Convenience Matters

As convenience stores continue to advance foodservice, events like the NACS Food Safety Forum are helping industry leaders address traceability, implement new technology and maintaining consumer trust.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard and Chrissy Blasinsky

About our Guest:

Evan Powell, Retail Food Protection Manager, Kwik Trip Inc.

Evan Powell is the retail food protection manager at Kwik Trip. He is a graduate of Winona State University (Business Administration/Marketing) and Louisiana State University - Shreveport (MBA).

On July 17, the FDA announced that Juul Labs products are authorized in the market. However, the vape market still has very little clarity, and that was the focus of a July 18 letter from NACS and other groups to President Trump asking for action.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard

About our Guest:

Doug Kantor, NACS General Counsel

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.

Hybrid/remote workers and regular commuters shop and eat differently, and there are opportunities to craft messages that appeal to each group's interests, according to the findings from a recent NACS consumer survey.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard

About our Guest:

Adam Rosenblatt, Founding Partner, Bold Decision

Adam is one of the nation's leading political consultants sought after for his ability to help clients achieve victory through effective research-based strategies and messaging. He designs and executes cutting-edge quantitative, qualitative, and data analytics programs for campaigns as well as non-political clients like NACS.

To celebrate our 500th episode, we are sharing our most popular episode, a conversation with William Shatner. He has some opinions!

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard and Henry Armour

About our Guest:

William Shatner, legendary actor and icon

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?

A look at the key factors that could affect gas prices over the summer-drive season and the second half of the year—and how prices affect consumer behavior both at the pump and inside the store.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard

Jeff oversees internal and external communications at NACS. He has conducted over 6,000 interviews with reporters, mostly about fuels-related issues.

Store tours and discussions during the 2025 NACS Convenience Summit Europe in Copenhagen revealed opportunities for retailers to consider, no matter where they do business.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard

About our Guest:

Mark Wohltmann, Director, NACS Global

Mark is responsible for the strategic development of NACS Global, a worldwide 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. Mark began his career in the advertising industry, focusing on trade marketing and sales advertising in impulse retail channels at Dorland in Berlin and at Grey and BBDO in Duesseldorf.

Credit card swipe fees are a huge pain point for retailers and the customers they serve. Hear how the Credit Card Competition Act can bring competition to a broken system.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard

About our Guests:

Doug Kantor, NACS General Counsel

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.

Anna Ready Blom, NACS Strategic Advisor, Government Relations

Anna serves as a policy advisor to the NACS government relations team. During her 10-plus years at NACS, she led numerous advocacy campaigns and has been recognized as one of "The Hill's Top Lobbyists" for three years in a row. Anna previously worked on Capitol Hill for members of Congress from her home state of South Carolina.

Consumer preferences are constantly changing. Hear insights from a snacker panel on what your customers want now and where snacking is heading.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard

About our Guests:

Rachel Krupa, Founder, The Goods Mart and Krupa Consulting

In 2018, Rachel founded the highly curated better-for-you, socially conscious convenience store concept, The Goods Mart, based in New York City. She also is the founder of Krupa Consulting, a public relations and brand-building agency.

Dana Kim, Founder and CEO, Highlight

Dana founded Highlight, the first and still only end-to-end agile product testing platform, that enables the efficient collection of scaled product performance data. It is a top SAAS platform in the product testing space.

The U.S. Treasury will officially stop making pennies and phase out the one-cent coin from circulation. Here are four things retailers need to know, recapped from a February 2025 podcast.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard

The NACS Foundation's annual 24/7 Day (July 24) makes it easy for retailers and suppliers to celebrate the first responders who protect our communities—and it's free. Hear some of the success stories from previous years and how your company can join the celebration.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard

About our Guest:

Kevin O'Connell, Executive Director, NACS Foundation

Kevin leads the NACS Foundation and collaborates with industry stakeholders to develop signature programs that align with NACS members' philanthropic priorities, which overall focus on serving first responders, fighting hunger, supporting healthy kids and keeping communities clean.