The National Advisory Group awards four scholarships for the upcoming school year to children of NAG members.
As the founder of Nice N Easy Grocery Shoppes, John MacDougall was a longtime supporter of the National Advisory Group (NAG). In his personal life, he was also a strong supporter of higher education. To remember John’s work and his longtime support of NAG, the association is proud for the second year to present the John MacDougall/NAG Memorial Scholarship to NAG members.
For the 2016/2017 school year, NAG awarded four scholarships totaling $4,600 to the following students:
* James Byrd, John A. Gupton College, in Nashville, Tenn. James, whose major is mortuary science, is the son of James Byrd Sr., who works for Tri Star Energy LLC (Daily’s) in Tennessee.
* Rachel Hudson, Texas Tech University, in Lubbock, Texas. Rachel is a nursing major and the daughter of Roger Hudson, of Toot ‘N Totum.
* Bradley Willette, Paul Smith’s College, in Paul Smiths, N.Y. Bradley majors in arboriculture and is the son of Penny Duprey, who works for Nice N Easy/CST Brands.
* Hannah Brown, Grayson College, Denison, Texas. Hannah is working toward her degree in speech therapy. Her father, Milton, works for Douglass Distributing in Sherman, Texas.
We all know the importance of a well-educated workforce and the c-store landscape is certainly no exception. The NAG scholarship fund was developed to help qualified individuals offset some of these costs. Among NAG’s core mission is to help to cultivate and groom the convenience store leaders of tomorrow. In keeping with that theme, NAG created this scholarship fund for employees and children of NAG member companies.
“The National Advisory Group’s Scholarship Program is important to NAG because college graduates earn, on average, $25,000 more per year than someone with just a high school diploma, according to a report by The College Board,” said John Lofstock, NAG executive director. “The cost of attending college may seem daunting, but that’s exactly why finding, applying for, and receiving scholarships are essential to avoid big student loans. Scholarships are no longer a bonus; they’re crucial for bridging the gap between the increasing cost of tuition and what families can afford to pay out of pocket. Congratulations to this year’s winners.”
NAG’s Scholarship Fund is managed by the NAG Board of Directors, Convenience Store Decisions and Scholarship America, and sponsored by the retailer and supplier members of NAG. This program was started in the late 1990’s and has distributed more than 95 scholarships totaling more nearly $105,000 to deserving students. The fund is financed through annual dues collections by NAG members and drives from golf outings and conference sponsorship allocations.
For more information on NAG and the NAG Scholarship Program, please visit www.nagconvenience.com, and be sure to mark your calendar for the 2016 NAG Conference Savannah, Ga., Sept. 11-14. This year’s conference will feature speakers from a host of leading convenience store chains including QuikTrip, Kum & Go, E-Z Mart, QuickChek, Thorntons, Maverik, Douglass Distributing and many more. View the full agenda at NAG Agenda
