Terry Pier, Mike Siwik, the Byrne Family to be inducted in NY C-Store Hall of Fame.
The New York Association of Convenience Stores (NYACS) has announced that Terry Pier, Mike Siwik and the Byrne Family have been elected to the New York Convenience Store Hall of Fame.
NYACS will honor them at its annual Chairman’s Banquet on Thursday, May 14 in Syracuse, N.Y. Friends and industry colleagues are invited to register to attend by visiting the NYACS website, www.nyacs.org.
The Hall of Fame honors individual retailers and suppliers for exceptional achievement in the convenience store industry and exemplary service to NYACS.
Terry Pier is zone manager for Northeastern U.S. for tobacco manufacturer Swisher International Inc. Throughout his 26-year career with Swisher, Pier has been actively involved with NYACS, often offering to spearhead projects, sponsor events, and provide other support without being asked. He joined the NYACS Associate Board in 2009 and served as chairman in 2011-12. He resides in Erie Pa., has an Associate’s Degree from Erie Business College, and is a 2004 graduate of the Bantle Institute sponsored by Syracuse University and AWMA Distributors Education Foundation. He is pursuing certification as a category manager through the Category Management Association.
Mike Siwik retired in 2014 from Lorillard Tobacco Co. after 39 years as a sales manager based in Syracuse, N.Y. He was a fixture at NYACS trade shows, conferences and golf outings. Regarded by his peers as a true professional, he always supported NYACS and its retail members through his active participation and thoughtful input. He and his wife Pat now reside in Michigan.
The Byrne Family is both an associate member (Byrne Dairy Inc.) and retail member (Sonbyrne Sales) of NYACS. From milk deliveries by horse-drawn wagon in the 1930s to a newly opened state-of-the-art yogurt manufacturing plant in Cortlandville to its 54-unit convenience store chain, the family-run business has had a profound impact on New York’s C-store industry both as a supplier and retailer for decades.
Matthew Byrne founded the business in 1933. In 1943, he turned it over to his three sons, John (Jack) Byrne, William (Bill) Byrne, and C. Vincent (Vin) Byrne.
Family members currently leading the business are Carl Byrne, president, Dairy Group; and Mark Byrne, president, Retail Group.
Last year, NYACS named the Byrnes one of “New York’s Foremost Convenience Store Families.”
Pier, Siwik, and the Byrne Family will be the 40th, 41st, and 42nd inductees in the New York Convenience Store Hall of Fame, which was founded by NYACS in 1996. The other members are listed on the NYACS website.
The Chairman’s Banquet is the closing event of NYACS’ two-day Trade Show and Convention May 13-14 in Syracuse, featuring a golf outing, welcome party, educational seminars, trade exhibits, prizes, and other activities for member and non-member retailers and suppliers.