Convenience Matters

Three acclaimed road warriors share their stories from the road and their ideas on how your stores can be "discovered" by more people travelling on highways -- or even in your neighborhood.

Hosted by:

Don Rhoads, President/CEO, The Convenience Group LLC and 2022-23 NACS Chairman

About our Guests:

Stephanie Stuckey, Chair, Stuckey's Corp.

Four years ago, Stephanie purchased Stuckey's Corp., the company her grandfather founded in 1937 and grew to nearly 400 roadside stores. She and her business partners restored it to profitability, tying its future to a celebration of the great American road trip. She also served in the Georgia House of Representatives for 14 years, representing DeKalb County.

Al Hebert, Founder of "Gas Station Gourmet"

Al knows convenience stores. He created Gas Station Gourmet in 2007 and has been writing a column for NACS Magazine since 2011. When Al is not enjoying a great burger or fried chicken at a local convenience store, you can find him on News 15 KADN-TV in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Stafford Shurden, Creator of "Gas Station Tailgate Review"

Based in Drew, Mississippi, Stafford is a farmer, restaurant owner and former justice court judge. But he is best known for his viral video series, "Gas Station Tailgate Review" in which he eats and reviews gas station food from the tailgate of his pickup truck.

In the current labor climate, many companies are trying to hire quickly. Family Express, however, is finding that spending more time during the hiring process, from application to job offer, is working out much better.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard

About our Guest:

Alex Olympidis, President of Operations, Family Express Corp.

Alex is the president of operations for the 80-plus store Family Express Corp., headquartered in Valparaiso, Indiana. The company is known for its "Living Brand" in which associates greet customers with a friendly smile that is one technique in building one of the most statistically productive labor forces in the convenience store industry.

The rise of electric vehicles in Norway could force convenience retailers around the world to reconceive the traditional fill up and rethink their business models.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard and Chrissy Blasinsky

About our Guest:

Magnar Møkkelgård, NACS Relationship Partner Nordics

Magnar Møkkelgård is currently the relationship partner for NACS in the Nordics. He enjoys receiving visitors from other countries with special interest in the EV development in Norway. He worked for Reitan Convenience for 30 years.

Many consumers say they are "all in" on certain climate change policies, but their views soften once they learn how these changes would affect them.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard

About our Guest:

Rich Carrione, Vice President of Operations, Warm Thoughts Communications

Rich Carrione is vice president of operations for Warm Thoughts Communications, a marketing agency specializing in the residential energy industry. A 20-year industry veteran, Rich oversees Warm Thoughts' extensive portfolio of work supporting heating fuel, petroleum and convenience store associations. He also developed the industry's largest consumer research study about energy issues, representing more than 4,000 respondents across the entire Northeast. He is a sought-after speaker on energy topics and regularly presents at industry meetings and regional conventions.

Convenience retailers can create affordable marketing campaigns with college athletes. These campaigns can help drive traffic and fun to your stores. Here's what you need to know to get started.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard

About our Guest:

Shannon Carroll, Contributing Writer, NACS Magazine

Shannon is an award-winning journalist with a reputation for finding and telling great stories. She has interviewed Olympic gold medalists, World Cup winners, Super Bowl champions, World Series winners, and leaders in the convenience store industry.

William Shatner sat down to talk about what's on his mind—and it's a lot—following his NACS Show appearance in 2018. It's one of our most popular episodes and definitely our longest. And worth another listen.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard, VP of Strategic Industry Initiatives, NACS and Henry Armour, President and CEO, NACS

About our Guest:

William Shatner

Captain Kirk, T.J. Hooker, Denny Crane, so many TV shows and movies and record albums, the oldest person to fly in space...need we go on?

How does a local convenience retailer with a few stores get millions of views on YouTube? We'll take you through the process and talk about how you can adapt his ideas.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard and Chrissy Blasinsky

About our Guest:

Babir Sultan, CEO, FavTrip

Babir is the CEO of FavTrip, with has locations around Kansas City. He also has built a highly successful online presence with two video series and recently published the book, "Fuel for Success."

NACS veterans share an insider's look at what attendees can look forward to at the NACS Show, how they can prepare and how they can make the most of what they saw, learned and heard at the global c-store industry's premier event.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard and Chrissy Blasinsky

About our Guest:

Jeff McQuilkin, Director, Exhibit Sales and Services, NACS

A trade show expert and veteran, Jeff has been with NACS since 2017. He has extensive tradeshow industry experience with both for-profit and non-profit organizations. In his spare time he enjoys hiking, photography and classic cocktails. His favorite band of all time is The Beatles and is a master Slurpee pourer.

How can you develop a holistic brand strategy and identify points of differentiation for your brand? Hear insights from two presenters of a special advanced category management certification course offered in conjunction with the NACS Show.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard

About our Guests:

Lucia Romanello Crater, EVP Sales and Business Development, Impact 21

Lucia has 25-plus years in the convenience store industry, with a track record and proficiency in driving growth and market share gains. She is a founding member and current officer of the Network of Executive Women in the Consumer Products Industry (NEW) and is a past chairman of the NACS Supplier Board.

Liza Salaria, Senior Principal Consultant, Impact 21

Liza taps into her expertise in small-format merchandising, marketing, branding and business strategy to help companies realize their business objectives. Prior to joining Impact 21, she served as senior director of brand concept development at Sunoco, with past experience as SVP of marketing & merchandising at Mid-Atlantic Convenience Stores and various senior merchandising roles at Giant Eagle.

As the global convenience retail industry gets ready for the 2023 NACS Show, a James Beard Award finalist takes us on a tour of some of the unique c-store and restaurant fare around Atlanta.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard

About our Guest:

Mike Jordan, Food and Culture Writer

Mike Jordan is an Atlanta-based multimedia journalist covering culture through food, business, entertainment, travel and technology. He had written for NACS Magazine and the top general media publications in the country.