Convenience stores are in the relationships business. Over the past two decades, Michael Davis has played a central role in connecting retailers. Listen as he shares ideas on how to connect with industry peers.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard and Chrissy Blasinsky

About our Guest:

Michael Davis, NACS Vice President of Member Services

Michael has spent the past 18 years at NACS and even longer in the industry, always taking that extra step to connect retailers to solutions and each other. His background includes owning and operating a small c-store and coffee bar, website design, online publishing and trendspotting.

NACS Show panelists share ideas on how organizations can develop processes to come up with great ideas—and execute them—over and over.

Hosted by:

Gray Taylor, Executive Director, Conexxus

About our Guests:

Emily Sheetz, VP, Innovation and IT, Sheetz Inc.

Emily is responsible for the development of and execution of company strategy as well as innovation, which includes the newly formed Sheetz Incubator. She is a third-generation family member and one of eleven active in the business. Emily previously served as director of talent development, responsible for all training and leadership development across the company.

Vish Ganapathy, Director, Customer Engineering Retail, Google

Vish has over 27 years in the information technology business, focusing on retail, wholesale/distribution, CPG and supply-chain segments.

Convenience retailers share how the The Good Jobs Strategy is helping their companies increase employee productivity, contribution and motivation.

Hosted by:

Henry Armour, President & CEO, NACS

About our Guests:

Zeynep Ton, Professor, MIT Sloan School of Management, President, The Good Jobs Institute

Zeynep's research focuses on how organizations can design and manage their operations in a way that satisfies employees, customers and investors simultaneously. In 2014, she published her findings in a book, "The Good Jobs Strategy: How the Smartest Companies Invest in Employees to Lower Costs and Boost Profits." Zeynep cofounded the nonprofit Good Jobs Institute to help companies transform through assessments, workshop, and longer-term partnerships. In 2023, Zeynep published “The Case for Good Jobs: How Great Companies Bring Dignity, Pay & Meaning to Everyone's Work.” NACS partners with the Good Jobs Institute to bring the Good Jobs Strategy to the convenience store industry.

Varish Goyal, CEO, Loop Neighborhood Markets

Varish has worked in the convenience and fuels retailing industry since 2002. He has served as CEO of Loop Neighborhood Markets since 2018 and is also president of Vintners Distributors Inc. The company operates more than 100 stores in California under the Loop Neighborhood Markets brand.

Joe Hamza, Chief Operating Officer, Nouria Energy Corp. Joe has been with the Worcester-Massachusetts-based Nouria Energy Corp. since 2015. The company operates 175 locations throughout New England, 60 Golden Nozzle car washes and a wholesale business servicing over 300 locations in New England and New York. Prior to joining Nouria, Joe was vice president of sales and marketing at Tedeschi Food Shops Inc.

Being a local brand in rural America is a huge differentiator for consumers. By showing your commitment to the local community, you ultimately build trust—and that leads to sales.

Hosted by:

Jeff Lenard

About our Guest:

Akhtar Hussain, Director of Refined Fuels Marketing at CHS Inc.

Akhtar is responsible for brand marketing, retail development and imaging, and equipment for the Cenex brand, which has more than 1,400 convenience store locations across 19 states. In his nearly 20 years at CHS, Hussain has held a number of roles including manager of petroleum equipment and manager of refined fuels marketing.

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?