Convenience Matters

Foodservice in c-stores accounts for nearly 40% of in-store profits. We're breaking down how you can ensure that food safety remains top of mind.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard and Chrissy Blasinsky

About our Guest:

David McIntyre, Senior Health & Safety Specialist, EG America

David has more than 30 years of experience in culinary, retail and noncommercial/contract foodservice management environments. His team was instrumental in developing and rolling out a risk-based internal assessment of food and workplace safety standards at EG America. He currently works with the Fastrac and Cumberland Farms banners in New York and oversees a field team in the Midwest and Western regions.

Businesses that accepted Visa and/or Mastercard between January 1, 2004, and January 25, 2019, are eligible to claim a share of the antitrust class-action settlement, but they must file by August 30. (NOTE: After this was recorded, the deadline was extended February 4, 2025.) We'll tell you how.

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.

Ethanol and other biofuels are already used in more than 10% of all gasoline purchased in the United States. How much more can be used and what would the impact be on food supply and other considerations?

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard

About our Guest:

John Eichberger, Executive Director, Transportation Energy Institute

John has more than 20 years of experience in the fuels industry, including more than a decade leading the Transportation Energy Institute (formerly known as the Fuels Institute). Prior to that, he served for 15 years as vice president of government relations at NACS, with a focus on fuels and energy-related issues.

We're flipping the script and answering questions from our Convenience Matters producer on how to maximize your NACS Show experience.

Hosted by:

Blake Althen, Human Factor

Guests:

Chrissy Blasinsky, NACS and Jeff Lenard, NACS

We all could use more laughter and good news, and that's what Tank Sinatra delivers to his 11 million social media followers.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard

About our Guest:

Tank Sinatra, renowned content creator

Tank Sinatra is the largest and most prolific meme creator on the internet and has been called "The Michael Jordan of memes." In addition, "Tank's Good News" is featured on GSTV.

From the corporate "police function" to nitpickers and fault finders, there are many myths around internal audits. We're debunking these myths and sharing how you can benefit from the process.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard

About our Guest:

Kara Falco, Director of Internal Audit at Casey's

At Casey's, Kara manages a team of 13 and has participated and presented in internal audit conferences sharing insights with her professional peers.

Food sales continue to grow at convenience stores, especially during a few key dayparts. However, competition from QSRs could encroach on your sales.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard

About our Guest:

David Portalatin, Senior Vice President and Industry Advisor, Food and Foodservice, Circana

David is a trusted industry advisor who works closely with leading food manufacturers and retailers as well as foodservice distributors, manufacturers, and operators. He shares data and deep expertise on how U.S. consumers eat and drink, their attitudes and motivations, their personal characteristics, and their use of restaurants and other foodservice outlets. Portalatin is also the author of Circana's Annual Report on Eating Patterns in America, a compilation of food and foodservice research.

A look at the top 50 fuels retailers by efficiency—including sales at the pump and inside the store—and what you can learn from them.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard

About our Guests:

Brian Norris, Executive Director of Retail Fuels, OPIS

Brian has been with OPIS for nearly 20 years. Over the last 13 years, Brian's focus has been ensuring the accuracy and integrity of OPIS retail pricing, margin, market share and volume data—plus helping develop the suite of OPIS retail analytics products.

Keith Reid, Editorial Director, Fuels Market News

Keith has covered the fuels retailing industry for more than 20 years. In 2013, he helped found FMN Media LLC, a multifaceted digital and print media company that focuses on the needs of petroleum marketers, retailers and commercial fuel buyers. The company was acquired by NACS in 2020.

When you talk to shoppers who seek out businesses, one unique advantage rises to the top — they want to shop at places that have a true understanding of the communities they serve. In other words, they act local. How can your business be seen as a community champion?

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard

About our Guest:

Erin Wroge, Senior Director of Energy Marketing at CHS Inc. (Cenex®)

Erin is responsible for Cenex® brand marketing, including support of more than 1,400 convenience store locations across 19 states. Erin has over 11 years of experience at CHS in the energy industry. During this time, she has held roles collaborating with various marketing teams across energy businesses. Additionally, she has led initiatives to develop impactful programs designed to educate customers about technical advantages, key considerations and innovative trends within both the convenience retail and energy product industries, including refined fuels, lubricants and propane. Erin leverages her expertise to provide customers with critical insights into how the Cenex® brand may provide growth opportunities for their operations, while enhancing customer experience and equipment performance.

On June 10, 1964, a convenience store outside Denver sold 124 gallons of gas and ushered in the modern era of self-serve fueling. Today, c-stores sell that much gas every 0.02 seconds.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard

About our Guest:

John Roscoe, convenience industry icon

John was named one of the "50 most influential people in convenience store industry" by Convenience Store News for good reason: He was in the room during many of the industry's critical junctures, including the launch of self-serve fueling in June 1964.