Convenience Matters

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.

German retailers are redefining and adapting to new consumer behaviors and their expectations of Berlin's convenience retail market.

Related Links:

NACS Convenience Summit Europe NACS Magazine | Berlin: The Future of Convenience

Hosted by:

Chris Blasinsky

About our Guests:

Christian Warning, Managing Director of The Retail Marketeers

Warning is the founder and managing director of The Retail Marketeers, a Hamburg, Germany-based sales and marketing retail think tank. He focuses on developing and delivering award-winning convenience retail formats and marketing strategies. Warning worked with Royal Dutch Shell for 13 years in different retail management roles and has a robust list of global retail industry clients that includes Total, Orlen, Valora, Ahold, Lekkerland, Verifone, Costa, and PepsiCo. He is an advisor to the NACS International Board of Directors and is a NACS relationship partner based in Germany.

Mark Wohltmann, Director of NACS Global

Wohltmann is responsible for the strategic development of NACS Global, a network that supports convenience retailers and their businesses. He has more than 20 years of experience in research and consulting, with a focus on FMCG/CPG and retail. Wohltmann began his career in the advertising industry, focusing on trade marketing and sales advertising at Dorland in Berlin and at Grey and BBDO in Dusseldorf.

The customer experience starts at the forecourt and extends to the inside of the store. Add a local and community focus to the mix and retailers can create a winning offer.

Related Links:

Cenex Cenex LIFT Initiative

Hosted by: Jeff Lenard

About our guest:

Akhtar Hussain, Director of Refined Fuels Marketing, Cenex

Akhtar Hussain is the director of refined fuels marketing at CHS, where he is responsible for Cenex brand marketing, retail development and retail imaging and equipment for Cenex, which has more than 1,500 convenience store locations across 19 states. In his more than 10 years at CHS, Hussain has held a number of roles including manager of petroleum equipment and manager of refined fuels marketing. A Minnesota native, he received his degree in marketing from Metropolitan State University.

Kyle Knutson, CEO of Synergy Cooperative

Kyle Knutson is CEO of Synergy Cooperative, a locally customer-owned cooperative located in Northwest Wisconsin. Kyle and his team run the local Cenex-branded location in Cumberland, Wisconsin.

This timely episode discusses what convenience retailers could expect as the nation's highest court prepares to rule on OSHA's vaccine mandate.

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Subscribe to NACS Daily

NACS Webinar: OSHA's Vaccine Mandate

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard

About our Guests:

Doug Kantor, NACS General Counsel

Kantor 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.

Jon Taets, NACS Government Relations Director

Taets joined NACS in March 2014 and advocates before Congress on behalf of the U.S. convenience and fuel retailing industry on policy and regulatory issues relating to labor, health care, taxes, foodservice and food safety and online gaming. Early in his career he was legislative director for U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance and was also a legislative assistant and director of communications for U.S. Rep. Vito Fossella.

How a small and mighty convenience store owner is inspiring other independent retailers to take their business to the next level.

Related Links:

NACS Ideas 2 Go: "The Hub"

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard and Chris Blasinsky

About our Guest:

Jared Scheeler, CEO of The Hub Convenience Stores Inc., is the 2021-22 NACS Chairman. He 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 began in 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 co-founded The Hub in his hometown of Dickinson, North Dakota.

Sharing your company story leads to more engaged employees and customers.

Related Links:

NACS Magazine Article: The Storyteller

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard and Rose Johnson

About our Guest:

Kendal Netmaker, Founder, Netmaker Enterprises

Kendal Netmaker is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, and gifted keynote speaker who is on a mission to empower and motivate people worldwide by sharing his story that regardless of where you come from and what challenges you face, you have the power to enact change.

Solar energy can equal great savings for retailers. Hear about the benefits, challenges and processes to getting started with solar.

Related Links:

Converting to Renewable Energy (NACS Sustainability Toolkit) Reducing Energy Use (NACS Sustainability Toolkit)

Hosted by:

Carolyn Schnare and Paige Anderson

About our Guests:

John Zimmerman, Partner, Amerlight Energy

John enjoys providing sound guidance to clients as they consider how best to incorporate energy-saving strategies, lower operational costs, and increase bottom-line profits. John brings 20+ years of experience in finance, project development, and real estate strategy consulting for owner/users, tenants, and landlords.

Jim Vincent, Founder and CEO, Amerlight Energy

With over 30 years of experience in project development and business administration, Jim founded the Amerlight brand in 2008 and has worked over the past 13 years to build the company and pave new roads in the field of energy efficiency in solar, energy storage, and LED Technology. Jim is driving the development of non-lithium technologies for energy storage and demand shaving.

Jim holds a B.S. in Organizational Studies from the University of Evansville and graduated from the University of Minnesota's Management Development Program.

Catch up on the facts and the science behind the five-second rule, handwashing and third-party food delivery.

Related Links:

NACS Food Safety Resources "Risky or Not" Podcast "Food Safety Talk" Podcast

Hosted by:

Carolyn Schnare and Chris Blasinsky

About our Guest:

Dr. Don Schaffner, Extension Specialist in Food Science and Distinguished Professor, Rutgers University

Don Schaffner, Ph.D. is the Extension Specialist in Food Science at Rutgers University. His research interests include quantitative microbial risk assessment and predictive food microbiology. He has served on expert committees for the National Academy of Sciences, WHO and FAO.