7-Eleven Inc. recently welcomed customers at new stores in five states: California, Colorado, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. The retailer also opened a rebranded store in Connecticut, as well as a remodeled store in Texas.

Phillips 66 Co. plans to expand its brand licensing offer to new regions, providing opportunities to retail gas stations across the upper Midwest and Northeast United States to operate under the Phillips 66, Conoco or 76 brands.

The 6.84-acre site includes parking for large commercial trucks.

Retailer Tidbits

EG America debuted three new food concepts at a newly opened Cumberland Farms store in New Bedford, Mass. Alanza Pizza, Burger Baby and Wing Trip provide restaurant-quality, on-demand meals that guests can order in-store or through DoorDash.

Seven years after emerging on the scene, Choice Market locked its doors for the last time. Founder and CEO Mike Fogarty said the decision to close comes after

Supplier Tidbits

PepsiCo Inc. is acquiring Garza Food Ventures dba Siete Foods for $1.2 billion. Siete produces heritage-inspired tortillas, salsas, seasonings, sauces, cookies and snacks.

Cashierless technology provider Grabango has shut down operations after eight years in business. A spokesperson said the decision came after the company failed to secure funding to continue providing service to its clients.

British American Tobacco (BAT) launched the Omni global initiative during the company’s first-ever Transformation Forum. The resource brings together independent

“months of working through a potential reoganization.”

Texas Born is expanding the chain’s private label line of fresh, locally sourced offerings with the introduction of 18 new products. All its private label offerings are manufactured, produced, bottled or bagged in Texas.

Foxtrot Café & Market relaunched its mobile app and digital ordering platform, enabling customers to order ahead and get one-hour delivery. The retailer reopened two Chicago stores in September, five months after shutting down all retail operations.

TravelCenters of America, part of the bp portfolio, expanded the company’s training center in Lodi, Ohio, to accommodate the training of additional technicians. Two bays and a classroom were recently added to the existing facility.

Stinker Stores entered into a partnership with Convenience and Energy Advisors and Altaine to launch a new mobile and online ordering platform. This builds on the relaunch of Stinker’s loyalty platform last year.

scientific studies, BAT’s research and examples of tobacco harm reduction in action.

McLane Co. Inc. hosted an Emerging Brands supplier event during the 2024 NACS Show in Las Vegas. The event featured interactive discussions led by McLane experts, designed to help suppliers break into the industry.

Japan Tobacco Inc. (JT Group) completed its acquisition of Vector Group Ltd. Under the terms of the deal, JT Group acquired all outstanding shares of Vector Group common stock for $15 per share in cash, or approximately $2.4 billion of total equity value.

The J.M. Smucker Co. is selling the Voortman cookie brand to Second Nature Brands, a portfolio company of premium and betterfor-you snack and treat brands, in an all-cash transaction. Approximately 300 employees will transition with the business.

EG America plans to expand the concepts to other locations in its network.

The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2025.

Hot Take Crave Away Sandwiches

Core-Mark, a Performance Food Group company, introduces Hot Take Crave Away Sandwiches, a line of restaurant-quality products developed to help retailers compete for share of the breakfast and lunch business. The Hot Take lineup features English muffins, croissants, bagels, biscuits and ciabatta bread, with options such as a ham and cheese pretzel croissant sandwich and a pretzel bun cheeseburger. All the sandwiches are packaged and ready to enjoy straight from a warmer, but can also be displayed in a refrigerated merchandiser to provide customers the option to heat them on the spot or take them to go.

CORE-MARK • WESTLAKE, TEXAS • CORE-MARK.COM

Puffzels Snack Packs

Puffzels, a gluten-free, non-fried, non-GMO Project Verified puffed snack, is now available in 1.8-ounce snack packs for the convenience store industry. Designed to meet the demands of consumers seeking healthier on-the-go snack options, the snack packs are available in the two top-selling Puffzels SKUs: Honey Mustard and Aged Cheddar. The products come in eight-pack cartons with punched hole packages, which were specifically designed to fit peg hooks at convenience stores. Puffzels are made from all clean ingredients, including corn and whole oats.

UNIQUE SNACKS • READING, PA. • UNIQUESNACKS.COM

Hi-Chew Gummies & Gummies Sour Chewy candy brand Hi-Chew expands into a new category with Hi-Chew Gummies and Hi-Chew Gummies Sour. These new offerings reimagine the brand’s chewlets and flavors into a gummi form. The standard gummies include peach, mango and strawberry flavors, while the sour gummies consist of green apple, pineapple and watermelon flavors. Both are packaged in small, 4.23-ounce peg bags for a grab-and-go snacking option. The products began rolling out to select retailers nationwide in fall 2024 with a suggested retail price of $3.29. MORINAGA AMERICA INC. • IRVINE, CALIF. • HI-CHEW.COM

Alto-Shaam Heated Deli Case Range

Twang Beer Salt & Snack Salt New Flavors

Twang Partners LLC, a Latino-founded company, adds three new products to its portfolio: Chili Lime Beer Salt, Tangy Tamarind Snack Salt and Classic Chamoy Snack Salt. The Chile Lime Beer Salt pairs well with beer, hard seltzers, canned cocktails and sodas, while both new Snack Salt flavors are designed to transform everyday snacks such as fruit, veggies and candy. The company also has renamed several of its standard offerings: Beer Salt is now Twang Beer Salt; Twang-A-Rita is now Twang Drink Rimmers; Twangerz is now Twang Snack Salts; and Reserve Michelada is now Twang Michelada Mixer. Along with these changes, Twang is unveiling new branding and packaging to represent its Latino heritage.

TWANG PARTNERS LLC • SAN ANTONIO • TWANG.COM

Alto-Shaam Inc. launches the latest version of its heated display cases, which feature multiple enhancements, including LED lighting and top heat. The deli case range offers three sizes: 48 inches with three pan zones, 72 inches with five pan zones, and 96 inches with seven pan zones. Each one features the company’s patented Halo Heat technology paired with ceramic top heat for extended holding times without sacrificing quality. Independent top and bottom holding temperature control per pan zone allows food to be displayed for longer, reducing food waste and increasing profits. Countertop, stationary base and mobile base options provide placement flexibility throughout a retailer’s location. ALTO-SHAAM INC. • MENOMONEE FALLS, WIS. • ALTO-SHAAM.COM/DISPLAY

Hands-On Leadership

The King family has grown their business from one location to nine, with more stores on the way

By Tammy Mastroberte

IN 2004, after working in the retail and convenience industries for more than 20 years, Kim King had the opportunity to open her own convenience store — something she had wanted to do for years.

She and her husband Scott opened their first location in Chavies, Ky., and it wasn’t long before store No. 2 made its debut. By the time their third location opened its doors — the first built from the ground up — the Go Time Convenient Store brand was born.

Working with architects, engineers and others, King put out a call for names and chose Go Time from a list of 40 options. Today, the couple has nine Go Time stores, with more in the works.

“I got the opportunity to buy a small store, and I took it. We did well, and I really wanted to build a store from the ground up. That is when we started Go Time,” recounted King, who was recently honored as a senior-level leader in Convenience Store News’ 2024 Top Women in Convenience awards program.

When another opportunity arose in 2020, King and her husband took it and started their own petroleum company. Called Go Petro, the company supplies fuel to all Go Time stores, as well as a few other locations and trucking companies in the area.

“We had another country rural store that wasn’t branded Go Time, so we decided to sell it and invested in a bulk plant that didn’t have any fuel contracts. We bought land in

Hazard, Ky.,” she explained. “It makes our company much more valuable.”

The Kings also own two Steak ‘n Shake locations, two Moe’s Southwest Grill franchises, one traditional Little Caesars site, and six Little Caesars Express locations inside its c-stores. In fact, Go Time locations were the first in Kentucky to feature Little Caesars Express.

“We are hands-on business owners and already have two more stores in the making, with No. 10 opening early spring of 2025,” King reported.

The biggest focus areas for Go Time stores are customer service, cleanliness and quality food. King believes that is what has helped the company grow. She is “very adamant” about the appearance of the stores, keeping the outside freshly painted and having clean bathrooms.

“It’s amazing how the people in our community will thank us for having a clean store and clean bathrooms,” she said. “I also have wonderful managers and great employees, and I would not be as successful as I am without them. One manager has been with me since 2006.”

Expanding the Go Time Brand

Go Time’s newest stores are more than 3,000 square feet and despite being a smaller chain, the company offers private label products such as Go Time Water.

“We just started offering more private label with Go Time Popcorn,” King said. “It’s about getting your name out there, and I donate a lot of Go Time Water to do that as well.”

The chain has a proprietary foodservice program called Go Time Deli in its stores, in addition to a variety of branded foodservice options including Little Caesars and Chester’s Chicken. Go Time offers made-to-order items such as cheeseburgers, homemade sandwiches,

sub sandwiches, homemade desserts, and bakery items (doughnuts, cookies, Danish, etc.). Some are made onsite, while others are brought in through vendors, according to King.

“Chester’s Chicken and Little Caesars are structured programs and we do well with them, so we are looking to do more branded programs,” she noted. “A lot of people come for Chester’s Chicken, which we bread and fry onsite. We have it in all but one location. We also have one location that has a large deli program.”

Every couple of months, Go Time tries to mix up its products and offer new options. Chester’s runs quarterly promotions, too. A growing trend for the chain is bringing in different sauces. As of press time, bourbon sauce was performing well as Kentucky is known for its bourbon.

“Foodservice is one of your key elements in a c-store and if you run it right, you will have consistent profit monthly,” said King.

“Every seven days, we run our numbers for sales and purchases in both retail and foodservice. If something is going wrong, we will catch it.”

Leaning Into Technology

Go Time has used Red River as its backoffice system since 2015, while Gilbarco Passport is its point-of-sale system. The owners scan at least 98% of the chain’s products and use data to see top-selling products, plan items in the coolers, and more.

“If you don’t have some form of tech, you can’t operate and compete. I’m a small chain and right next door to our store in Corbin, Ky., we have a Pilot Travel Center and Love’s, so we have to stay advanced on our technology,” King pointed out.

When the couple’s daughter graduated college, she began working at the company and helped them advance in technology. In 2016, the chain launched a Go Time Rewards loyalty program with vendor Electrum Loyalty. A year and a half later, the company added a loyalty app and updated its in-store kiosks to a slim tablet.

Go Time Rewards members receive points for all in-store purchases, earning 400 points per dollar spent, plus they get extra points on their birthday. Points can be redeemed at the kiosks for cash coupons, and members also save 5 cents per gallon on fuel.

“The biggest update we had was last fall where now, the app will instantly tell you when you have money to redeem,” said King. “We redeemed over $40,000 the month we launched that feature. People talked about it and were so excited, and it was a good thing because people didn’t know they had it in the past.”

Looking to the Future

One of King’s favorite things about the industry is setting up a new store. When she was a supervisor for another retailer, she would reset the store every three months. She also loves being able to provide jobs to others and watch them grow within the company.

“Now, I focus more on finance, so I don’t work in the stores as much, but I’m still on the road,” she said. “I have very personal contact with the stores every day, and we do Zoom calls.”

Although a couple of large companies have approached her and her husband with offers to buy the chain, King said she isn’t interested in that right now. “I’m not ready to sell and probably won’t be in my lifetime,” she added.

For now, King is looking to keep growing. She wants to team up with other branded foodservice companies as a franchisee, and she’s eager to continue expanding Go Time with more locations as opportunities present themselves.

“Someone may call me tomorrow with stores to sell and I may buy them,” she said. “We are very hands-on business owners.” CSN

Go Time sells private label products and offers both proprietary and branded foodservice programs.

IT’S BEEN AN

IT’S BEEN

AN ADVENTURE

ADVENTURE

RETAILER EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR CHUCK MAGGELET IS MOST PROUD OF THE CULTURE HE INSTILLED AT MAVERIK

BY LINDA LISANTI

A LIFE OF ADVENTURE is often at odds with a life of purpose, but not for Chuck Maggelet.

As CEO of Maverik — Adventure’s First Stop for sevenplus years, he spearheaded the creation of a new company purpose — having fun together building the coolest convenience experience on the planet — and upheld Maverik’s mission to be a great place to work, a great operator for its customers and a great growth company.

Under his guidance, the Salt Lake City-based convenience store chain acquired Des Moines, Iowa-based Kum & Go last August. When the deal closed, Maverik more than doubled its footprint throughout the western United States and Rocky Mountain region. Outside of that transaction, the company also about doubled its fuel volume, grew sales by roughly 100% and saw turnover rates reduce by about a third during his tenure.

This month, Maggelet will be honored with the 2024 Convenience Store News Retailer Executive of the Year award, which recognizes a c-store retailer executive who exemplifies leadership, business acumen, dedication to the convenience channel and commitment to community

service. The winner is chosen by a blue-ribbon panel of convenience channel executives that includes past Retailer Executive of the Year winners and past retailer and supplier inductees in the CSNews Hall of Fame.

Maggelet retired as Maverik’s CEO and Chief Adventure Guide effective May 1, but his legacy lives on. He recently sat down with CSNews to reflect on his career and contributions, discuss his leadership style and share what his next adventure is going to be.

CSN: What does it mean to you to be named the Retailer Executive of the Year?

MAGGELET: Well, it probably means you had a slow news day or something like that (laughing). But no, it is really, really cool. I really value the opportunity to be recognized by CSN because you are an industry watcher; you’re so well positioned to pick those who’ve distinguished themselves in the industry. So, with that as a backdrop, I am humbled to accept only on behalf of the 15,000 Maverik employees — because you know and I know that our industry is one of just a ton of activities that have to come together with great people from both inside Maverik and Kum & Go and outside, right? I mean, our vendor suppliers are crazy important to us.

So, it’s all this stuff that has to come together for us to be successful for what, for us, is more than a million customer transactions a day. And so, I’m humbled at the opportunity to accept on behalf of what I think is just a phenomenal organization, Maverik. And being recognized by CSN, who knows what happens in our industry, that’s really, really exciting.

CSN: You assumed the CEO and Chief Adventure Guide role at Maverik in 2016. Thinking back, can you talk a little bit about what the state of the company was at the time? What was going well? What needed improvement?

MAGGELET: Yeah, so we had Adventure’s First Stop at that time. [It] was probably 12-13 years into that experience, and I think that was working really great. We had these great stores that gave our customers the experience that we wanted them to have. But we also had some opportunities, right. I think any time you come into a new role, you try to figure out what the opportunities are and what direction it makes the most sense to take.

So, in the 10 years prior to my joining Maverik, we had built about 13 stores per year. In the last few years, we’ve just about doubled that, when we exclude the

big acquisition. We had the young stores; we had the adventure feel; we were growing our fresh food success. But we still had lots of opportunity on things to grow. There were new geographic areas to focus on.

I think we had lots of enthusiasm, but we also had some struggles that a lot of other retailers probably had. We were using the same point-of-sale system that everybody else used in the industry; we were able to change that later. We saw high turnover, just like in the industry. And so, I really wanted to focus our team on the things that I thought collectively were going to help us build the strongest Maverik we possibly could build in the future.

CSN: So, during your tenure, how did Maverik evolve under your leadership? How did you tackle some of those things?

MAGGELET: Well, we just about doubled that rate of growth the last couple of years, so I’m really excited about that. We came together and focused on our cultural elements — a lot of our cultural elements became more forward for us. When we look at what happened in sort of the big picture, excluding for a moment the Kum & Go acquisition, during that 7.5 plus or minus years, our store count grew by about 50%. Our sales grew by about 100%. Our fuel volumes about doubled as well.

And so, when we saw those things happening, we felt that we were really doing the right things the right way. Focusing on that customer’s experience every day. Everybody ready to make things happen and really create an environment that people wanted to work in and grow with us in.

CSN: Are there any achievements during your time as CEO that really stand out and that you’re especially proud of?

MAGGELET: There are so many! I don’t know how long we have for this answer. You know, Maverik has always been a company, I think, of positivity of enthusiasm and I had the great fortune of building upon that.

We’ve got a new logo that I’m very, very excited about, and we’ve really updated our adventure stores and tried to provide an opportunity for [them] to feel more localized for our customers. … So, our new adventure stores look like the regions where we build — we’ve got designs that look good in Idaho and designs that look good in California and designs that look good in New Mexico — and they’re all different because those regions feel really different.

I think our team has done a remarkable job with technology. Our new point-of-sale, our video network integration, our loyalty platform, multiple methods of payment and self-checkouts, all of these things we were able to do because we had such a great technology team helping us accomplish what we needed to accomplish.

I can also say that for every year during my

tenure, we hit all-time highs; we kept calling them our best years ever because that year was better than the year before, right. And it’s fun always being able to set the bar higher year after year, so I’m very, very proud about that. And then, I’m very proud about the Kum & Go acquisition. I think it’s really going to be great to bring two great brands together, great teams together, similar approaches, similar assets.

But if I really said these are the things that I am probably most proud of, it’s the cultural elements that have positioned us better for the future. The first one is our purpose. When I took over, we had Maverik 300. We had 280 stores and said we’re going to get to 300. … As we were approaching that milestone, which we hit in 2017, I was like there’s got to be something more; we need something more timeless to speak to our team members and how we’re gonna work together in the future. And so, we came up with a new purpose: having fun together building the coolest convenience experience on the planet. … We work a lot of hours, we want to make sure that we’re having fun with our customers, having fun

Maverik’s adventure stores have been updated to look like the specific region they are in.

The p wer f

with our team members, having fun with the people we interact with from our vendor partners … building this model that we’re going to continue to build into the future — the coolest convenience experience on the planet, which was the most Maveriky way I think we could say what was important to us.

I’m also really proud that we saw our turnover rates drop by about a third since I started. A big contributor to that success was what we called our Titanium Rule. Everybody’s got something that talks about the sort of golden rule, but we call it the Titanium Rule because titanium is a much better metal if you’re out in an adventure. Our Titanium Rule is to just treat others better than they expect to be treated. That’s been a great foundational element for us.

CSN: You talked a little about the Kum & Go acquisition. How did that acquisition transform the organization?

MAGGELET: In simple numbers, it more than doubled us with the growth that we had in both of the pipelines — more than 820 locations, 15,000 team members, 20 states, and continuing to grow. It was complicated for us, right, because we only had one Base Camp location and we had all these great contributors that we wanted to keep on from the Kum & Go side, [so it] was just trying to figure out how to merge the two organizations together. And I think that we were, and continue to be, very successful with how that’s going. We are well underway.

You know, one of the things we were really excited about was [Kum & Go] had really, really great assets. Their stores were younger than ours on average, and we thought we could marry the physical attributes of their stores with our technology stack. We thought that we could build something really special and I think we’re well on our way to doing that. We’ve completed all the rebrands

in Colorado, which was our biggest overlap state, and we’re moving into Wyoming. So, we’re very happy about where we find ourselves at this point in the integration.

CSN: What about the people aspect of the Kum & Go acquisition? How did you approach that? How did you make sure they felt part of the Maverik team?

MAGGELET: Right, and that’s always one of the big challenges obviously in an acquisition and integration effort. But we had people flying back and forth on the corporate jet between our Base Camp in Salt Lake and our Base Camp in Des Moines to make sure that people had access. We ran all sorts of town hall meetings — we call them campfire meetings because town hall doesn’t sound adventure. We tried to make sure that people had a voice, a regular cadence of taking questions, answering questions, giving people direction, guidance. I think it’s really working out very well.

CSN: You touched on culture before. What kind of company culture did you aim to instill during your time at Maverik?

MAGGELET: I think the effectiveness of teams and people focusing on the most important stuff is exactly what every organization needs and so, what was most important for us is to make sure that we have teams who are outstanding at what we need them to be outstanding at. We need them to focus on results. One of the things that I think is always important is that people throughout the organization know this is the most important stuff we need to execute on. At the forefront of that is making sure that we’re always in stock, fast, friendly, clean for our customers every store every day. That’s been really important to us.

I talked about our purpose, having fun together building the coolest convenience experience on the planet. Those are the things that tell the story of the spirit, the culture and what we’re trying to accomplish and how. Our purpose is to make sure Maverik is a great place to work … a great operator for our customers and a great growth company. I think we’ve executed well on those.

And when I talk about being a great growth company, I think it’s two things you need to be really good at: No. 1, adding new outlets, which we have added a lot of new stores, and then getting more out of those existing stores, right. That’s the quickest way to get financial leverage out of what you do and how you do it. But you can only do that if you’re really giving your customers an offer and experience, being part of their adventure, fueling their adventure every day. That’s what’s really resonated for [Maverik] and led to our success.

Maverik’s turnover rates dropped by about a third during Maggelet’s tenure.

CSN: You mentioned having outstanding teams and having people who are doing outstanding work on those teams, and that obviously takes strong leadership. How would you describe your leadership style?

MAGGELET: That’s a great question. I like to think of myself as being really hands-on and involved. I think probably one of the best things that a leader can be is good at asking good questions and then taking the time to listen, and then diving in on, ‘What was the genesis of that concern, that comment, that question, that suggestion?’

There are a million little details that are happening every single day. We’ve got great people who are closer to those details, and I need to make sure that I’m listening for their ideas because I know that the last thing we want to do at Maverik is wait for me to come up with the next big idea because we have so many good people thinking about things. I’ve always felt it was important for me to be open to hearing concerns about things from every level in the organization.

And then, I think [it’s] making sure that we’re hiring and training terrific leadership teams that lead culturally consistently with the way the organization is going to be most successful. One of the things that I got most stoked about was how frequently I saw our hourly hires — somebody who started as a cashier, an overnight clerk — grow to become a leader in the store and then a store

director and then a district manager. About 15-20% of our district managers started with us in an hourly role. So, seeing people have this opportunity to grow in their careers is very, very exciting to me because we clearly want to serve our customers, but we also want to serve the needs and interests and aspirations of our team members at the same time.

CSN: You retired on May 1. Congratulations on this new chapter. Why did you feel that now was the right time to pass the torch?

MAGGELET: You know, just six months ago, I celebrated my 60th birthday and when you celebrate that birthday, you’re like, ‘Wow, I’m closer to 80 than to 40, so maybe there’s something else to do in life.’ I feel that the company is in a very, very good position. I’m really proud that every single one of our ELT [executive leadership team] members grew from a role up into that role and when they grew up, they had people who were able to grow up through the organization.

I also know that I’ve had the great opportunity to serve as the CEO and Chief Adventure Guide at Maverik for 7.5 years. It’s the best job on the planet and I think it’s great to pass that opportunity along to somebody else and let others grow through the organization. Crystal Maggelet, the new CEO and Chief Adventure Guide, comes with deep experience in the industry and energy. So, I know she will do a phenomenal job with Maverik.

CSN: How are you enjoying retirement? How are you spending your time?

MAGGELET: Well, as you might expect from me, lots of travel and lots of adventures. I’ve done bike trips in Oregon and Slovenia, some sailing trips to Croatia and the Bahamas, spending time going to college football games, catching up with friends and, of course, spending time with our kids and their partners, and now we have our first two grandkids. So, lots of fun ahead and I’m excited to start this new adventure-filled chapter in my life. CSN

The Maverik team is focused on building the coolest convenience experience on the planet.

Ones to Watch

This year’s record-setting class of

steals the spotlight

By Angela Hanson, Melissa Kress & Danielle Romano

THE CONVENIENCE store industry today has no shortage of rising stars.

Convenience Store News launched the Future Leaders in Convenience (FLIC) awards program in 2018 with an inaugural eight winners. Fast forward to current day and the 2024 FLIC class is record-setting, comprised of the most honorees ever — and from varied companies.

The FLIC awards recognize young people (aged 35 and under) working in the convenience channel who are already making significant positive contributions to their companies and the industry at large. The winners were chosen based on nominations received from their companies and peers that spotlighted notable achievements over the past 12 months.

This year’s 49 FLIC honorees, hailing from 31 convenience store industry retailer, distributor and supplier companies, will be celebrated at the seventh-annual Future Leaders in Convenience Summit, taking place Nov. 12-13 in Des Moines, Iowa.

The 2024 Future Leaders in Convenience are:

Arslan Amjad

Senior Category Manager, Fresh Foods, 7-Eleven Inc.

• Supporting one of 7-Eleven’s most strategic priorities, to grow its fresh food business, Amjad develops the category and menu strategy impacting more than 1,000 stores in the Mid-Atlantic area. He challenges the status quo to meet higher standards and collaborates with the organization’s commissary partners to develop high-quality, innovative products that are relevant to customers, according to his nominator.

Future Leaders in Convenience

• Amjad was lauded for working with the retailer’s commissary partners to provide and serve samples for an event in Ohio, representing 7-Eleven at a high level to showcase the products that will be in a new commissary in the state in 2025. To date, the performance of 7-Eleven’s commissary products is growing as hoped, with a continued focus on remaining connected with consumer needs.

• He is committee chair of the Fresh Food Department’s Culture Transformation Team.

Benjamin Amponsah Regional Manager Northeast/

Lead Trainer, smoodi Inc.

• Amponsah engages with all functions in the organization. As a regional manager, he is in charge of sales, servicing and customer success within his region. He further leads field marketing efforts and shares findings with the engineering team to continue improving smoodi’s solution. Additionally, in his newly appointed role as head of training, Amponsah onboards all new team members.

• With the ambitious goal for his region to set the standard for smoodi, Amponsah has grown his region by more than 300x in terms of deployments and by 500x in consumption per site within his short tenure at the organization.

• He received the annual smoodi MVP Award this March, which recognizes outstanding achievement and contribution beyond one’s core responsibilities.

Harman Aulakh Vice President, Marketing Onvo

• Aulakh joined the company in 2020 and led its rebrand from Liberty Travel Centers to Onvo, including development of the brand's visual identity. In the years since, he has overseen development of Onvo's new loyalty program along with its first app,

Congratulations, Tim, for being recognized as a Future Leader by Convenience Store News. Tim has been instrumental in driving on-trend, innovative c-store favorites—with even more to come in 2025!

TIM BORTNER PLANTERS® & CORN NUTS® Brand Brand Manager – Convenience

Melissa DeHaan

Business Development Manager

C.A. Carlin

• DeHaan joined C.A. Carlin in September. She was previously the category manager for candy and snacks at CEFCO and was nominated for her achievements in that role. At CEFCO, DeHaan’s sphere of influence spanned multiple departments during promotional periods to support new product launches or drive sales for existing merchandise. She was also a key member of CEFCO’s new store opening team, representing the category management department during grand-opening week.

• Within her first year at CEFCO, DeHaan successfully launched the new private label brand of Y'ALL snacks through collaboration with the company’s marketing, CEFCO Rewards, procurement and operations teams. Additionally, she established new processes for launching key initiatives across CEFCO to include field communication, field execution tracking and field support.

• DeHaan earned the highest marks for her performance in 2023 and received the President’s Well-Deserved Recognition Award.

Brett Ellerbroek Manager, Analytics Center of Excellence

Casey's General Stores Inc.

• Since joining Casey’s in 2022, Ellerbroek has made significant positive impacts to the analytic maturity and culture of the company, according to his nominator. He established an Analytics Center of Excellence, launching an enterprise test-and-learn practice and spearheading a business intelligence (BI) modernization project in just over a year.

• Within just two weeks of full rollout, the BI reporting solution was actively being used in 2,700 stores by 9,000 users. It not only saves valuable time for team members, but also improves datadriven decision-making and collaboration across the field.

• Ellerbroek recently completed Casey’s Leader Excellence Certification.

Holli Erskine Senior Manager, RGM Brand Programs, Juul Labs Inc.

• Erskine drives the loyalty component of Juul’s Revenue Growth Management (RGM) programming, with a focus on acquisition and conversion. Last year, she built out programming to drive Juul’s engagement with adult nicotine consumers, which resulted in a 10x increase in adult nicotine consumer trial and conversion.

• For transitioning Juul’s loyalty program from external vendors to in-house, which resulted in

savings of more than $1.5 million, Erskine received the Juul Embrace the Challenge Platinum Award from RGM leadership.

• A former Marine, she was previously colead for the Juul Military Community employee resource group and is deeply involved with initiatives across the company that support volunteer and donation efforts with veteran and military service organizations.

Stacy Fields Director of Marketing Technology

Krispy Krunchy Foods LLC

• Fields coleads Krispy Krunchy Chicken’s social media and media buying strategies while working with agency partners to create engaging content that fosters customer interaction. Under her leadership, the brand’s social media channels have grown into essential platforms for consumer engagement and brand awareness.

• In the past 12 months, Fields has significantly contributed to the brand’s growth and innovation in marketing and technology. She spearheaded the integration of third-party delivery services and implemented a system to integrate all delivery platforms onto a streamlined single-tablet ordering solution, resulting in the first optimized and supported delivery program for the store-in-store concept.

• Fields is a member of the “Chicken Coop,” a team of leadership members who collaborate on issues the brand is facing and work together to identify and solve problems.

Sergei Finkler

ATM Lead, 7-Eleven Inc.

• Finkler started his career at 7-Eleven in 2010 as a store leader, gaining experience in operations before later returning to the corporate side where he now oversees the company’s ATM operations.

• Earlier this year, he led successful enterprise efforts to complete an expanded partnership agreement with FCTI that will add ATMs to an additional 3,000 7-Eleven stores by the end of 2025. He also drove efforts to pilot ATM store cash deposits and led ATM contract renewals for all the company's U.S. and Canada stores.

• Finkler is known for leveraging his in-store experience to drive operational excellence through key vendor relationships, and strategic initiatives in financial services and store simplification. He is currently overseeing the testing of advanced functionality, further enhancing ATM capabilities across the company.

Lauren Friesenhahn

Associate Marketing Manager, Ecommerce, Culture & Social Media, 7-Eleven Inc.

• Friesenhahn leads social content planning, publishing and community management across social channels for 7-Eleven’s brands. She also works with outside agencies from briefing through execution, and leads all influencer campaigns.

• Last year, she played a pivotal role in driving 300,000 new followers to the 7-Eleven and Slurpee social channels, surpassing the 1 million follower milestone on 7-Eleven’s Instagram. She was a key supporter of the Slurpee rebrand and social strategy revamp as well.

• Friesenhahn is known for pushing her team to explore new ways to make Slurpee relevant in the social space and for embracing new opportunities as the team evolves. Her initiative has led to multiple reactive opportunities and viral social media collaborations.

Congratulates the Future Leaders in Convenience

Constellation Brands honors our very own shining star

Sierra Szarowicz

We applaud your leadership and dedication to Constellation and our customers.

Alisha Boyer

District Manager

Casey's General Stores Inc.

• Boyer started her career at Casey’s as a part-time sub maker and quickly found that she had a passion for people. Climbing the corporate ladder, she was elevated to her current role in October 2022 and today leads 12 store teams totaling 205 employees.

• She provides coaching and mentoring to store management and team members during regular visits, and drives a successful culture in her district. According to her nominator, Boyers’ leadership has contributed to the company beating its turnover goal by 22.57%.

• In just over a year’s time, Boyer took her district from ranking in the bottom half of the company on overall performance to the top 20%. For her contributions, she was recognized earlier this year at Casey’s annual C3 Conference as the top district for controllable profit and food safety for the entire division.

Katie Brown Corporate Counsel, OnCue

• Brown oversees OnCue’s in-house legal needs, primarily in the areas of real estate, financing and contract management. In her first few years with the company, she focused heavily on changes in the sale of alcohol across OnCue’s home state of Oklahoma. By helping the company stay compliant, OnCue now boasts the largest selection of craft beer in a convenience store in Oklahoma.

• She has achieved significant milestones over the last year, including the successful management and implementation of a standardized vendor contract process. She’s also been instrumental in overcoming challenging rezoning issues, leading to the acquisition of six new future sites between May of last year and April of this year.

• Brown is a member of OnCue’s 401K Committee and Real Estate Committee.

Colleen Ciccone Recruiting Operations Supervisor

EG America

• Ciccone bridges strategy, operations and project management within talent acquisition (TA). Since being promoted in 2022, she is responsible for partnering on TA strategy, day-to-day administration of TA technology, taking the lead on technology initiatives, building out the company’s reporting library and mentoring members of the TA team.

• Using PowerBI, Ciccone bridged a reporting gap within the company’s current applicant tracking system, changing how the retail recruiting team prioritizes the recruiting needs of the organization and putting the team in a more proactive stance to identify and support the company’s talent

needs, her nominator said.

• Ciccone is a past winner of EG America’s Values Ambassador Award and is active in the Women at EG employee resource group.

Corbin

Clark

Senior Category Manager, Pizza Casey's General Stores Inc.

• Clark owns the development and execution of Casey’s pizza business strategy across the retailer’s network of more than 2,600 stores. He is responsible for pricing, promotion and innovation for the pizza category at Casey's, implementing new, innovative products through limited-time offer platforms and core menu assortment additions.

• Through the end of Casey’s fiscal year in April, Clark drove growth in the whole pie business after nearly two years of unit declines. He’s also made promotional strategy changes to the single slice business that have driven growth.

• Clark was named Casey’s 2024 Category Manager of the Year and recognized at Casey’s annual C3 Conference with the Commitment Award earlier this year.

Stephanie Daniel Director of Loyalty

GPM Investments LLC

• Leading GPM’s digital strategy, Daniel manages the company’s loyalty program and digital customer experience. In this capacity, she guides the efforts of various departments to create and implement compelling messaging to drive excitement and understanding of loyalty marketing promotions.

• In her role, Daniel is charged with designing the company’s digital roadmap and maintaining progress against digital objectives. She was lauded for developing the digital capabilities required to participate in Altria’s Digital Trade Program, helping to introduce age-validation technology to GPM’s digital app to ensure responsible marketing practices. She also launched delivery capabilities and services for participating stores.

• “Stephanie’s abilities to manage and advance important work forward, build technical capabilities and maximize resources gives her the opportunity to advance further in her career at GPM,” her nominator stated.

Natalie Davila

Key Account Manager of West Coast Convenience Accounts

Guayaki Yerba Mate

• With a focus on the brand’s biggest markets in California, Davila is responsible for growth within established accounts and new retail opportunities. According to her nominator, she embodies Guayaki’s market-driven regeneration business model — an approach that takes lessons from regenerative agriculture to deliver sustained growth that creates value for retailers and communities beyond a single bottom line.

• Within a year, Davila secured ampm as a new convenience retail partner, elevating the brand to the No. 1 ready-to-drink tea spot. She has achieved a 28% year-to-date volume increase in California and a 92% increase in accounts buying in the West.

• Davila was recognized by Guayaki CEO Ben Mand on a recent All Hands Call for her measurable impact on the company’s 2024 performance.

Melissa DeHaan

Business Development Manager

C.A. Carlin

• DeHaan earned the highest marks for her performance in 2023 and received the President’s Well-Deserved Recognition Award.

Brett Ellerbroek Manager, Analytics Center of Excellence

Casey's General Stores Inc.

• Ellerbroek recently completed Casey’s Leader Excellence Certification.

Holli Erskine Senior Manager, RGM Brand Programs, Juul Labs Inc.

• For transitioning Juul’s loyalty program from external vendors to in-house, which resulted in

savings of more than $1.5 million, Erskine received the Juul Embrace the Challenge Platinum Award from RGM leadership.

Stacy Fields Director of Marketing Technology

Krispy Krunchy Foods LLC

• Fields is a member of the “Chicken Coop,” a team of leadership members who collaborate on issues the brand is facing and work together to identify and solve problems.

Sergei Finkler

ATM Lead, 7-Eleven Inc.

Lauren Freisenhahn

Associate Marketing Manager, Ecommerce, Culture & Social Media, 7-Eleven Inc.

• Freisenhahn leads social content planning, publishing and community management across social channels for 7-Eleven’s brands. She also works with outside agencies from briefing through execution, and leads all influencer campaigns.

• Freisenhahn is known for pushing her team to explore new ways to make Slurpee relevant in the social space and for embracing new opportunities as the team evolves. Her initiative has led to multiple reactive opportunities and viral social media collaborations.

Anne

Frey

Design

Manager,

n-House, 7-Eleven Inc.

• At n-House, 7-Eleven’s in-house creative agency, Frey leads a team that supports the customer relationship management transformation project, paid media and event design. Her role in innovative solutions such as click-to-claim promotions and hyper-targeted audiences led to significant improvements in measured engagement.

• Her recent accomplishments include adding paid digital media and out-of-home creative to her team’s scope, leading to the implementation of new processes across the full creative team and its partners. She also boosted team efficiencies.

• According to her nominator, Frey is a leader and innovator whose proactive efforts and design work for the company’s annual conference, style guide, general speech presentation and a significant portion of the Learning Center have pushed the team much farther ahead than it was one year ago.

John Ganas

Field Merchandising

Director

Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc./Circle K

• Ganas oversees the development and execution of merchandising strategies for Circle K’s South Atlantic Business Unit. In addition to managing product selection, pricing and placement, he conducts sales data analysis to identify trends and make key inventory management decisions.

• In his previous role as fuel director, he led projects to ensure environmental compliance across more than 400 locations and spearheaded initiatives to ensure sites met new EMV compliance standards. He also played an integral role in launching the Inner Circle loyalty platform, which achieved a 20% penetration rate within six months.

• Ganas is a leader who consistently provides guidance and support to ensure alignment with company goals and standards, directly contributing to Circle K’s overall success, his nominator noted.

Vaughn Gessner

National Account Executive CAF Outdoor Cleaning

• Gessner oversees the onboarding and program launch for all new CAF customers in the North American convenience channel. He is responsible for developing the company’s outreach strategy to the top 100 convenience store companies and beyond.

• He recently closed on the largest major oil brand program in CAF’s history, implementing programs that pushed two of his partner program participants to the top three in the 2024 Mystery Shop Audit. He also developed creative programs with oil dealers and jobbers to keep brand standards high.

• According to his nominator, Gessner is a subject matter expert and a constant go-to for problem solving, creative communications and stellar customer service.

Shelby Harman

Program Manager, Casey’s General Stores Inc.

• Harman oversees the technological backbone that supports Casey’s expansive network while efficiently managing budgets, timelines and logistics across multiple projects and guiding cross-functional teams toward strategic goals.

• In the past year, she led the charge in modernizing Casey’s IT infrastructure; successfully coordinated vendors and services for the conversion and opening of new or acquired stores, beating the company’s strategic goal of 100 stores per fiscal year; and oversaw Casey’s store visualization program, driving it toward successful execution within a tight 15-month timeline.

• Harman is known for her keen eye for detail with a strong ability to optimize processes and foster collaboration, making her an invaluable role model to her team.

Jeffry Harrison Cofounder & President, Rovertown

• Harrison’s passion for entrepreneurship at a young age led him to start Rovertown with his two business partners. As president, he oversees sales, customer success, human resources, legal and finance. His contributions have led to the company’s explosive growth within the convenience store industry.

• His influence on sales and commitment to customers’ happiness have led Rovertown to double revenue for five years straight. According to his nominator, the company’s continued achievements would not be possible without him.

• Harrison is responsible for guiding multiple key initiatives within Rovertown, such as partnering with top technology companies to ensure retailers have the best options for loyalty, mobile pay, ordering and more. Earlier this year, he coordinated the company’s RoverRetreat event, a first-time team meetup for the remote company.

Amir Hassan President of Operations & Retail H&S Energy Group

• Hassan leads the retail and operations team at H&S Energy while assisting with mergers and acquisitions at the company. During its recent acquisition of Andretti Petroleum Group, he played a key role in the merging of retail operations.

• Additional accomplishments include the initiative to add mobile ordering to the company’s Power Market app, and contributing to H&S Energy’s growth of more than 150 stores during his time with the company.

• Hassan is a committed leader who is “just getting started” and is on the path to a major leadership role in the near future, his nominator stated.

Haley Hess Regional Sales Manager, GPM Empire LLC

• Hess oversees a team of territory managers across the state of Texas who collectively partner with more than 400 accounts, while developing creative strategies to business and implementing action plans to meet sales and growth targets.

• She was the first person at GPM Empire to sign a subjobber agreement, which provided an extraordinary growth

Congratulations!

Ben Lewenczuk

plan for the company. She’s also led her team to become one of the organization’s top-producing teams and a key element of the company culture.

• Hess was recently recognized with a Visionary Excellence Award and is regarded for her continuous efforts to empower others and promote a culture of success.

Hilary Hoffman Manager, Supply Chain Efficiency Casey’s General Stores Inc.

• While managing the day-today operations of her team, Hoffman oversees the operational procurement of approximately $2 billion in spend and 11,000 suppliers at Casey’s, where she is also responsible for the implementation, adoption and governance of new programs and initiatives across procurement and the broader supply chain.

• In the last year, she played a key role in streamlining Casey’s supplier onboarding process; helped reduce the company’s invoice processing time by implementing a two-way match process that cut cycle time by 38%; and implemented a spend consolidation and normalization platform.

• Described as a tenacious high-performer, Hoffman is frequently called upon to aid with difficult cross-functional issues and continually grows her own expertise through a variety of learning opportunities.

Bronte Jagodzinski Project Manager, Emerging Technology, Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc./Circle K

• Jagodzinski is part of Circle K’s global technology team, where she is a significant contributor to the LIFT team, the convenience retailer’s in-store digital advertising and upselling platform. During a significant LIFT reorganization, she led the transformation efforts while focusing on improving team moral, product efficiencies, stability and the prioritization process.

• According to her nominator, Jagodzinski’s leadership in transforming the LIFT team to a product operating model significantly improved collaboration, camaraderie and productivity within the cross-functional team.

• She is known for her skills at simplifying complex challenges and improving ways of working, ultimately having a significant impact on Circle K stores around the world.

Jami Johnson Regional Manager, Swisher

• Johnson is responsible for servicing 13 distributors and two chains while managing five territory managers throughout New England. She utilizes her expert knowledge of sales data and market trends to drive performance and

increase sales and profits.

• In her current role, she develops her team by hiring and building up multiple new members while adding new commitments. Her leadership enabled the team to gain a 103.8% volume increase throughout the region on sales in the company’s priority segment, while launching a new brand into the market.

• Both company veterans and newer employees turn to Johnson for her market knowledge and feedback. She is expected to continue growing as a strong leader within Swisher, her nominator pointed out.

Samantha Jones Director of Engineering, RaceTrac Inc.

• Jones leads RaceTrac’s pre-construction and new store development efforts across multiple states, overseeing nearly 100 projects at any given time and supporting special initiatives such as EV charging and innovative store designs. Her leadership has directly contributed to new market growth and positive development in established markets.

• Her recent accomplishments include leading RaceTrac’s EV charging station growth initiative, which included developing a basis of design for self-funded and grant-compliant charging station installations.

• Within RaceTrac, Jones is known as a well-respected leader who isn’t afraid to push back and always has her team’s best interests in mind. Her nominator noted that she is a force within the c-store industry, a trusted leader within the organization and a mentor to many.

Truitt Key Category Manager – OTP, Murphy USA Inc.

• Key supports store operations by determining product assortment, pricing and promotions to drive customer traffic and profitability across the tobacco category. His primary focus includes innovative tobacco products such as nicotine pouches and vapor.

• Among his key accomplishments, Key worked with a vendor partner to exceed combined volume target goals for certain products, making Murphy USA the only major c-store chain to do so. He also oversaw a complete revamp of the backbar in 900 stores.

• According to one of his nominators, Key has proven to be a strategic and visionary category manager who makes decisions not only for the current landscape, but also to set his category up for success in the future.

Balal Khan Vice President, Technology & Strategy Shahani Inc.

• Khan began working for the family business at a young age before going on to study mechanical engineering and working at Apple. He returned to Shahani in 2023 and now primarily oversees the company’s technicians and maintenance team, equipment selection, and future technology initiatives from pricing to in-store experiences.

• His achievements in the past year include launching a brandnew app for tenants and dealers; implementing low-cost methods to remotely monitor sites; and obtaining federal and state funding for future charging initiatives.

• According to his nominators, Khan brings significant technical knowledge and work ethic to his role and is helping the company thrive and grow through new builds, acquisitions and expanded energy distribution in the Northeast.

2024 Future Leaders in Convenience

Christian O’Brien

FRANCHISE BUSINESS ADVISOR

DIGITAL EXPERIENCE MANAGER

Annie Boone

Ben Lewenczuk Assistant Treasurer Casey’s General Stores Inc.

• Lewenczuk oversees all aspects of corporate and store treasury operations at Casey’s, including oversight of the Store Smart Safe program, managing corporate debt, cash management, monitoring corporate bank accounts and maintaining vendor relationships.

• Some of his recent accomplishments are completing full deployment of Smart Safes across Casey’s network; decommissioning the legacy banking model for a more than $2 million reduction in bank fees; and reorganizing the treasury team.

• Lewenczuk is known for his ability to drive efficiency and effectiveness, as his department achieves consistently positive results. His nominator called him “instrumental” in leading Casey’s treasury transformation, which led to a significant award for innovation in technology solutions.

Shawn Moody Fuel Manager Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc./Circle K

• As fuel manager for the West Coast Business Unit (WCBU) at Circle K, Moody oversees and optimizes fuel operations to ensure profitability while maintaining competitive pricing. He develops and implements pricing strategies based on market trends, competitor analysis and economic factors, and conducts thorough data analysis to identify trends, forecast demand and support decision-making processes.

• He played a crucial role in several acquisition projects, contributing to the growth of the WCBU's store count. Moody also oversaw the Forecourt Improvement Project, managing $2.8 million for the project. He is currently part of the company's succession plan for fuel director within his business unit.

• Moody began working for Circle K following his graduation from Cal Poly Pomona with a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics. With his exceptional numerical skills, he excels in his current role managing fuel margins, analysis, pricing and data management, according to his nominator.

Kathryn Morris General Manager, TA Express TravelCenters of America

• As a site general manager at TA Express Fair Play in South Carolina, Morris created a parts runner program for the truck service shop that cuts wait times for truck drivers. She also secured more business from the Mobile Maintenance arm of the business by establishing a cold-calling program to yards and trucking companies — this strategic initiative helped her shop break sales records and build a new customer base.

• Morris has worked to overcome labor challenges by developing a marketing plan that attracted nearly 100 applicants. In addition, she initiated employee appreciation events such as barbecue parties, field days and quarterly sales contests.

• She is a key member of a Learning and Development Panel with TravelCenters of America that has created multiple new training videos, work order inventory sheets and organizational tactics to help incoming truck service assistants.

Christian O'Brien

Franchise Business Advisor, bp

• With a territory encompassing 24 sites, O'Brien has built strong relationships with the franchisees and their managers to grow the business. His ability to share best practices and grow profitability for both the franchisee and bp has been recognized by cross-functional teams, his peers and the company’s leadership team.

• O’Brien created processes and tools for his team to simplify promotional preparation, and created a “Peer Ride Program” where the team checks each other’s stores with a set of fresh eyes to identify opportunities and best practices.

• In just over a year in the position, O'Brien has suggested multiple projects to better engage with the local communities. In 2023, he recommended setting up a booth at the California State Fair where visitors downloaded the retailer's app for a chance to spin a wheel and win prizes.

Margaret Ogren

Senior Business Director, Patron Points

• Ogren leads strategic third-party alignments that support retailer enablement. She ensures the realization of mutual goals and plays a crucial role in maintaining relationships with key vendor accounts, including meeting regularly, responding to their needs and ensuring they are receiving the highest level of service — helping to grow Patron Points’ customer base over the past three years.

• She headed a project to reorganize the Scan Data Department, which led to improved customer experience, increased efficiency and removal of barriers that were slowing down the onboarding process for customers.

• Ogren plays a key role with consumer packaged goods stakeholders and the execution of digital products and offers. Notably, her alignment with Altria Group Distribution Co. led to successful implementation of the AGDC Digital Trade Program and Personalization+ for many of Patron Points’ customers.

Alexa Ovens Director, Technical Program Management

PAR Retail

• Since joining Stuzo, now PAR Retail, as an associate technical program manager in 2021, Ovens has been promoted three times — first to technical program manager, then to senior technical program manager, and finally to her current role where she has three direct reports.

• Ovens is known as the subject matter expert for PAR Retail's customer programs and platform implementations. She is regularly called upon to provide feedback regarding improvements and review of new functionality.

• Her portfolio of customers continue to exceed their business objectives, including an average of 88% growth in active monthly members year over year and 70% growth in total members year over year for the accounts she directly manages. In the past year, she

Everyone at Patron Points appreciates the drive, passion, and innovation Margaret brings to the company. Congratulations on being recognized as one of the Future Leaders in Convenience and thanks for all you do!

FEATURE successfully supported the seamless transition and redesign of an in-market program, and supported PAR Retail's largest customer rollout and program migration to date.

Olivia Parker Outreach & Communications Manager Parker's Kitchen

• Since joining Parker's Kitchen as a store recruiter in 2020, Parker has recruited more than 1,000 team members. She’s also led a number of highly successful charitable giving initiatives, including the Fueling the Community program, the Parker’s Community Fund and customer roundup campaigns.

• She played a vital role in the development of Union Mission’s Parker’s House for Women, which officially opened in September 2022 and is the Savannah, Ga., area’s only shelter for unaccompanied women experiencing homelessness. She coordinates ongoing volunteer opportunities for Parker’s Kitchen team members at Parker’s House, as well as Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia food bank and other nonprofit partners.

• Parker also established a new strategic partnership with Wounded Warrior Project, launching a highly successful roundup campaign to support local injured veterans across Georgia and South Carolina with Parker’s Kitchen matching 25% of all customer donations.

Rushi Patel Manager of Diversified Energy, Metroplex Energy RaceTrac Inc.

• Patel's main responsibilities comprise evaluating alternative fuels, including electricity and hydrogen, to help guide investment decisions in diverse fueling infrastructure options. He builds out business cases for these fuel sources and manages the rollout of alternative fuel infrastructure at existing and future RaceTrac stores.

• Over the past 12 months, he increased the number of EV charging stations from zero to eight at sites in Texas, Alabama and Georgia, with more to come. In doing so, he has diversified RaceTrac’s fuel portfolio and enabled the company to meet the needs of every guest, no matter which fuel they choose to use.

• Patel is a contributor to the “Roadmap of Standards and Codes for Electric Vehicles at Scale” by ANSI (American National Standards Institute), developed by the Electric Vehicle Standards Panel. He also serves on PEI's RP1800 Recommended Practices for Vehicle Charging Installation at Fueling Facilities Committee.

Nicole Petersen Marketing & Communications Manager PDI Technologies

• Since joining PDI Technologies in 2021 when the company acquired GasBuddy, Petersen has become a maven at developing data-driven narratives that provide industry analysts and media with timely insights into gas price trends. She was elevated to her current role in 2023.

• One of her standout achievements is the recent launch of the thought leadership campaign, “The Truth About Gas,” following a period of record-breaking gas prices. The campaign aims to demystify how gas prices are set, particularly during a U.S. presidential election year. Additionally, for the kickoff of the 2024 summer travel season, she launched a successful GasBuddy campaign around Memorial Day that significantly boosted the brand’s visibility and encouraged app downloads.

• Petersen is a core team member shaping the launch narrative and rollout of GasBuddy 3.0, the app's transformative redesign currently underway.

Kiley Schranze Assortment Manager – Alcoholic, Private Label & Dairy Beverages Wawa Inc.

• Schranze joined Wawa in 2019 after working in the coffee industry and started in a marketing support role, overseeing all new item onboarding for both packaged and foodservice goods. She now leads Wawa's second biggest portfolio of categories in packaged beverages. She has full profit and loss ownership of the alcohol, iced tea, juice and dairy categories; and manages assortment and vendor relationships.

• Under her leadership, Schranze’s categories grew above expectations, landing in the top quartile relative to top- and bottomline growth across all packaged and foodservice categories for three straight years. She also was assigned as the team lead for Wawa's private label long-range planning team.

• According to one of her nominators, Schranze was celebrated in 2023 as being "exceptional" with “high potential,” putting her in a small group of peers that the organization believes can handle an accelerated career track.

Derrel Simmons Associate Category Manager Yesway

• Simmons joined Yesway four years ago as merchandising coordinator and was promoted to associate category manager two years ago. In his current role, he supports several category managers, including foodservice and tobacco, and serves as a liaison between the merchandising and marketing teams and operations.

• According to his nominator, Simmons is a natural born leader and has gained the trust of Yesway's internal teams to make things happen. He’s helped train stores on tobacco compliance, led resets across multiple categories, and has been instrumental in helping new stores execute against category plans to grow sales and margin.

• Simmons was recognized as a Prosper Accelerator by the Prosper Forum. The Prosper Accelerator Program brings together leaders in the foodservice and hospitality industry to foster the growth of emerging talent.

Amber Smith Director of Creative Services Krispy Krunchy Foods LLC

• Throughout her career, Smith’s dedication to innovative design solutions and strategic thinking has been evident. Her trajectory showcases a steady progression from design roles to managerial positions, culminating in her current role overseeing the creative direction at Krispy Krunchy Chicken, her nominator cited.

• Since being promoted to lead the creative services department in 2022, Smith has collaborated closely with brand leadership to initiate a creative evolution aimed at resetting the relationship that operators and customers have with Krispy Krunchy. This strategic shift is being rolled out across the system, positioning the brand for a fresh identity and enhanced customer engagement.

• Smith has worked closely with Chief Marketing Officer Alice Crowder in leading several crucial initiatives over the past year, some of which include developing a new menu and revamping photography for the hot food concept.

Andriana Stefak Director of Risk Management, EG America

• Upon joining the risk management team as a junior team member, Stefak immediately began making an impact by taking on considerable departmental and managerial responsibilities. She is committed to excellence in leadership and results, improving overall team performance and enhancing crossdepartmental collaboration, her nominator said.

• Over the past year, Stefak helped settle two of the organization’s highest exposure claims without litigation or a trial, resulting in considerable cost savings. In addition, she led an insurance renewal process that included bidding out to several carriers so that the company could choose the best option based on coverage and price.

• Stefak helped to create the convenience retailer’s Women at EG employee resource group, which launched in 2023. She’s also an active member of the company’s Engagement and Values Council and involved in EG America’s Inclusion and Diversity Council.

Sierra

Szarowicz

Director of Category Management, Convenience, Constellation Brands

• Szarowicz started as an analyst with Constellation Brands and was quickly promoted to a category manager, ascending to a national account role before assuming her current position as director of category management. She leads a team

of 10 associates responsible for the company’s second-largest convenience retailer, Circle K.

• In the last 12 months, she has contributed to growing Constellation’s business in Circle K by more than 10% and total dollar sales to more than $265 million. According to one of her nominators, Constellation was the largest growth contributor to Circle K's beer category and Szarowicz accomplished this by leading her team to be an objective business partner, doing what was best for Circle K to grow its beer business.

• Szarowicz was chosen as an internal coach for one of Constellation’s business resource groups, Early Career Professionals. Her team competed with 20 other highly talented teams, presented a new business idea to a panel of executive leadership team members, and was selected as the winning team whose idea will be put in place internally.

Eric

Taylor CEO, Taylor’s

• Taylor leads the third-generation convenience and fuel supplier, which is celebrating 70 years, with 12-plus sites and growth on the horizon. He joined the family business at a young age, stocking coolers and taking out the trash. After graduating from the University of Nebraska, he returned to the family business, taking on numerous roles in and outside the stores before taking on the CEO role.

• In the past five years, he has grown the company’s store count by reaching out to single-store operators in various communities

to gauge their interest in one day selling their stores. While growing the footprint, Taylor has led the company through several large remodeling projects that brought in new and innovative ideas, along with adding key administrative staff to be ready for continued growth, and ensuring the company’s “people first” culture stays intact.

• Taylor also has focused on building the chain for future growth by strengthening inside sales, adding new food programs and committing the resources to them.

Courtney Trieger Manager, Retail Asset Protection Support

EG America

• Trieger's career is a testament to her passion for innovation and teamwork, her nominator said. She joined Cumberland Farms in 2019 as a resource protection specialist. Following the company’s acquisition by EG America, she transitioned to supporting more than 1,600 stores. She advanced to resource protection specialist supervisor by 2020, and then took on her current role in 2023.

• Trieger is heading up a pivotal Workplace Violence Training Program that will empower team members to identify, prevent and respond to threats. Additionally, she is implementing a data analytics software solution to reduce shrink and increase profit margins, as well as spearheading a Drug Safety Exposure Protocol project to enhance safety against meth and fentanyl exposure.

• She is a member of the company’s Diversity and Inclusion Council and EG America’s PRIDE Alliance employee resource group. CSN

Supporters of the 2024 Future Leaders in Convenience program include: founding and presenting sponsor Reynolds American Inc.; gold sponsor Imagine; and silver sponsors The Hershey Co., Keurig Dr Pepper, McLane Co. Inc., Patron Points and PDI Technologies.

ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS

This year’s Top Women in Convenience Awards Gala featured a record number of honorees and drew record industry attendance

By Danielle Romano

LAS VEGAS IS KNOWN for its spectacle, so it was only fitting that the 2024 Convenience Store News Top Women in Convenience (TWIC) Awards Gala was a record-breaking event, celebrating the largest class in the competition's 11-year history in front of a sold-out crowd of more than 500 attendees from across the industry.

The Oct. 8 awards gala, held at the Horseshoe Las Vegas following day two of the 2024 NACS Show, honored 107 established and emerging female leaders in the c-store industry, breaking the previous record of 91 honorees. This year's TWIC class included five Women of the Year, 44 Senior-Level Leaders, 43 Rising Stars and 15 Mentors.

Citing Dr. Valerie Young, keynote speaker Natalie Morhous, CEO of RaceTrac Inc., discussed how women more than men experience imposter syndrome — a feeling that you're a fraud and don't deserve the things you've achieved. Imposter syndrome, Morhous said, restrains a woman's energy and confidence, and can make her more risk-averse and less self-promoting than her male peers, thereby hurting her future success.

Morhous shared a story about her own imposter syndrome. After assuming the role of president at RaceTrac in 2019, she attended a convenience industry event where she was the only female executive. Feeling intimidated, Morhous wondered if her male peers would welcome her. Following a conversation with her husband that night about her concerns, she decided that

she would not let her imposter syndrome keep her from contributing to the conversations being had. She reentered the room the next day with confidence and chose to treat herself as part of the group until she was given a reason not to.

"I know many of you listening to my story are thinking to yourselves, well, that's easy for you to say — you're CEO. I'm here to tell you, that's your imposter syndrome talking," Morhous said. "Push through those feelings and turn them into your superpower. You're here tonight because of your talent, your leadership, your mentorship, your results. Keep up the good work and make your voices heard. You're blazing the trail for women in the years to come."

Wisdom From the Women on the Year

Each year, five women are selected as the Women of the Year for their positive impact on the success of their own companies, as well as on the convenience store industry at large. Honored as the 2024 Women of the Year were Nikki Boyers, vice president, private brands, 7-Eleven Inc.; Elizabeth Hoffer, vice president, Weigel's Stores Inc.; Ali Marciano, senior vice president, human resources, Core-Mark International; Barbara Stoyko, senior vice president, Mobility Americas, Shell; and Louise Warner, executive vice president, North America operations and global commercial optimization at Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc./Circle K.

Upon receiving her award, Boyers recounted a recent interaction with a male team member who, after observing the leadership at 7-Eleven, assumed his wife's new boss was a woman. This illustrates the positive shift the industry is seeing, she pointed out.

SENIOR-LEVEL LEADERS

Anne Holland

Senior Director of Sales, Altria Group Distribution Co.

RISING STARS

Kathleen Cook

Lead Operations Specialist, Altria Group Distribution Co.

Tarren Law

Senior Account Manager, Altria Group Distribution Co.

MENTORS

Dominique Herring

Senior Market Manager, Altria Group Distribution Co.

Your diligent efforts and dedication to the convenience retailing industry are truly appreciated.

Congratulations on being recognized in the 2024 Convenience Store News Top Women in Convenience awards.

"Let's encourage more women to believe it is possible. Let's create opportunities, open doors and ensure women's voices are heard. Let's encourage women to take on new challenges and step outside their comfort zones," Boyers said. "For the women here tonight, believe in yourself. With determination and support, anything is possible."

Hoffer emphasized that sometimes you have to make hard choices and do hard things in order to succeed. Prior to joining Weigel's, the executive was in a job and field that she loved, but when she thought about what she wanted to achieve, she realized it was financial security — something she had not had before — and high influence over a business, its people and their growth. So, she made a move.

"I once read 'life beings at the end of your comfort zone.' Success might look different to you and that's OK, that's what makes us all unique. If you find yourself in your comfort zone and you're happy, that's great, too. But I'm telling you that whatever you decide, have the courage to go after it and do the hard things," Hoffer said.

Echoing Hoffer's sentiments about stepping outside of your comfort zone, Marciano told the audience about seizing a new opportunity to join Core-Mark in 2020 during the height of the COVID19 pandemic and becoming part of an industry she knew nothing about. Referring to the first year in her new role at the distributor as "baptism by fire," she said she wouldn't change anything about that experience.

Marciano recounted that when Performance Food Group Co. (PFG) acquired Core-Mark in 2021, bringing the Core-Mark and Eby-Brown businesses under one unit, leadership encouraged her and her team to take a people-first approach to bring meaningful change to the organization.

To that end, Core-Mark launched a career growth program to help associates map their careers and actualize the growth potential that comes with being part of an organization as large as PFG. The company also rolled out a recognition platform, as well as a series of podcasts to reach the 10,000-plus associates in the field. Combined, these programs resulted in double-digit reductions of attrition for Core-Mark, a more satisfied workforce, and a double-digit curve of both female and diverse leadership within the organization, Marciano shared.

"We still have a long road to go, but I'm so proud of this team, my team and the leaders who are sitting here tonight with me for truly putting our people first. As I think back on these [last] four years, I often wonder what my life and my career would look like had I not made a scary decision," she said. "You will achieve nothing if you don't try. I want everyone in this room to not only think the same, but have a support system around them to try to do scary things. And, most importantly, the grace to fail fast."

Five Women of the Year shared stories of triumph over tribulation.

Congratulations to all of the 2024 Convenience Store News Top Women in Convenience honorees.

Similar to Marciano, Stoyko encouraged the c-store industry to continue tapping into the humility side of the business — showing up for customers when they need the support, and surprising and delighting them along their own personal journeys.

"One thing I would say about the convenience industry is it is full of passion — passion for innovation and passion for people," she said. "We have passion for giving people [the experience] they want. We should not let other competitors come into the convenience store space and take away our customers. Those are our people, and I want everyone in the industry to really embrace that."

As the night's final Woman of the Year honoree, Warner reflected on her own experience with gender bias. Being raised by a single mom with the support of two grandmothers, she said it was clear to her as a child that women could do anything. However, as Warner got older, a shift started to occur where she was questioned about pursuing a degree in chemical engineering, being told maybe there was a "nicer degree" for her.

When she got to the workplace, she had to work a little harder than her peers and prove herself more. She credited the support of mentors and leaders who helped her get where she is today. "Fortunately for me, I had some amazing mentors and leaders that challenged me to do my best every day, to be myself and to take every opportunity in front of me," Warner remarked.

Having never worked for a woman, she concluded her speech with the statistic that if we stay at the same rate of change, we will reach gender parity in 58 years.

"Thank you to Convenience Store News for hosting these important awards and for all of you showing

support that we need change, and that we can make change happen," she said. "Hopefully, we'll make some more progress with the talent in this room, and maybe one day I'll have the opportunity to work for one of the women in this room."

A Corporate Champion

The awards gala concluded with the presentation of the CSNews Top Women in Convenience Corporate Empowerment Award to Laval, Quebec-based Couche-Tard.

Now in its third year, this award honors a convenience retail company that commits to gender equality, paves the way to empower women in leadership roles, and is a champion for the inclusion of women in the goals and vision of the enterprise.

Chief People Officer Ina Strand accepted the award on behalf of the company.

“How did we get here? We made equitable representation opportunities and equitable pay one of our sustainability goals. We committed ourselves to creating leadership and mentorship programs to provide guidelines for investment. And we also made ourselves a more attractive employer for women,” Strand said. “Our goal is to reflect our global and diverse customer base. In every way ... do the right thing is one of the values we live by and creating more equitable, diverse and inclusive workplaces is the right thing to do for our team members, for our communities and for growing our business.”

Supporters of the 2024 Top Women in Convenience program included: founding and presenting sponsor Altria Group Distribution Co.; platinum sponsors ITG Brands, PepsiCo Inc. and Reynolds Marketing Services Co.; gold sponsors BIC USA, The Boston Beer Co., The Coca-Cola Co., Core-Mark International, Juul Labs, Krispy Krunchy Chicken, Mars Wrigley, McLane Company Inc., Mondelez International, PDI Technologies, Premier Manufacturing Inc. and Swedish Match; silver sponsors Anheuser-Busch, BeatBox Beverages, BlueTriton, Constellation Brands, Glanbia Performance Nutrition, Lindt USA, Shiftsmart and Taylor Farms/Crunch Pak; and Corporate Empowerment Award sponsor The Hershey Co. CSN

Couche-Tard won the 2024 TWIC Corporate Empowerment Award.

The celebration continued at the TWIC Hotspot After Party.

A Cigar Counterattack

Value-priced approaches and data-driven innovations can help mitigate category contraction

By Renée M. Covino

CIGAR DECLINES ARE HERE, and they’re likely staying for a while, according to category experts.

Data from Management Science Associates Inc. (MSA), a Pittsburgh-based company focused on analytics and informatics, shows that cigarillos — classified as “large cigars” by the convenience store trade — started to decline last year by almost 4% in wholesale shipments across all channels. This year, that decline is estimated to be 6% to 8%.

In the c-store/gas channel specifically, cigarillos were down in volume more than 12% for the 52 weeks ended June 29, 2024, compared to the previous 52 weeks. Filtered cigars, classified by the trade as “little cigars,” were down in volume 16% for the same period.

“Now that the pandemic is over and employment is high, more consumers are in a work environment and they’re finding it more difficult to find the time to smoke a cigarillo. They’ve returned to vapor or cigarettes and, even possibly, the new modern oral pouch products,” said Don Burke, senior vice president of MSA, while also noting that there may be some production issues currently with natural leaf cigarillos.

Swisher, a major player in the cigarillo/large cigar space, calculates that from 2019 to 2024, the large cigar

category has witnessed a roughly 3.7% annual decline.

“One of the key challenges to the overall large cigar category has been maintaining shelf space on the backbar as retailers continue to increase their vape and modern oral nicotine sections,” said Greg Schmidt, Swisher’s vice president of business analytics. “Retailers are facing added pressure to find new options for category growth. We’ve seen planograms evolve and expand to fit with the changing consumer preferences for new backbar subcategories, and we expect that to continue.”

Regarding filtered cigars, Burke pointed out that since they are now taxed similarly to cigarettes, there is no longer a significant price advantage. “So, that decline is probably because there have been more cigarette brands being stocked in deep discount and they are competing with little filtered cigars,” he explained.

Burke also noted that local bans on flavors are a factor in cigar declines. “It’s very likely that the additional purchases made in the black and grey markets are allowing customers to get the flavors they want, rather than through the classes of trade we track,” he said. “In California and Massachusetts particularly, the black and grey markets are flourishing and a lot of cigar purchases are not being tracked.”

The Fate of Flavors

Looming in the background of all tobacco declines is regulation, and cigars are no exception — at least not yet. Banning flavored cigars is still very much in play, although there has been no recent federal update. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposal to ban characterizing flavors other than tobacco in cigars “remains on hold,” relayed Bryan Haynes, a partner specializing in tobacco at the national law firm of Troutman Pepper.

“Although the ban on flavored cigars proposed by the FDA has been delayed indefinitely, FDA continues to state, publicly and often, that it wants to see the ban finalized,” Schmidt cited. “This is notwithstanding the massive body of evidence brought forward by the industry and others, such as law enforcement and civil liberties groups, that the proposed ban is problematic and unnecessary. We will continue to engage in opposition to the proposed rule, and other unwise and unwarranted regulations, at every opportunity.”

The National Association of Tobacco Outlets (NATO) and its retail members remain engaged with federal, state and local legislators/regulators on key issues, including the federal rulemaking to ban flavored cigars. On the state level, NATO Executive Director David Spross told Convenience Store News that while no state banned flavored cigars in 2024, “it is expected that 15 to 20 states will consider flavor bans on all tobacco products in 2025.”

Jeremy Weiner, category director of cigars and premium products at Smoker Friendly, a Boulder, Colo.-based cigarette and tobacco retailer with more than 800 stores nationwide, said he’s bracing for continued legislation, including the FDA ban on flavored cigars. “That is the regulation that is most concerning. If it happens, our cigar set would shrink by more than 50%,” he said.

Smoker Friendly participates in most of the trade organizations that fight these regulations and taxes. “As soon as we find out about these proposed regulations, we get the word out to our store personnel, so they can get our customers involved in helping to fight back,” said Weiner.

Retailers play an important role in speaking up in opposition to local regulations, including flavor bans, according to Swisher’s Schmidt. “Retailers should make sure legislators and regulators have an opportunity to hear the other side of the story, particularly the negative impact of these regulations on small businesses,” he urged.

Planogram Push

So, what can convenience retailers do in these times to sell more cigars?

Smoker Friendly refreshes its domestic cigar planograms, which include cigarillos and filtered cigars, every year. The annual reset presents a good opportunity for manufacturers to refresh signage and shelf talkers as well, Weiner noted.

“We add new items that manufacturers want to feature and remove slower-moving items or items that have been discontinued. This helps create new excitement for the

domestic cigar consumer,” he said.

Like Schmidt of Swisher, Weiner has observed that many cigarillo customers are starting to switch from combustible products to other alternative products, such as vapor and nicotine pouches, which makes an annual reset even more imperative.

“We suggest retailers continue to work with their vendors on a customized promotional strategy while keeping a close eye on the Fair Share SKU Index to ensure the proper lineup of cigars are stocked,” said Schmidt. “Offering a variety of options to adult cigar consumers drives store profitability since they tend to make more trips per buyer vs. other tobacco shoppers, and they also have larger basket sizes as they’re inclined to purchase items from other categories more often than other tobacco shoppers.”

Swisher’s vision is to drive value and consumer-driven innovation with cigars that have staying power and a differentiation on-shelf. “We know that short-lived launches drive complexity and costs for our retail partners, as well as confusion and frustration for our adult consumers. An insights-backed innovation pipeline has been a key for success to drive shelf consistency and minimize disruption,” Schmidt stated.

A surge in retailer capabilities in the digital space offers additional opportunity. “In-store digital merchandising and loyalty app platforms in c-stores are increasingly robust, enabling efficient opportunities for manufacturers to connect brands with consumers in-store and activate more awareness, trial and conversion-driving tactics,” he added.

Value is at the center of it all, according to MSA’s Burke. He pointed out that the dollar store trade is the only one where cigars are growing, so it might behoove c-store retailers to check out their area’s dollar stores and offer similar cigar products and pricing.

“We’re seeing consumers buying down in all tobacco categories,” Burke said. “So, in order for retailers to make the most of the category in this environment, there needs to be a strong value-priced approach and there’s only so much promoting you can do. Make sure you’re also offering discount branded cigarillos. Many cigar customers are simply looking for the lowest price and they’ve even moved to dollar stores to try to get that pricing.”

Unfortunately, category experts don’t foresee the cigar declines going away anytime soon, and cigarillos are still the largest segment within the other tobacco products category for c-stores.

Burke expects “the decline trends of today to continue well into 2025,” while Schmidt and Swisher expect the category to see volume decline over the next five years.

“Swisher’s investments in adult consumer engagement, combined with data-driven innovations tailored to adult consumer trends, should help mitigate category contraction,” said Schmidt. “C-stores will continue to be the main channel of distribution and sales for the large cigar category, so it is important that they continue to devote sufficient space to it.” CSN

FUTURE-PROOFING FOODSERVICE

The more important the category becomes, the more critical it is for convenience retailers to make long-term plans to optimize their o erings

By Angela Hanson

CONVENIENCE STORE FOODSERVICE has come a long way since its days of roller grill basics. Whether today’s retailers focus on made-to-order or grab-and-go, menus now increasingly feature a wide variety of more sophisticated and higher-quality items.

Yet there is still a ways to go as the convenience channel’s journey to foodservice success has also resulted in increased competition and program complexity.

No two foodservice programs are exactly the same, but they share common challenges. As c-store operators grow their collective reputation as foodservice destinations, they must think outside the channel and be prepared to compete with quick-service restaurants, fast-casual outlets and other non-c-store competitors for share of stomach.

Additionally, as foodservice solidifies its position as a major profit driver, it’s critical

GOT MORE EXCITING

that operators think tactically when it comes to managing the category. Improvement is a neverending journey, particularly when the 2025 outlook for foodservice is more complex than just “good” or “bad.”

“I think on the surface, the category will look better. Meaning sales will continue to grow year over year as retailers make more investments and expand their foodservice programs,” Liza Salaria, senior vice president, merchandising and foodservice practice lead at Lexington, Ky.-based Impact 21, said about the coming year. “There also could be some residual inflation, which would push retails even higher — making the year-over-year comp sales positive.”

A lack of significant improvements being made from a net operating profit perspective for the category, however, could be a problem, Salaria cautioned. “In fact, foodservice operators are at risk of having the category perform worse from a net profit perspective. Increasing food and labor costs have expedited the need to have better tools and systems that help retailers understand and fix margin leakage,” she said.

“If you haven’t failed, you’re not trying hard enough.”

— Ben Lucky, 7-Eleven Inc.

One challenge for c-stores is that while improving foodservice profitability must continue to be a key focus, operators lack visibility into the true profitability of the category. This would require them to run a separate, full-burdened foodservice operating P&L to capture all the cost components in a single place, Salaria noted. Investments in recipe management and production planning tools can help by providing insights into ingredient management and minimizing waste.

Despite the challenges, retailers are largely bullish on the category’s prospects. According to the 2024 Convenience Store News Foodservice Study, fielded earlier this year, nearly all retailers offer some kind of prepared food. Of these retailers, 79% said they anticipated their foodservice sales would increase during full-year 2024, and 72% said the same for foodservice profits.

Operators’ top foodservice priorities include increasing customer counts, using loyalty programs to drive sales, and menu innovation. Their biggest reported obstacles are difficulty in hiring and

retaining employees, supplier price increases, and consumers having less disposable income.

For retailers looking to future-proof their foodservice programs, labor and the work environment for employees should be a priority, according to Salaria. The better-designed a kitchen area is, the better it will be able to adjust to future menu changes.

“Operators need to ensure that food production areas are efficiently designed to minimize motion (steps) and make work easier for team members,” she said. “Every aspect of the foodservice model needs to be dissected and engineered to be more efficient and intuitive for their people.”

Building Something Better

As c-store operators work to strengthen their competitive advantage, they should consider the idea that innovation is “evolutionary, not necessarily revolutionary,” Ben Lucky, senior director of fresh food development at Irving, Texas-based 7-Eleven Inc., said during the 2024 NACS Show.

While retailers should be able to stand out by offering something more or better than their competitors, that doesn’t mean novelty for novelty’s sake, particularly in an industry where customers want ubiquitous offerings that are already wellloved, such as chicken tenders, pizza and breakfast sandwiches. New offerings must have a purpose beyond simply being different.

At the same time, it is possible to be too cautious and lose out on what could be a winning new product. Unsuccessful trials need to be baked into the process of menu iteration, Lucky said.

“If you haven’t failed, you’re not trying hard enough,” he pointed out.

Retailers should think strategically while prioritizing innovation. Lucky encouraged operators to consider what the foodservice landscape looks like to them, their staff and their guests.

“Why did they come to your store instead of somebody else’s? And then when they’re done with you, what’s their satisfaction level? Are they thinking that that was a mistake?” he posed.

Quality food, an inviting environment and stellar operations are the three key elements to success in c-store foodservice, Lucky noted, and all three must be constantly maintained. Otherwise, a customer who believes they will have a good experience when ordering food from a particular store will feel lied to and once trust is lost, it is not easily gained back.

“You have to deliver great foodservice consistently. You can’t lie to the customer,” he said.

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OPTIMIZING THE BREAKFAST DAYPART

FOR THE MOST PART, the morning foodservice business at c-stores is in a good place. Per the 2024 CSNews Foodservice Study, the breakfast daypart saw the most year-over-year sales growth compared to other times of day. However, with trip counts slowing and consumers demonstrating long-term changes to their routines, convenience retailers can’t take breakfast for granted.

“We need to re-establish the old habit of stopping by a convenience store multiple times per week,” said Impact 21’s Salaria. “But things have changed. Commuting to work five days per week is rare. Drinking traditional drip coffee is no longer mainstream. Peak time for consuming breakfast is no longer those early morning hours — and the afternoon snacking occasion is on the rise!”

She recommends convenience foodservice retailers ensure they have an updated, relevant menu with trendy flavor combinations, healthy options,

Casey's has o ered handmade breakfast pizza for more than 20 years.

cold coffee drinks and exceptionally high quality standards. Breakfast-focused promotional efforts also can help reach consumers who may instead be considering visiting a quick-service operator or coffee shop in the morning.

Using special deals and temporary items to encourage trial shouldn’t be limited to just lunch and snack items. “Offering discounted pricing on new and limited-time offers, exclusive offers to our best loyalty customers, and incentives to visit more often are all effective strategies to drive incremental transactions,” Salaria explained.

She also advocates for meeting customers where they are today, not where they used to be.

“Encourage customers to engage with your brand in the way they want to engage,” Salaria said. “Today, 30% of Starbucks orders are made through the mobile app, demonstrating that whether it’s order ahead, delivery or pickup in-store, convenience resides heavily outside the four walls. The convenience industry needs to be actively playing in that space to satisfy customer habits and maintain a competitive edge.”

C-store operators may also want to open their minds and re-evaluate what constitutes a breakfast food. In 2023, Casey’s General Stores Inc. commissioned a study that found that more than half of U.S. adults wish pizza was considered a more traditional breakfast food. Casey’s stores have been serving up handmade breakfast pizza for more than 20 years.

Furthermore, retailers may want to try offering traditional breakfast items all day long, as the Royal Farms and Twice Daily chains have done. While this won’t necessarily boost morning sales, it can solidify customers’ view of a c-store as their brand of choice.

Rachel Saddler, senior foodservice category manager for Nashville, Tenn.-based Twice Daily, reports that “having breakfast available throughout the day has helped sales because it sets us apart from many QSRs [quick-service restaurants] in surrounding areas with a clear cutoff with their dayparts.”

OPTIMIZING THE LUNCH DAYPART

IF CONVENIENCE RETAILERS are right, lunch may be the foodservice daypart that currently offers the most opportunity. When asked to predict which daypart would see the most sales growth for full-year 2024, 42% of the retailers who participated in the 2024 CSNews Foodservice Study said lunch, compared to 22% for breakfast and 13% for dinner.

To maximize their foodservice sales at midday, though, c-store operators must position themselves as a better option than quick-service restaurants and fast-casual operators, both of which currently garner higher quality ratings than the convenience channel.

Tenn.-based Weigel’s Stores Inc., noted during the 2024 NACS Show.

Weigel’s evolved its chicken tenders program from a “frozen, formed and flat” offer to today’s “fresh, farmed and flavorful” Dippin’ Chicken. This included a shift to lidless trays inside the warmer, an intentional choice to ensure customers would see the quality of the new program.

While other considerations such as price and sustainability also play a part in packaging options, Blevins urges his fellow retailers to take a productcentric approach. “Think about how you want to merchandise the product. That drives the packaging selection,” he said.

Speed of service is also a key performance driver for QSRs and fast-casual locations, according to foot traffic analytics firm Placer.ai, which noted that brands such as Taco Bell, Chick-fil-A and McDonald’s are investing in technologies and systems that enable them to serve customers quicker.

Upping the pace isn’t the only way c-stores can stay competitive at lunchtime, however. Without enticing, high-quality offerings, a c-store will not even be in the consideration set.

“Customers eat with their eyes first,” Ryan Blevins, director of food and beverage at Powell,

This focus on visual appeal should extend to marketing as well. Blevins shared that Weigel’s made it a point to step up its game in terms of food photography. He advises working with experienced agencies to better showcase menu items.

Enticing customers at lunchtime may also be as simple as rolling out the right deal or promotion at the right time, especially considering that price/value is currently top of mind among c-store shoppers that already purchase prepared food. In recent months, c-store chains have rolled out price-conscious offers such as Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc./Circle K’s permanent lineup of Meal Deals ranging from $3 to $5 depending on the included items, and QuickChek’s limited-time discounted price of $3.99 for its most popular six-inch subs.

“Getting what you want the way you want it should be a pleasure, not a luxury,” said Blake Segal, senior vice president of Whitehouse Station, N.J.-based QuickChek, a part of Murphy USA Inc. “Consumers are seeking the best value at every meal. We want to help them do that without sacrificing on taste, brands and the little indulgences that add joy to the day.”

Circle K's permanent lineup of Meal Deals are designed to o er a great meal at a great price.

OPTIMIZING THE DINNER DAYPART

THE DINNER DAYPART has long been tricky for the convenience channel. Although numerous retailers are now as well-known for their food as they are for their traditional c-store offerings, it’s rare to find an operator who feels they have truly maximized their potential at dinnertime.

“It is important to note that dayparts have blurred post COVID. For example, the traditional 6 p.m. dinner is no longer popular and has instead been replaced with early happy hour (4 p.m.) or later dinner (8 p.m.),” Impact 21’s Salaria pointed out. “The dinner occasion is typically associated with a hot meal more likely to be consumed with family.”

C-stores that offer fried chicken, pizza or Mexican cuisine are well positioned to make inroads in the evening. Conversely, c-stores that focus on roller grill or cold subs may find it a better use of their efforts to concentrate on dayparts better aligned with their menu.

Salaria recommends investing in promotional efforts such as discounted meal deal bundles and other special offers designed specifically for dinnertime products. She cautions, though, that operators should not necessarily expect to see an immediate swing in sales.

“The important thing to remember [is that] building new habits takes time and retailers need to stay committed for the long haul,” she said.

Dinner daypart success also may be tied into the broader goal of connecting a c-store chain’s brand to a particular type of food. At the 2024 NACS Show, Lori Stillman, vice president of research and education at Alexandria, Va.-based NACS, pointed out that consumers can see logos from 10 of the top QSR brands — including Taco Bell, Starbucks, Subway and Chipotle — and immediately visualize their signature menu item. Only a few of the top c-store chains can say the same.

According to Stillman, there are three “BIG” rules for winning more of the dinner daypart: be known for something; interrupt the routine; and grow with existing shoppers.

La Crosse, Wis.-based Kwik Trip Inc. followed these rules when it launched the “No Ordinary Chicken”

campaign for its fried chicken program. Part of the campaign’s success was providing a retail coworker kit of decorations that stores could use, including stickers, danglers, paper hats and in-store posters featuring “coworker faves.” To generate excitement, some of the company’s leaders even donned chicken costumes.

Succeeding with a signature product must be a companywide effort, said Carrie Wiggins, director of foodservice at Kwik Trip.

“You can’t come up with a great concept and not get your buying department in charge of it as well. Or if you are working with a supplier, getting them involved to know that you’re really going to be pushing chicken,” she said.

The success of Kwik Trip's signature fried chicken program is attributed to a companywide e ort.

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OPTIMIZING THE SNACK DAYPARTS

THE AVERAGE CONSUMER’S eating schedule is no longer based on the traditional three-meals-per-day plan. Snacking itself is nothing new, but snacking as a substitute for meals or using snacks as part of meals is becoming increasingly common — and therefore, critical for convenience foodservice retailers to take into account.

One major driver behind this shift is the perception that time is at a premium. The fifth-annual “U.S. Snack Index,” released earlier this year by PepsiCo Inc. divisions Frito-Lay North America and The Quaker Oats Co., found that 80% of Americans feel like their days have fewer hours, and 60% expected demands in their life to increase this year. Separate research from Circana revealed that 50% of consumers say they often eat snacks instead of a meal because they are on the go, up 6 points from 2019.

To meet the needs of these consumers via c-store prepared food, retailers can start by thinking small. Standard menu items offered in smaller packaging

are an easy pickup option for busy customers, particularly if the store has a signature product they are already familiar with.

Hunt Brothers Pizza Director of Marketing Dee Cleveland noted that it may be worthwhile for retailers to make popular snacking items available throughout the day, for a period of time, to see what their customer base gravitates toward.

“C-store owners might be surprised at how many [Hunt Brothers] WingBites sell in the mornings, whether it’s from second-shift or overnight workers stopping in for their dinner, or construction crews on their way out to a site,” she said.

Cleveland also advises retailers to think about variety and offer options for every daypart, even if their foodservice program is strongly focused on one type of food, such as pizza or chicken.

“By offering different options, you provide an opportunity to effectively quench your consumer’s cravings at any time of the day,” she reasoned.

Taking an open-minded approach to snack dayparts is likely to yield results because snacking is not a singular, easily categorized occasion like breakfast or dinner. Managing snacking is more about managing occasions, according to Sally Lyons Wyatt, Circana’s global executive vice president and chief advisor, consumer goods and foodservice insights.

Customers are “walking in to solve an occasion,” Wyatt explained during a session at the 2024 Sweets & Snacks Expo. “What am I going to snack on? What am I going to do for this party? What am I going to do for dinner? That’s an occasion, it’s not a category.”

Due to the importance of speed in snacking decisions, grab-and-go items are especially likely to shine during snack occasions. However, made-to-order programs should also feature snacks — particularly those that can convey freshness and be reliably turned out quickly. CSN

Making popular items available throughout the day can cater to di erent segments of your customer base.

Championing Technology

The 2024 Convenience Store News Technology Leadership Roundtable & Awards Dinner shed light on what's working, what isn't and emerging solutions in the tech space

By Melissa Kress

TECHNOLOGY EXECUTIVES in the convenience store industry have seen their place in the channel evolve over the past few years. While always playing a critical role in the operations of any c-store, they largely worked behind the scenes to ensure smooth sailing across all aspects of the retail equation. That changed a few years ago, and even more so during the COVID-19 pandemic, when they moved from behind the scenes to a prominent seat at the table.

Today, their input and contributions are becoming more and more important.

With this in mind, a group of c-store technology and marketing leaders gathered for

the 2024 Convenience Store News Technology Leadership Roundtable & Awards Dinner on Oct. 7 in Las Vegas. Sponsored by Altria Group Distribution Co., Blue Yonder, Hughes Network Systems and Vixxo, the event featured recognition of the 2024 CSNews Technology Leader of the Year; a fireside chat with Meg Rice, director of marketing for Worcester, Mass.-based Nouria Energy Corp.; and roundtable discussions of all things technology.

Taking Home Hardware

Laval, Quebec-based Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., the parent company of Circle K, was honored as this year's Technology Leader of the Year. The global company is well known for its appetite for acquisitions, but its strides in the technology space have not gone unnoticed.

Couche-Tard was honored as this year's Technology Leader of the Year.

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“We want the guest experience to be consistent across all locations, and a key part of achieving that is through technology.”

— Meg Rice, Nouria Energy Corp.

In particular, Couche-Tard was recognized for its use of technology to enable innovation and speed to market; win with the customer through loyalty, digital experiences and operations first; and to streamline internal processes for better efficiency.

Accepting the award were Ed Dzadovsky, chief technology officer; Erica Fortune, chief digital officer; Janet Falcon, vice president of North America systems; and Christine Loukota, director of emerging technologies.

"Here we are, doing what we do, delivering some amazing experiences on behalf of our employees and our customers and somebody said it's working. Thank you CSNews for telling us we're getting some things right," Dzadovsky said. "It is on behalf of all of the operators and 100,000-plus associates that we accept this award."

Inside Nouria's Technology Journey

In 2018, Nouria kicked off an initiative to rebrand and upgrade all its locations and in November of that year, it debuted a new retail brand with a new concept store in Lewiston, Maine.

Nouria Energy Director of Marketing Meg Rice discussed the role technology plays in the retailer’s journey.

Nouria's lead marketing executive told event attendees about the retailer's technology journey and discussed what role tech plays in the business today.

Nouria operates more than 170 convenience stores, primarily in New England. Founded in the late 1980s, the company’s technology stack dates back to the early days, bringing maturity to some processes such as inventory management and finance systems.

In line with the rebranding project, Nouria introduced more guest-facing technologies, creating a newer marketing stack. As Rice explained, “Our marketing stack is newer for what we’re doing. It’s fun and exciting to work with, and there’s a bit of freedom in exploring these tools while managing the legacy systems we already have in place.”

Rice, who joined Nouria in August 2023, was astounded by the convenience store industry’s complexity. “In a single store, you have multiple point-of-sale systems that must communicate with each other, plus regulations around various products we sell,” she said. “The level of complexity has been eye-opening, and I’ve had some really great conversations with our tech partners about the challenges they face every day.”

Six years into the rebranding, Nouria is dedicated to providing a cohesive guest experience across its network with technology playing a crucial role in the realization of this goal.

“We want the guest experience to be consistent across all locations, and a key part of achieving that is through technology. For instance, if one location accepts Nouria Wallet, every location should be able to offer the same experience. We won’t launch a feature until it works chainwide,” Rice said. “There are numerous tech elements that need to remain consistent across the chain, and that focus has only increased as we’ve evolved.”

Technology is at the forefront of almost every conversation at Nouria.

“Even things you wouldn’t initially think of — like signage — have a technology component. It’s about how we store, communicate and update store attribute data,” Rice elaborated. “How do we share this data with our partners? How do they know what to print and ship to the right locations? There’s always a tech and data component to consider.”

Emphasizing that behind-the-scenes improvements are just as essential as guest-facing features when it comes to innovation, Rice

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noted that Nouria draws inspiration from its competitors both inside and outside the industry.

“We are not lacking inspiration. We’re always very open to new ideas, and anyone on the team can contribute suggestions. Sometimes, the most innovative ideas are not even guest-facing. It’s often about refining processes and making things happen more efficiently,” she shared.

Top-of-Mind Technology

At the gathering, c-store executives also traded insights on hot-button issues in the retail technology space. This year's discussion covered everything from customer-facing solutions to operational strategies. Here is a look at what retailers had to say:

• Workforce Optimization: Smaller chains are using simple solutions, such as monitoring the customer-associate exchange at checkout.

• Self-Checkout: Many retailers have some form of self-checkout, but does it move the needle? Maybe. Retailers are seeing generational challenges with the service.

• Converting Fuel Customers: This is the $64,000 question. C-store operators are still trying to figure out this piece of the retail puzzle.

Regardless of the specific challenge a convenience retailer is trying to overcome or the specific technology being explored, the one thing all attendees agreed on is that moving forward with any new solution takes buy-in from all levels of the organization.

"Technology is an important part of the journey, but you need to get the basics right, whether you are a small operator or a large chain,” one retailer summarized. CSN

Industry executives discussed pain points in the convenience technology space.

HOW TO BECOME AN EFFECTIVE TEAM LEADER

Convenience Store News' third Future Leaders Learning Lab webinar provided actionable strategies to inspire and empower a team

By Danielle Romano

WHEN YOU THINK about the best leader you've ever had, why were they the best leader? What was it about their style that got the best out of you and the best out of others on the team? How did they make you feel? How did they challenge you? How did they help you to grow?

This was the scenario posed by Jen Recla, leadership coach and trainer, during Convenience Store News' third Future Leaders Learning Lab webinar on Sept. 11. The quarterly webinar series aims to give participants techniques and tools they can use to take their careers to the next level.

only 59% of employees feel their leaders' expressions of empathy are accompanied by meaningful action and support, and only 58% of organizations take action to improve after receiving employee feedback. Yet, when leaders and organizations do act, employees are much more likely to feel engaged and fulfilled.

2. Cultivate a Growth Mindset

A growth mindset involves embracing challenges, viewing failure as a stepping stone rather than a roadblock, and continually developing one's skills and intelligence.

SCAN THE QR CODE BELOW TO VIEW THE PREVIOUS FUTURE LEADERS LEARNING LAB WEBINARS:

"Hold onto those positive thoughts that you have about that leader because that's the way you want your team to feel about you," Recla said. "We want to create teams that are engaged. They're excited to come to work. They learn, grow and produce positive results. ... They are effective at collaboration. They work productively together; they're cohesive. They lean into supporting each other and showing appreciation to their colleagues, and they're resilient."

To build a team like the one described, she laid out a three-piece foundational approach:

"With a growth mindset, failure is an opportunity. I look at feedback as something that's really constructive. I believe that we all can get a little bit better," Recla said. "Do you gravitate more toward [a growth mindset], or do you gravitate more toward a fixed mindset where you believe that you either have [the capabilities] or you don't?"

A good way to strengthen a growth mindset is creating a culture of feedback. "Asking really specific questions, listening to the feedback, appreciating that people are giving it to you, and then saying how you're going to follow through on that," she explained.

3. Strengths-Based Approach

How to Be a Collaborative Leader

Are You a Good Communicator?

1. Embrace a People-First Mentality When we step into a space where we look at people as barriers or objects, we diminish their needs, wants and challenges. But, when we lead with a people-first mentality, we build trust and authentic connections by leaning into empathy, according to Recla.

Citing the "2024 Culture Study" from O.C. Tanner Institute, she noted that

The basic concept of a strengths-based approach is identifying an individual’s strengths as a leader, identifying the strengths of the team, and then working out how to best collaborate and delegate work according to individual strengths.

"So, we're not ignoring weaknesses, we're just not going to spend most of our time trying to get better at the things that weaken us," the leadership coach told attendees.

The Future Leaders Learning Lab is a new element of CSNews' Future Leaders in Convenience (FLIC) program. Now in its seventh year, FLIC is designed to help celebrate and develop the next generation of c-store industry leaders. CSN

Jen Recla

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Sustainability & Sustenance

How much do c-store shoppers care about their health and the health of the planet?

While consumers certainly turn to convenience stores as a 24/7 outlet for them to satisfy their cravings, that doesn’t mean they don’t want and expect more from their preferred c-store. In fact, more than a third care deeply about shopping at a store that is environmentally friendly, and almost two-thirds of convenience shoppers consider themselves health-conscious, according to the 2024 Convenience Store News Realities of the Aisle Study, which surveyed 1,500 consumers who shop a c-store at least once a month. The study also uncovered:

How important is it that the c-stores where you shop demonstrate commitment to the environment and sustainable practices?

Extremely/very

While more than a third of shoppers feel strongly about patronizing a convenience store that demonstrates environmentally friendly practices, this number is even higher among millennials — 44% say this is extremely/very important to them.

Would you be willing to pay more for an environmentally friendly c-store?

Only 21% of shoppers overall are willing to pay a lot or somewhat more for a more sustainable c-store. The percentage is higher among Generation Z (36%) and millennials (32%).

of convenience store shoppers agree with the statement:

Among those shoppers who identify as health conscious, just 26% say they are extremely/very satisﬁed with the current selection of healthy food and beverages available at convenience stores. This number dropped 11 points year over year.

Among this group, the most important aspects of better-for-you food and beverages are:

Ingredients I can understand and pronounce

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