Convenience Matters

Before the AMBER Alert system, there was the Milk Carton Kids campaign in the 1980s. Today, technology is further enhancing the search for missing children—and retailers can help.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard

About our Guest:

Gavin Portnoy, Vice President, Communications & Brand, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

Gavin builds strategies to elevate NCMEC’s brand, which include creating new partnerships, bolstering existing relationships and working positively and efficiently with NCMEC’s departments and stakeholders to support programs and goals. He joined NCMEC in 2014 after more than 15 years helping organizations build brand awareness and effectively tell their story using the latest business, digital, social and media channels.

A recent poll suggests that public confidence regarding food safety is eroding. To better connect with their customers, companies can do more to communicate their policies and procedures.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard and Chrissy Blasinsky

About our Guest:

Benjamin Chapman, Professor, Food Safety Extension Specialist at North Carolina State University

Through reality-based research, Ben investigates behaviors and creates interventions aimed at amateur and professional food handlers, managers and organizational decision-makers. He co-hosts the podcasts “Food Safety Talk” and “Risky or Not” and further engages folks online through Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest.

Chefs Andrew Zimmern and David Chang are big fans of convenience stores and their food offers. At the NACS Show, they shared their passion for food and how c-stores can continue to elevate their foodservice to stand out among the competition. And they loved visiting the Expo!

Hosted by:

Andrew Kintigh, Corporate Chef, Casey's

About our Guests:

Chef Andrew Zimmern

Andrew is an Emmy-winning and four-time James Beard Award-winning chef, TV personality, writer and social justice advocate. A star of cooking shows on Travel Channel and The Food Network and currently the host of two shows on the Magnolia Network, Zimmern has devoted his life to exploring and promoting cultural acceptance, tolerance and understanding through food.

Chef David Chang

David is founder of the Momofuku restaurant group and Majordomo Media. Since opening his first restaurant, Momofuku Noodle Bar, in 2004, he has been recognized as GQ’s Man of the Year and a Time 100 honoree. David also is the host of The Dave Chang Show podcast and three documentary series: “Ugly Delicious,” “Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner,” and “The Next Thing You Eat.” His cookbooks and memoir are New York Times bestsellers. In 2019, he opened a convenience store called Peach Mart in New York City.

Visa has used fees and strong-arm tactics to bend the U.S. payments system to its liking, leading to higher fees and less innovation than many other countries.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard

About our Guest:

Doug Kantor, General Counsel, NACS

Doug has served as legal counsel for NACS for more than 20 years, originally as a partner with the law firms Collier Shannon Scott PLLC and Steptoe & Johnson LLP. He has been NACS in-house counsel since 2021. Doug also served as special counsel and deputy chief of staff in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Artificial Intelligence is already changing how businesses operate. At the 2024 NACS Show, a panel discussed what retailers can do now to enhance their business operations with AI.

Hosted by:

Henry Armour

About our Guests:

Brian Gray, Global Mobility Retail Lead, Accenture

Brian leads Accenture’s Global and North America Fuels & Convenience Retail practice and helps clients solve challenges and discover opportunities through digital transformation. Over the past two decades, he has worked with 20-plus convenience retailers around the world on customer experience, mobility, artificial intelligence, loyalty, payments and large-scale complex deployments.

Victor Paterno, President and CEO, Philippine Seven Corp., and 2023-24 NACS Chairman

Victor is president and CEO of Mandaluyong, Philippines-based Philippine Seven Corporation (dba 7-Eleven Convenience Store), which operates approximately 4,000 stores. At the invitation of his father, Victor joined the company as the construction and maintenance manager in 1993. He was appointed president and CEO in 2005. Victor also serves on the Board of Trustees and is the director for foreign franchises at the Philippine Franchise Association.

During his 2024 NACS Show presentation, Juan energized the audience with ideas to ignite their confidence.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard and Chrissy Blasinsky

About our Guest:

Juan Bendaña, motivational speaker

Juan is an internationally recognized speaker who helps leaders navigate uncertainty and exponential change by developing the unwavering confidence to thrive in any environment.

Chip payment cards for SNAP transactions are coming, starting in two states in early 2025. Hear what you need to do now to prepare, whether you do business in those states or others.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard

About our Guest:

Margaret Mannion, NACS Government Relations Manager

Margaret focuses on issues including SNAP, food traceability and retail crime. She joined the NACS government relations team in 2019, originally overseeing grassroots initiatives, including issue-focused fly-ins, NACS Day on the Hill and dozens of visits by members of Congress to convenience stores as part of the NACS In Store program.

It’s no secret that great team members are the reason behind the success of the Disney experience. We’ll get a preview from NACS Show speaker Doug Lipp on how to create a unique experience in your stores.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard

About our Guest:

Doug Lipp, NACS Show speaker, consultant, former head of training at Disney

Doug is a distinguished consultant, business keynote speaker, eight-time business author and world authority on building esteemed organizational cultures.

Convenience retail continues to be reinvented by more than 1.5 million c-store operators around the world. Hear how trends around the customer journey, loyalty and EVs are evolving.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard

About our Guests:

Roy Strasburger, CEO, StrasGlobal

Roy is a 4th generation retailer and is currently CEO of StrasGlobal, a retail support and consulting company. He co-founded the Vision Group Network, where top level executives discuss current and future issues and share their perspective with the industry. Roy also is a is a founding member of the NACS International Board.

Barbara Stoyko, Senior Vice President of Shell Mobility Americas

Barbara has more than 30 years of experience providing strategic, commercial and operational leadership across energy and retail value chains. In her current role, she oversees the financial, strategic and organizational delivery of the consumer mobility and retail business in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. This includes thousands of Shell-branded gas stations, a growing footprint of company owned and operated convenience stores, and an expanding network of public electric vehicle charging stations.

Rutter’s has redefined its customer experience so its foodservice offer can best resonate with customers, whether they are refueling or shopping inside the store.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard

About our Guests:

Phil Santini, Senior Director of Advertising & Food Service, The Rutter’s Companies

Phil oversees the York, Pennsylvania-based convenience-store chain’s foodservice program and is also in charge of the company’s advertising department. Prior to joining Rutter’s, he played a pivotal role in launching the QSR program at the Tin Building in New York City with world-renowned Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Phil also served as the general manager for Eataly, overseeing operations across nine locations and contributing to the development of QSR concepts.

Rick Sales, President, Abierto Networks

Rick is founder and president of Abierto Networks, a leading digital engagement solutions provider focused on the convenience store and convenience foodservice retail industries and used in more than 4,000 locations across the country.