A convenience store with its own brewery? Yep! Chicagoland PRIDE Stores have even more innovation and excitement in the works.

Related Links:

The PRIDE Stores

93 Octane Brewery

Parent Petroleum

Ideas 2 Go: Parent Petroleum’s Brewing Success

The Big Question

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard and Rose Johnson

About our Guest:

Mario Spina, owner and CEO, Parent Petroleum

Mario is the owner and CEO of St. Charles, Illinois-based Parent Petroleum Co., a wholesale supplier of fuel and lubricants. He also owns and operates 15 The PRIDE Stores, which feature three foodservice concepts—PRIDE Cafe, Urban Counter, and Taco Urbano—plus a wine & spirits store, along with 93 Octane, a brewery.

Retail fueling experts break down current market conditions affecting the price per gallon.

Related Links:

NACS Fuels Resource Center Fuels Institute

Hosted by: Jeff Lenard

About our Guests:

Paige Anderson, Director of Government Relations, NACS

Paige represents NACS members before Congress and the administration on policy issues relating to fuels, energy, cyber and data security, consumer data privacy, climate change, transportation and patent reform. She joined NACS in December 2012 after spending 20 years on Capitol Hill in the office of Rep. Mary Bono Mack (CA-45) as deputy chief of staff and legislative director, and in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. She hails from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana and has a B.A. in political science and economics. Paige also earned an M.A. in national security studies from California State University, San Bernardino.

John Eichberger, Executive Director, Fuels Institute

John leads the Fuels Institute, a nonprofit, independent think tank founded in 2013 and managed by NACS. Prior to the Fuels Institute, he served more than 14 years at NACS as vice president of government relations and as the director of motor fuels. He oversaw advocacy operations and represented the convenience and fuel retailing industry before the media and federal government. With decades of experience, Eichberger is a recognized and go-to expert on fuels and fuel retailing.

From culture to automation, Jared Scheeler shares how his company is tackling labor challenges.

Related Links:

"Thinking Big," NACS Magazine, January 2022

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard and Chris Blasinsky

About our Guest:

Jared Scheeler, CEO, The Hub Convenience Stores

Scheeler, who is also the 2021-22 NACS chairman, began his career in the convenience industry in 1998 while attending the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, where he worked at Minneapolis-based Bobby & Steve’s Auto World. His engagement with NACS goes back to 2001, when he attended his first NACS Show in Las Vegas. “That’s when I fell in love with the industry,” he said in the January 2022 issue of NACS Magazine. In 2015, Scheeler returned to his hometown and co-founded The Hub in Dickinson, North Dakota.

Not all emissions are equal. A new study explores how energy can determine where EVs and hybrids reduce emissions. Hint: It varies considerably by region.

Related Links:

Fuels Institute

Life Cycle Analysis: Electric and Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles 

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard and Chris Blasinsky

About our Guest:

John Eichberger, Executive Director, Fuels Institute

John Eichberger leads the Fuels Institute, a nonprofit, independent think tank founded in 2013 and managed by NACS. Prior to the Fuels Institute, he served more than 14 years at NACS as vice president of government relations and as the director of motor fuels. He oversaw advocacy operations and represented the convenience and fuel retailing industry before the media and federal government. With decades of experience, Eichberger is a recognized and go-to expert on fuels and fuel retailing.

What President Biden's address means for the convenience and fuel retailing industry.

Related Links:

Merchants Payments Coalition NACS Advocacy  NACS Day on the Hill

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard and Chris Blasinsky

About our Guest:

Doug Kantor, NACS General Counsel

Doug joined NACS in May 2021 after serving as a partner at Steptoe & Johnson LLP, where he worked with the NACS government relations team to define effective policy-based solutions on issues ranging from fuels to financial services. He has established and administered coalitions of companies and trade associations that share common legislative and regulatory objectives, including the Merchants Payments Coalition and its work to reform credit and debit card swipe fees.

From flavored milk to supporting service dogs and veterans, Kurt Weigel shares how the 90-year-old company is just getting started.

Related Links:

Weigel's NACS Ideas 2 Go | Weigel's NACS HR Forum Smoky Mountain Service Dogs

Hosted by:

Chris Blasinsky and Britt Brewer

About our Guest:

Kurt Weigel, Recruiting Manager, Weigel’s Stores Inc.

You'll find Kurt Weigel at the Powell, Tennessee-based Weigel's, handling recruitment and customer concerns and overseeing the company's annual Weigel's Family Christmas. He has been with Weigel's for nearly two decades and previously taught middle school in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Weigel's traces its roots back to 1847, when Carl Augustus Weigel emigrated from Saxony, Germany, and purchased a 470-acre farm for $1,000 in Wartburg, Tennessee. Fast-forwarding to 1964, Bill Weigel opened the first Weigel’s convenience store located on Oak Ridge Highway. Today there are 70 Weigel's stores throughout East Tennessee.

Vehicle sales trends have massive implications for the economy and the future of fueling. What’s affecting sales now, and what could change in the next five years?

Related Links:

National Automobile Dealers Association NACS Fuels Resource Center Fuels Institute

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard and John Eichberger

About our Guest:

Patrick Manzi, Chief Economist, National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA)

Patrick Manzi works with NADA and the American Truck Dealers (ATD), a division of NADA. He regularly speaks to various audiences about the auto industry and is responsible for many of the association’s monthly and annual economic reports including NADA Data and ATD Data.

Foodie, writer, and TV personality Al Hebert is passionate about food and where to find it: at the local gas station.

Related Links:

Gas Station Gourmet NACS Magazine

Hosted by: Chris Blasinsky and Rose Johnson

About our Guest:

Al Hebert, Founder, Gas Station Gourmet

Al Hebert lives for America's gas stations. He created Gas Station Gourmet in 2007 and has been writing his column for NACS Magazine since 2011 to bring the story of America's independent convenience stores—especially those with unique foodservice—to thousands of industry leaders. He's a news producer and reporter by trade and a frequent speaker at industry events like the NACS Show. When Al is not enjoying a great burger or fried chicken at a local convenience store, you can find him on NEWS 15 KADN in Lafayette, Louisiana.

From subscription snack boxes to opening The Goods Mart at 30 Rockefeller in New York City, Rachel Krupa is redefining convenience one store at a time.

Related Links:

The Goods Mart NACS Ideas 2 Go: Doing More and Doing Good

Hosted by:

Chris Blasinsky and Britt Brewer

About our Guest:

Rachel Krupa, Founder, The Goods Mart

Rachel Krupa has had her finger on the pulse of the health and wellness industry for most of her adult life. As someone whose foundational pillar is to do good and feel good, she has turned her observations, introspections, and unwavering passion into a thriving business—not once, but twice. Opening a mission-driven public relations agency, Krupa Consulting, in 2010 and then opening a better-for-you convenience store, The Goods Mart, in 2018, Rachel has paved her own path and become one of the most sought-after experts and advisors in the health, wellness, and food landscapes.

Our conversation explores how 7-Eleven's Evolution stores are a testing ground where customers can experience the retailer's newest innovations and products.

Related Links:

NACS Ideas 2 Go: 7-Eleven's Evolution NACS Ideas 2 Go: Retail Evolution

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard

About our Guest:

Molly Long, Vice President of Store Evolution & Design, 7-Eleven

Molly Long is responsible for all design-related activities associated with both the physical store as well as the customer experience inside of 7-Eleven, including new stores, remodels, platform innovation, and new store formats. She has a strong track record for leading transformational change inside the company. She founded the Store Evolution Team to transform the customer experience through laboratory stores, which are now influencing the designs and platforms for all new stores and remodel standards.