At Your Convenience

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Executive Editor Hannah Hammond talks to Aisha Jefferson, QuikTrip’s corporate communications manager. 

Jefferson shares how she’s risen through the ranks at the Tulsa, Oklahoma-based convenience-store chain through nine promotions. She also shares the challenges she’s faced in her career, along with what’s helped her along the way. 

• QuikTrip is No. 9 on CSP’s 2025 Top 202 ranking of U.S. c-store chains by store count.

The two spoke at CSP’s Convenience-Store Women’s event, which was held Nov. 3-5 in San Antonio. 

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Editor Rachel Gignac talks to Abigail Cerra, director of marketing at Chestnut Market, New Paltz, New York. They talk during CSP’s C-Store Women event, which was held Nov. 3-5 in San Antonio.

Cerra talks about the importance of understanding the financials behind business decisions. She and Gignac discuss how leaders in the convenience-store industry can read early financial signals, leverage data to make smarter choices and navigate the evolving landscape of digital payments, self-checkout and delivery. Cerra also shares practical advice for emerging leaders on strengthening their financial intuition and spotting the story behind the numbers in their own organizations.

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Executive Editor Hannah Hammond talks to RaceTrac’s Vice President of Marketing Jamie Miller and Executive Director of Digital and Store Technology Tyler Grubbs. 

Speaking from CSP’s C-StoreTEC forum, which was held Oct. 27-29 in Plano, Texas, Miller and Grubbs shared how the marketing and technology departments collaborate. They also spoke to RaceTrac’s upgraded rewards app and how they work with the company’s various brands, from RaceTrac to Gulf Oil to Raceway to Potbelly.

• Atlanta-based RaceTrac is No. 17 on CSP’s 2025 Top 202 ranking of U.S. c-store chains by store count.

“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 Executive Editor Hannah Hammond talks to Michelle Patterson, vice president of marketing and communications at McLane Company Inc., and Jason Read, director of store operations at Wawa, about how to build your personal brand. 

The three sat down at CSP’s third-annual C-Store Women’s event in San Antonio, Texas, to discuss how leaders in the convenience industry can build and maintain their own personal brand and growth in their careers. 

The learnings came from Patterson and Read’s power team, a group of people who had attended CSW in 2024 and worked throughout the year to develop tips on establishing a personal brand. 

“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 Jesse Wolcott, assistant director of information technology at Royal Farms. 

They speak at C-StoreTEC, where Wolcott was part of a session on artificial intelligence (AI) strategy in convenience stores. 

Wolcott shares how Baltimore-based Royal Farms is leveraging AI, challenges with implementation and goals.

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Editor Rachel Gignac talks to Terry Valdivieso, chief financial officer at Atlantis Management Group. 

Valdivieso discusses the role of technology in the company's expansion and operational efficiency. Among additional topics, she shares insights on the implementation of suggested ordering systems and the future integration of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance data analysis and decision-making.

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Editors Hannah Hammond, Heather Lalley, Chuck Ulie, Diane Adam and Rachel Gignac discuss their biggest takeaways from the 2025 NACS Show.

The NACS Show took place Tuesday through Friday at McCormick Place in Chicago.

In a recent “At Your Convenience” podcast, CSP sat down with industry experts Bill Flack, senior vice president, head of foodservice strategic business, and Ed Shabaz, vice president of sales, director-foodservice and CPG, both from Ajinomoto Foods North America. According to Flack and Shabaz, this trend is being driven primarily by younger demographics including millennials and Gen Z consumers.

Latin American cuisine continues to dominate growth, with core items like tacos and burritos expanding to include trending options such as Birria tacos and elote. Empanadas are particularly well-suited for the convenience channel, showing 12% menu growth due to their portable nature and operational efficiency.

On the Asian front, dumplings and pot stickers are gaining significant traction. These handheld items appeal to consumers seeking authentic global experiences while offering retailers operationally friendly solutions that require minimal labor and hold well under heat lamps.

Listen to the full “At Your Convenience” podcast episode above for deeper insights into how convenience retailers can successfully implement global flavor programs and stay ahead of emerging food service trends.

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Executive Editor Hannah Hammond talks to Julia Lazzara, president of Leading NOW, during CSP’s Outlook Leadership event in August. 

The two talk about CSP’s upcoming C-Store Women’s event, which takes place Nov. 3-5 in San Antonio, Texas. 

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Editor Diane Adam talks with David Spross, executive director of the National Association of Tobacco Outlets, Washington, D.C. The two talk at CSP’s Tobacco Plus Forum, held in September in Schaumburg, Illinois.

On this podcast, Spross discusses the Food and Drug Administration’s plan to fast-track nicotine pouch authorizations, state excise taxes and challenges of the illicit e-cigarette market.