By John Lofstock

 When the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) released its State of the Industry report in April, we learned the state of the industry is good. Sales are up, profits are up and operating costs are down. But this hardly tells the whole story.

Almost a year after hurricanes Katrina and Rita ravaged the Southeast, many retailers in those markets continue to struggle.

The good news to come out of this catastrophe, if there can be such a thing, is the resolve of these retailers to rebuild their lives and their businesses. Ross Markman's cover story (p. 24) in this month's issue of Convenience Store Decisions details these efforts at a handful of chains in Louisiana and Alabama. The pervasive theme is one of hope. It would have been easy