Attendees enjoyed a Riverboat dinner cruise on the final night of the NAG Conference.
By Erin Rigik Del Conte, Senior Editor
Bill Weigel, chairman and CEO of Knoxville, Tenn.-based Weigel’s Stores, was honored Tuesday evening during the National Advisory Group (NAG) Conference with a lifetime achievement award.
“The industry has changed dramatically over the past half a century, but Bill Weigel has not only changed with the times, he has led the way for many of his industry peers. That’s why I am so proud to be honoring Bill tonight as the 2016 recipient of the NAG Lifetime Award for Convenience Retailing,” said John Lofstock, executive director of NAG.
The award was presented during a Riverboat dinner cruise event on Sept. 13, during the third and final night of the NAG Conference.
Bill Weigel’s son Kurt Weigel spoke to the crowd about his dad, including his penchant for carrying around a notepad to jot down ideas. “One thing about my dad that is never going to be denied is his passion for his work and for this industry. He loves what he does,” he said. “He’s very deserving of this honor and I’m very proud of him.”
Bill Weigel thanked the crowd for the award and recalled some of the things he has learned at the NAG Conference over the years that have helped his business. “NAG has been good for all of us, and I’m so happy John Lofstock, Tom McIntyre and John Petersen are keeping the same values that we all had when we started NAG many, many years ago.”
He also praised the addition of the Young Executive Organization (YEO) in keeping NAG viable for generations to come. “They called the YEOs and everyone at my table left. So there are young people coming into (NAG) and it’s going to be successful.”
Family-owned Weigel’s was founded as a dairy company in 1931. In 1964 the company moved into the convenience store business. Bill Weigel began working for the family business in the 1950s, and joined the company full time until 1962.