In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Senior Editor Hannah Hammond talks to Mike Lawshe, the former president and CEO of Paragon Solutions, and Paragon’s new president and CEO Austin Burns. 

The father and son-in-law talk about their leadership transition and how the Fort Worth, Texas-based retail design firm helps convenience stores boost their brand and sales.

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP’s Vice President of Content Strategy Abbey Lewis talks to Terri Micklin, president of GetGo Café + Markets convenience stores, Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania. They discuss the keys to her success and her strategic priorities, as a mother and businesswoman, that propelled her in her career.

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Editor Rachel Gignac talks to Mike LaVitola, the original founder of Chicago-based Foxtrot, about his decision to return to the company to reopen certain locations of the convenience-store chain. LaVitola talked about how the reopenings are going, what the team is focused on and aspects of operations that have changed.

Since Foxtrot’s parent company, Outfox Hospitality, closed all of its stores in April, the chain sold its assets to Further Point Enterprises. Days later, Foxtrot filed for bankruptcy. Then, Further Point invited LaVitola to return and help lead a revival.

Since September, Foxtrot has reopened five locations in Chicago in the Gold Coast, Old Town, Wicker Park, Fulton Market and River North neighborhoods. It is continuing its path of reopening about one of its previous locations every month, with a total of 10 of its original 33—mostly in Chicago and a couple in Dallas.

Foxtrot was founded in 2014 as a delivery company selling snacks, beer and wine, and grew into a corner store-restaurant hybrid that featured high-end package goods, prepared foods, coffee bars and wine bars. The chain, once billed as the “convenience store of the future,” raised more than $160 million to fuel its growth over its lifetime.

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Editor Rachel Gignac talks to Lisa N'Chonon, chief financial officer and treasurer of EG America, Westborough, Massachusetts.

N'Chonon joined Cumberland Farms in 2017 and transitioned with the company when EG America acquired the chain. She has held roles such as chief accounting officer and vice president of accounting operations.

After serving in the CFO role on an interim basis for 11 months, she will continue to lead all aspects of the finance organization, including accounting, financial planning and analysis, tax and treasury and risk management. 

N'Chonon talks about her career, EG's acquisition of Cumberland Farms, the recent leadership changes at EG and what it means to be a mentor.

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Senior Editor Hannah Hammond talks to Jillian Fusco (pictured center), human resources business partner at Global Partners, and Ashley Gockstetter (pictured left), vice president, customer experience at Love’s Travel Stops, at the C-Store Women’s Event, held in November in Charleston.

The three talk about their learnings from the CSW power teams, which were groups of CSW attendees who worked throughout 2024 to solve a problem that women in leadership face. Fusco and Gockstetter shared how their companies invest in leadership development and how they’ve taken CSW learnings back to their convenience-store chains. 

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Editor Chuck Ulie talks with Rachel Toner, founder and technical director of Taste Strategy, Chalfont, Pennsylvania.

The theme of this episode is seasonal classics in foodservice, and Toner talks about what defines such offerings and how convenience stores can leverage seasonality to drive foodservice innovation.

Toner also explains how a foodservice offering can capture the sensory components of what makes a seasonal classic—and discusses a few memorable c-store items.

“At Your Convenience” brings industry experts and analysts together with CSP editors to discuss the latest in c-store news and trends. From mergers and acquisitions to foodservice and technology, the podcast delivers the story straight to listeners in short-format episodes, perfect for the morning commute or a quick break at the office.

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Editor Diane Adam talks with Hayley Thrift, director of public relations at Spinx. The podcast was recorded inside the retailer’s new c-store concept Spinx Market & Eatery in downtown Greenville, South Carolina. Topics include the new store’s features, including made-to-order gourmet food items, bakery items and Spinx’s fried chicken. 

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Editor Chuck Ulie talks with Ken Rash, senior category manager of packaged beverages at Stinker Stores, and Scott Johnson, executive vice president at beverage partnership consulting firm Enliven and former senior vice president of Keurig Dr Pepper.

Topics include challenges and trends for convenience stores in the world of packaged beverages. The two also talk about the stiffest competition that c-stores face today in this category—and more.

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Senior Editor Hannah Hammond and CSP Editors Diane Adam and Rachel Gignac have a conversation about their highlights from the Convenience-Store Women’s Event.

CSW took place from Nov. 4-6 in Charleston, South Carolina. Industry experts and c-store retailers spoke on topics including work-life balance, how they overcame challenges in their careers, why women get passed up for c-suite jobs and more. Listen here. 

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Editor Diane Adam talks with Brad Helmer, executive vice president of business and corporate brand development for specialty and fresh product distributor KeHE Distributors, Naperville, Illinois.

Helmer talks about the increased interest in better-for-you products, especially from the younger generation. He also unpacks how consumers who care about what they put in their body and where the products come from are becoming big drivers in trends in convenience.

He also discusses how convenience-store retailers are now more open to bringing a better-for-you assortment into their stores.