NACS announced the 10 convenience store employees who are recipients of a 2007 NACS Yates Scholarship, which annually recognizes employees in the convenience store industry based on their dedication to achieving excellence in retailing, strong leadership skills at the store level, and persistence in the pursuit of education.
The 2007 NACS Yates Scholarship winners and city where they work are: Doug Ansley (Murphy USA, Kenton, Ohio), Elisa Argueta (Robinson Oil Corp., San Jose, Calif.), Catalina Cavazos (Texas Star Investments, Corpus Christi, Texas), Kathy Grapes (Severson Oil Co, Onalaska, Wis.), Elizabeth Harn (The Parker Cos. Inc., Savannah, Ga.), Vicki Harris (Grace Energy/Fastrip, Ozark, Mo.), Laura Lobaugh (Delta Sonic Car Wash Systems, Buffalo, N.Y.), Russell Mayse (Dara’s Fast Lane, Manhattan, Kan.), Bridget Suhr (Imperial Co., Inc., dba Next Door Stores, Shepherd, Mich.) and James Wisniewski Jr. (Wawa Inc., Lawrenceville, N.J.).
Yates Scholarships were established by NACS in 1999 in memory of Jim Yates, founder of E-Z Mart Stores Inc. and 1992-93 NACS chairman of the board.
Each scholarship winner will receive a $3,000 for costs of career education–community college or a four-year college–and complimentary registration and travel to the NACS Show 2007, which will take place November 6-9 in Atlanta. Approximately 23,000 attendees are expected at this year’s show, which is one of the largest annual tradeshows in the country.
“NACS is pleased to be able to award scholarships to truly outstanding individuals who are working hard to achieve excellence in retailing while persistently pursuing their education,” said Jay Ricker, president of Ricker Oil Company and Board Member for the Convenience Store Foundation for Education and Research, which oversees the NACS Yates Scholarship Program.