Join Dover Fueling Solutions Amy Cearley and Kendra Keller as they discuss how women are innovating in the industry, what trends are hot right now and where the c-store and fuel industries are heading.
In this “At Your Convenience” podcast , in partnership with C-StoreTEC, guest host Art Sebastian dives into the dynamic world of digital commerce and online ordering in the convenience-store industry. Sebastian, NexChapter CEO , is joined by Kristin Sword from Jacksons Food Store s, Meridian, Idaho, and Adit Gupta from Lula Convenience , Philadelphia, to discuss the accelerated shift to digital commerce, driven by COVID-19 and the evolving demands of convenience consumers. Together, they explore...
In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Editor Chuck Ulie talks to Ryan Blevins, the director of food and beverage innovation at Powell, Tennessee-based Weigel's convenience stores . Blevins also touches on getting customers to turn a gas trip into a foodservice-shopping trip , Weigel’s eight new sauces and more. Weigel’s is a family-owned and -operated c-store chain that has been serving East Tennessee since 1931. With 70 locations, Weigel’s is dedicated to providing their customers with ...
In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” David Poulnot, vice president of fuel and c-store at Upside, shares findings from the technology company's C-Store Report released this month. He talks about how despite sales growth headlines, convenience-store revenue has decreased when inflation is considered, dropping 19% between January 2021 and January 2024. Shoppers are making fewer c-store trips and buying less because of cost concerns and replacing visits with grocery trips. Poulnot said that di...
In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Senior Editor Hannah Hammond talks to Patricia Coe, senior director of client leadership, for Advantage Solutions Convenience Division, and Doug Middlebrooks, senior vice president of channel sales, for Advantage Solutions. The three talked about how convenience-store sales reached a new high in 2023, the time it takes for c-store customers to decide what to buy, how quickly food is consumed after it’s purchased and more. Advantage Solutions, Clayton...
In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” Scott Negley, senior director of product management at Dover Fueling Solutions, and Doug Haugh, chief commercial officer at Vertex Energy, talk about a broad-view perspective on the realities of converting the nation to use electric vehicles (EVs). The pair, who spoke in March at the Dover Fueling Solutions conference in Austin, advocate for “decarbonizing the grid” in order for the transportation industry to successfully reduce carbon emissions with EVs...
In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” NexChapter CEO Art Sebastian talks with Mike Caldwell, manager of loyalty at Yesway, and Jake Kiser, general manager of Stuzo PAR .
In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Editor Chuck Ulie talks to Farley Kaiser , senior director of culinary of innovation at McLane Fresh. Kaiser (pictured) discusses the power of limited-time offers, breakfast still holding the title of king, and how lunch remains a strong focus of development—and opportunity. McLane is one of the largest distributors in America and a partner to retail and restaurant brands nationwide. McLane offers customizable solutions for retail and restaurant cust...
In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Senior Editor Hannah Hammond talks to SunStop convenience store’s Michelle Weckstein, director of food and beverage brands, and Constance Rolfson, food and beverage brand manager. Rolfson shared how Weckstein has helped her launch her career , and the two give advice on how others can be mentors. Weckstein (pictured second from the left with her power team) also gives an update on what her Convenience-Store Women’s event power team group is working o...
In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” Nick Triantafellou, director of marketing at Weigel’s, peels back the curtain on how the convenience-store chain created its name, image and likeness (NIL) partnerships with University of Tennessee athletes. Weigel’s Stores Inc. is No. 98 on CSP’s Top 202 list of convenience-store chains by store count. The Knoxville, Tennessee-based c-store chain partnered with Christian Moore (baseball), Karlyn Pickens (softball), Zakai Zeigler (basketball) and Tess Da...
In this episode of At Your Convenience, Rachel Gignac, associate editor at CSP Daily News, talks with Rovertown's Tyler Cameron, head of strategy and analytics, and Bill Bustin, head of customer success, about their recent research on what kinds of coupons work best for convenience-store retailers.
When Majors Management LLC completed its transaction with Compañía de Petróleos de Chile S.A. (COPEC) for the acquisition of 192 MAPCO-branded convenience stores in Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Arkansas and Kentucky, at the end of last year, it represented yet another transition from one owner to another. For some, it might have felt like an insurmountable amount of change. But for Damian Wyatt and team, it became another opportunity....
There is no ‘I’ in Sheetz… At least that’s how Matt High , senior sales manager for Sheetz MTO, puts it. In this episode of At Your Convenience, High, and Abbey Lewis, vice president of content strategy at Informa Connect, discuss the player-coach relationship he has with his team, his involvement in CSP’s Convenience Store Women’s conference and menu ideation at Sheetz. We even get him to give us a sneak peek at new menu items for spring....
This is the final podcast in a three-part series on the Path to Foodservice Profitability. In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Senior Editor Hannah Hammond talks to Liza Salaria, senior principal consultant at Impact 21, about menu optimization. Salaria looks at examples from quick-service restaurants (QSRs) Chick-fil-A and Chipotle, as well as some c-stores, to see how retailers can build their “famous for” menu offering.
In part two of a three-part series on the Path to Foodservice Profitability, CSP Senior Editor Hannah Hammond interviews Impact 21 Senior Principal Consultant Liza Salaria and Beth Hoffer, vice president of operations and foodservice from Weigel’s convenience stores. Weigel’s Stores Inc., Powell, Tennessee, is No. 98 on CSP’s Top 202 ranking of U.S. convenience-store chains by store count. Hoffer shares which areas of waste she sees an how Weigel’s is working to reduce waste. Look for part three...
This is the first of a three-part series on the Path to Foodservice Profitability. In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Senior Editor Hannah Hammond talks to Liza Salaria, senior principal consultant at Impact 21, a consulting firm that enables specialty retail, convenience and energy clients to delivery seamless customer experiences. Salaria shares how developing the right foodservice solutions starts with understanding what is driving key metrics such as margin and operating costs. Lo...
In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Senior Editor Hannah Hammond talks to Kristen Hjelm, regional account manager for Bunn and a C-Store Women’s (CSW) event power team member. Hjelm shares what her team’s mission statement is and tips they’ve come up with to successfully network. “At Your Convenience” brings industry experts and analysts together with CSP editors to discuss the latest in c-store news and trends. From mergers and acquisitions to foodservice and technology, the podcast d...
In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Senior Editor Hannah Hammond talks to Jessica Mente, director of training at convenience-store chain Royal Farms. Royal Farms is No. 30 on CSP’s 2023 Top 202 ranking of top U.S. convenience-store chains by store count. Mente recapped her experience at CSP’s inaugural C-Store Women’s Event, which took place in November in Napa, California , and shared how Baltimore, Maryland-based Royal Farms is taking steps to diversity the workforce in Maryland. “At...
In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Senior Editor Hannah Hammond talks to Mandee Harvey-Smith, director of analytics, insights and media strategy at RaceTrac, about how an open mind led her to her job. RaceTrac, Atlanta, is No. 15 on CSP’s 2023 Top 202 ranking of convenience store chains by store count. She also spoked to the importance of being open to feedback and what she thinks the future of retail media networks is. “At Your Convenience” brings industry experts and analysts togeth...
Earlier this fall, CSP brought five convenience-store executives to the general session stage during our annual Outlook Leadership Conference in a session we titled C-Suite in the Hot Seat. During the session, CSP’s Mitch Morrison , vice president of retailer relations, and Editor-in-Chief Steve Holtz peppered each executive with a series of questions about themselves and what’s new in their businesses. In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” Erin Graziosi talks with Morrison about her rise to...
In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” RaceTrac President Natalie Morhous gives a speech at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta as she accepts her 2023 Retail Leader of the Year award . The third-generation leader of the Atlanta-based convenience-store chain gave thanks to her family, coworkers and industry partners.
Two years ago, the pandemic shook up the supply chain like never before. Today, distributor McLane Co. is re-establishing itself with new technology, foodservice and a revamped trade show . CSP Editor-in-Chief Steve Holtz discusses the distributor’s culture of continuous improvement and the state of distribution with McLane Grocery President Chris Smith....
Are the Mystery Shop evaluation scores getting too close? CSP Editor Rachel Gignac talks to Cameron Watt, president and CEO of evaluation firm Intouch Insight, in August at the Outlook Leadership Conference . This year, for the fourth time, Rutter's was presented Customer Experience Award for its success. Watt told CSP about chains' strengths and weaknesses, plus, how the audit might change in the future. Rutter’s is No. 82 on CSP’s 2023 Top 202 ranking of U.S. convenience-store chains by store ...
In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Senior Editor Hannah Hammond talks to Glennie Bench, president and COO at Southwest Georgia Oil Co. Inc. The Bainbridge, Georgia-based company has about 80 convenience stores under the SunStop brand. Southwest Georgia Oil Co. In./SunStop is No. 86 on CSP’s 2023 Top 202 ranking of top U.S. convenience-store chains by store count. Bench has been in the industry for 32 years and shares how she joined the company and eventually became CFO and then COO. S...
As the 2023 NACS Show approaches, CSP Editor-in-Chief Steve Holtz connects with the outgoing chairman of NACS, Don Rhoads, CEO of Convenience Group LLC, about the state of the industry and his year at the helm of the convenience-store association. “I think that once we get to October I’ll look back and [conclude this year] has been one of the top activities that I’ve been involved in,” he said. “At Your Convenience” brings industry experts and analysts together with CSP editors to discuss the la...
In this special edition of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Senior Editor Hannah Hammond talks to leaders from the four founding sponsors of CSP’s C-Store Women’s Event. Paula Weeks, of Atlanta-based The Coca-Cola Co.; Michelle Patterson of Temple, Texas-based McLane Co.; Danielle Holloway of Richmond, Virginia-based Altria Group Distribution Co.; and Kevin Martello of Burlington, Massachusetts-based Keurig Dr Pepper shared why they wanted to be sponsors and what they hope to come from this event. The...
In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Senior Editor Hannah Hammond talks to Choice Market Founder and CEO Mike Fogarty about what it’s like to operate an urban convenience store . Fogarty shared how the COVID-19 pandemic made him rethink downtown Denver stores, his new Mini-Mart concept under development and more. His story is part of CSP’s September cover story on the risks and rewards of operating in metro markets . “At Your Convenience” brings industry experts and analysts together wi...
This month, CSP brought five convenience-store executives to the general session stage during our annual Outlook Leadership Conference in a session we titled C-Suite in the Hot Seat. During the session, CSP’s Mitch Morrison , vice president of retailer relations, and Editor-in-Chief Steve Holtz got to pepper each executive with a series of questions about themselves and what’s new in their businesses. “At Your Convenience” will present each retailer’s time in the hot seat in a series of podcasts...
In this special bonus episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Senior Editor Hannah Hammond talks to Julia Lazzara, president of Leading NOW on what it means to be a leader and how companies can help more female leaders succeed. Leading NOW will combine career development, education, problem-solving and networking experiences to develop women in the convenience-store industry at the inaugural C-Store Women’s (CSW) event in November. Lazzara gives a preview of what event attendees can expect, and wh...
The August cover story of CSP magazine is all about labor and hiring. As a companion piece to that story, in this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Editor Chuck Ulie talks to Fady Bazzi, operations manager and co-owner of the 33-store Chillbox , owned by New Haven, Michigan-based Bazco Oil . Bazzi discusses his convenience-store chain’s practices in attracting and retaining employees , including how and where they advertise to recruit employees, the increased frequency of performance reviews...
