There has been an explosion in THC beverages in the past six months, and Melissa Vonder Haar, managing director of TradeWorks for St. Louis-based display solutions firm iSEE Store Innovations, said convenience retailers must capitalize on this emerging segment so they don’t get left behind. 

But, to do that, retailers must educate themselves and their consumers about cannabis, while also lobbying for clearer regulations within the industry, Vonder Haar said during the latest episode of CSP podcast “At Your Convenience.”

Vonder Haar is assisting CSP with its efforts to bring convenience retailers up to speed in the cannabis space through the launch of the CSP C-Store Cannabis Board. Vonder Haar will serve as the board’s inaugural chairwoman. Retailers and suppliers interested in participating in the board should fill out this form. 

CSP will launch the C-Store Cannabis Forum in 2026

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Editor Diane Adam talks with Peter Rasmussen, who is an industry advocate, convenience and energy veteran, and CEO and founder of Convenience and Energy Advisors.

The two spoke in May during CSP’s Cold Vault Forum in Lombard, Illinois.

Rasmussen shares how retailers can unlock digital’s potential to drive packaged beverage profit. He also discusses the importance of in-store signage and how c-store shoppers notice promotions.

“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 Rachel Gignac talks to Whitney Johnson, senior vice president of marketing at EG America, Westborough, Massachusetts, about her involvement in launching both a retail media network and a new loyalty program in the first few months of the year.

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Editor Chuck Ulie talks with Josh Campbell, dispensed beverage category manager at La Plata, Maryland-based Dash In, owned by the Wills Group.

The two spoke in April during CSP’s Dispensed Beverages Forum in Lombard, Illinois.

Campbell, a CSP 2025 Category Manager of the Year winner for dispensed beverages, small chain, talks about finding a way to have a dispensed beverage not only work as a complement to a food program but be able to stand on its own, processes, trends, inflation and his go-to dispensed beverage.

In this special edition episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Editor Rachel Gignac talks to Helena Yasmine, director of sales for convenience and retail at coffee equipment company SEB Professional, and Joy Landis, senior customer business manager at snacks and candy manufacturer Mars Wrigley. 

Yasmine and Landis are on a Convenience-Store Women (CSW) power team, an ongoing initiative of the CSW event where groups of convenience-store industry women meet throughout the year to address root causes of issues and help create paths forward.

The pair's power team is focused on mental health this year, and they share results of a survey they conducted. One notable stat: 68% of respondents said they did not receive any mental health training or education over the last year.

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Editor Diane Adam talks with Taylor Bromley (pictured third from right), senior manager third party implementation at Altria, and Christine Loukota, director of emerging technologies at Alimentation Couche-Tard/Circle K, regarding the annual 2025 Women’s Leadership Summit. Navigating the evolving landscape of leadership in today’s business climate was the topic of discussion Feb. 28 at the annual 2025 Women’s Leadership Summit hosted by Richmond, Virginia-based tobacco company Altria and the Trulaske Business School’s Career Services Department at the University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri.

Bromley and Loukota discussed the challenges of navigating the evolving landscape of leadership in today’s business climate, the strengths of Gen Z and finding the right work method that aligns with individual preferences and career goals.

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Executive Editor Hannah Hammond talks to Todd Fangman, senior food and dispensed beverage manager at the Dash In convenience-store chain. 

The Wills Group Inc., La Plata, Maryland, owns the c-store chain, which has about 60 stores. 

• The Wills Group is No. 120 on CSP’s 2024 Top 202 ranking of U.S. convenience-store chains by store count.

Fangman shares his strategy behind Dash In’s menu and how he’s focusing on nailing core items this year, rather than adding more innovation. 

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Editor Rachel Gignac talks to Paul Singh, vice president of operations at Grab-N-Geaux, a convenience-store chain based in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and Safi Modi, head of growth at Modisoft, a technology software provider based in Sugar Land, Texas.

They talk about Grab-N-Geaux's integration of Modisoft services throughout its stores. The chain uses the tech inside the store, in the forecourt and for its restaurant.

“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 Chuck Ulie talks with Rachel Toner, owner of Taste Strategy, Chalfont, Pennsylvania, at CSP’s Dispensed Beverages Forum, which took place in April in Lombard, Illinois.

Toner talks about the trendy dirty soda, which is a carbonated soft drink with added flavor syrups or creamers. Toner discusses the catchy name, the history of the beverage and its resurgence today. The majority of retailers already have the ingredients needed to make these drinks, she says, making it a wealth of opportunity for c-stores. 

With consumers expecting everything on-demand, digital commerce has become table stakes. But scaling delivery while maintaining margins isn’t easy—especially in a business built for speed and efficiency. On a recent episode of the CSP "At Your Convenience" podcast, CSP's Vice President of Content Strategy Abbey Lewis sat down with Justin Jackson, president and chief revenue officer at Lula Commerce, to talk about what works, what doesn’t, and how to build a digital strategy that drives results.