CSNews at the Show

Peter Tedeschi Elected to NACS Board

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Peter Tedeschi, president and CEO of Tedeschi Food Shops, headquartered in Rockland, Mass., was elected to serve on the board of directors of the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS), and assumed his new position during the NACS board of directors meeting at the NACS Show, which took place Oct. 5 to 8 in Atlanta.

Tedeschi Food Shops operates 189 stores and serves customers in four New England states. Prior to joining the family business as its COO in 2008, Tedeschi was an entrepreneurial pioneer in the computer industry before becoming an executive in Boston’s financial industry, where he was most recently senior vice president and director of operations for Putnam Investments, according to NACS. He attended Stonehill College, where he graduated as the president of his senior class with a degree in political science.

 

A member-driven organization, NACS is lead by a 30-member board of directors. Tedeschi also will serve as a member of the NACS Legislative Committee.

NACS Awards Scholarships

ATLANTA -- During the 2010 NACS Show here, the association recognized 10 convenience store employees with scholarships through the NACS Scholarship Program in Memory of Jim Yates. The recipients were acknowledged at a reception Oct. 7, and the annual scholarships recognize convenience store employees for their dedication to achieving excellence in retailing, strong leadership skills and persistence in the pursuit of education, according to NACS.

 

The 2010 scholarship winners are:

·        Allen Bizjak, store manager, Racetrac Petroleum Inc. (St. Petersburg, Fla.)

·        Carrie Castille, manager, petroleum marketing, Tom Thumb Food Stores Inc. (Crestview, Fla.)

·        Alexander Gunaka, detail assistant manager II, Delta Sonic Car Wash Systems (Crestwood, Ill.)

·        Pamela Kienast, director, human resources, Wayne Oil Co. Inc. (Kinston, N.C.)

·        Amanda Richert, marketing category analyst, Thorntons Inc. (Clarksville, Ind.)

·        Luis Rodriguez, district manager, Murphy Oil USA Inc. (Pharr, Texas)

·        Jacqueline Renee Rutherford, assistant fuel integration coordinator, Houchens Industries Inc. (Bowling Green, Ky.)

·        Pamela Dianne Stanford, store manager, Triangle Stop Food Stores (Hendersonville, N.C.)

·        Kyle Strese, shift leader, Kwik Trip Inc. (Rosemount, Minn.)

·        Kerry Susan Thurlow, area training manager/store manager, Honey Farms Inc. (Webster, Mass.)

 

NACS established the award program in 1999 in memory of Jim Yates, founder of E-Z Mart Stores Inc. and 1992-1993 NACS chairman. Each scholarship winner receives $3,000 for costs of career education to a community college or a four-year college, and complimentary registration and travel to the NACS Show, the organization stated.

 

“NACS is pleased to be able to award scholarships to this group of outstanding people who are working hard to achieve excellence in retailing while persistently pursuing education,” said Selection Committee Chairman Sonja Hubbard, CEO of E-Z Mart Stores. “These scholarships recognize excellence in the industry and assist valued employees in advancing.”

 

Through its Convenience Store Foundation for Education and Research, NACS helps retail members recognize and develop future convenience store industry leaders through the NACS Scholarship Program, along with the NACS Internship Program in Memory of Teri Richman, a self-sustaining internship program that is open to deserving undergraduate or graduate students, with a particular emphasis on advocacy and research. More information on the programs can be found at nacsonline.com/nacsfoundation.

Tom Joyce Leads New NACS Supplier Board

ATLANTA -- Tom Joyce, vice president of customer industry affairs for The Hershey Co., was named 2010-11 chairman of the NACS Supplier Board here during the 2010 NACS Show.

 

In addition, Scott Hill, vice president of convenience sales, Jack Link’s Beef Jerky, was named chair-elect and will succeed Joyce as 2011-12 chairman. Joyce and Hill were named to their positions during the NACS Supplier Board meeting, according to a NACS statement.

 

The NACS Supplier Board is comprised of individuals from NACS supplier member companies that represent different product and service categories in the convenience store industry. Board members are nominated by the Supplier Board Nominating Committee and elected by the board. NACS defines a supplier member company as one that provides products and services to the convenience store channel of trade.

 

Joyce joined The Hershey Co. as sales merchandiser in Louisville, Ky. He has held a number of positions with the company over the past 34 years, including director of customer & industry affairs, division manager of the Southern U.S. Broker Network and division manager of Diversified Products. Joyce earned a B.S. in marketing from Western Kentucky University.

 

Hill joined Jack Link’s Beef Jerky as director of national sales in Minong, Wis., in 2000.  As vice president of convenience sales, he concurrently manages the World Kitchen’s Beef Jerky business. His has earned a B.S. in business administration from the University of Wisconsin-Stout and an MBA from the University of St. Thomas.

 

As chair and chair-elect of the NACS Supplier Board, Joyce and Hill also serve as members of the NACS board of directors.

 

Also elected to the five-member NACS Supplier Board leadership team as vice chairmen were:

• Lucia Crater, director national accounts, US Nutrition/MET-Rx
• Jerry Rose, vice president of trade relations, McLane Co.
• Bob Sears, director of trade relations, Altria

In addition, three new members were elected to the NACS Supplier Board:

• Frank McCarter, regional vice president of sales, Wilbur Curtis
• Kevin Martello, director convenience sales, Dr Pepper Snapple Group
• Steve Johnson, vice president  of retail convenience, drug, value, Coca-Cola
• Jeffrey Schouten, director of c-store solutions, MillerCoors

NACS 2010 Ideas 2 Go DVD Available

ATLANTA -- The NACS 2010 Ideas 2 Go DVD is now available for purchase. The DVD features the 52-minute Ideas 2 Go presentation that was shown in the Oct. 7 General Session at the NACS Show. It can be purchased at the NACS Center during the NACS Show, running through Oct. 8, or can be ordered after the event.

 

“What I like about Ideas 2 Go is that you don’t hear what works, you see it,” said NACS Vice Chairman of Government Relations Tom Robinson, president of Robinson Oil Corp, introducing the program.

 

The DVD “may give you new perspectives on how you can execute these ideas in your stores,” Robinson said, whether new technologies to drive customer traffic, innovative store concepts, incredible food offers or strong execution and attention to details, NACS stated.

 

For 2010, featured stores/companies were:

·        Calgary Co-op

·        Chef Point Café

·        Gas King Oil Co. Ltd (dba GasKing)

·        Hinsdale Shell Food Mart

·        Johnny Junxions

·        K&N Management (dba Rudy’s Country Store and Bar-B-Q)

·        Mac’s Convenience Stores Inc. (dba Mac’s)

·        Quik Chek Corp.

·        Power Mart Corp. (dba Power Market)

·        Strasburger Enterprises Inc. (dba Quix)

·        Victron Energy Inc. (dba Tiger Farms Market, Texas Best Smokehouse, WashMasters)

  

NACS member companies can order a copy of the NACS 2010 Ideas 2 Go DVD (order number 30088017) for $30 ($60 regular price). Orders can be placed online at www.nacsonline.com or by calling NACS Customer Service at (800) 966-6227.

Fueling Loyalty at the Pump

ATLANTA -- During the session “Fuel Loyalty Programs: What Works and What Doesn’t,” Joe Leto of Energy Analysts International Inc. gave an overview of the fuel loyalty segment, including the growing number of hypermarkets in the United States -- a total of 4,809 and representing a little more than 12 percent of the market.

Lean Retailing in Ireland

Topaz, the leading petroleum and convenience retailer in Ireland, shared its success with a concept it calls Lean Retailing, at a 2010 NACS Show workshop session titled “Doing More with Less.”

Making the Most of Customer Loyalty Data

As more and more retailers begin to offer loyalty programs, they are realizing the vast amount of data available for collection and analysis on these customers -- and the smart ones are using it to draw them back into the store.

The Rules of Online Engagement

Today’s consumers are certainly online, so convenience store retailers are missing a vital opportunity if they aren’t using electronic channels, such as social media and e-mail marketing, to develop relationships with their customers, build brand loyalty and drive sales.

QSRs and Convenience

Executives from Burger King shared their perspective on the retail food environment as well as their challenges and opportunities during the “Learning From QSRs: Competing For Customer Stomach Share,” session at the 2010 NACS Show.

Social Media 101

“Social media is a conversation that is happening all the time,” said James Andrews, managing partner for social media strategy firm Everywhere, during the “Befriending Social Media: the Basics” session at the 2010 NACS Show.

Crafting Positive Promotions

During the 2010 NACS Show session "Buy Me: Developing Effective Promotions," retailers inside and outside the convenience store industry presented methods for creating promotions that match company goals.

Getting Consumers from Home to Pumps to Store

In the session entitled, “Fueling Inside Sales from the Forecourt,” three retailers discussed ways to entice consumers to your site, how to get them from your forecourt into your store, and then how to maximize your sales to them when they enter the store.

Taking Small Steps Toward Sustainability

The message from green consultants Justin Doak and Lisa Russell of Ecoxera was that it’s important for retailers to stay a half step ahead of consumers when it comes to sustainability and green initiatives.

Building a Hometown Brand

RaceTrac steps out of the Atlanta woodwork with a focus on differentiation, inside stores and out.

President George W. Bush Named NACS Show Closing Speaker

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – President George W. Bush will be the Closing General Session speaker for the 2010 NACS Show, scheduled to take place Oct. 5 to 8, at the World Congress Center in Atlanta.

Stew Leonard to Open 2010 NACS Show

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Stew Leonard Jr., CEO of food retailer Stew Leonard’s, will be the opening general session speaker for the 2010 NACS Show, scheduled to take place Oct. 5 to 8, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.

Susser, Kum & Go CEOs Lead NACS Show Panel

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Sam Susser, president and CEO of Susser Holdings Corp. of Corpus Christi, Texas, and Kyle Krause, president and CEO of Kum & Go LC of West Des Moines, Iowa, will be panelists for the Oct. 7, NACS Show General Session “A Tale of Two Retailers,” NACS reported.