As c-store operators hit their stride in 2025, category managers are keeping inventory fresh, stocked and on trend with their customers. Josh Campbell, category manager at Dash In, which operates 58 stores across Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, is particularly excited to be on the Dash In team at this point in the company’s history.
“We are growing and innovating with the intention of changing the way our guests think about convenience retail. It’s great to be part of creating an elevated experience at the category level from product choice to store positioning and marketing,” explained Campbell. “I love my job, and I love the company I work for.”
CStore Decisions is recognizing Campbell with a Category Management Award for his ability to collaborate and manage relationships, execute successful solutions, and stay innovative within the timelines he set.
Growth Trajectory
Campbell started his career at Dash In as a bench manager four years ago. After five months, he was promoted to store manager at a Baltimore location. In April 2022, Campbell earned a new role within Dash In as junior category manager.
“To be honest, I believe the leap to the category management team was equal parts my performance at store level and a bit of ‘right place, right time,’” he noted.
Dash In was in the market for a new role to create more bandwidth within the department, and Campbell was open to learning something new and growing.
Campbell has been with the category management team for over two years, making the jump from junior category manager to category manager within that time. He handles dispensed beverages (cold, frozen and hot), alcohol, perishables, services (ice, ATM, propane, etc.) and supplies.
He enjoys collaborating with the different departments and managing vendor relationships, and he particularly appreciates working with diverse categories and the dynamic nature of his work.
“I challenge myself to truly try to be the best partner I can be. Setting goals and working together with colleagues and vendors to achieve them is always a great feeling,” said Campbell.
Category Enhancement
Campbell acknowledged that one of the toughest hurdles for category managers is meeting today’s consumers’ expectations for personal and tailored products and experiences.
“To meet these expectations, we need to stay on top of changing preferences, adapt to trends, and craft product assortments or marketing strategies that resonate with them,” he said.
Doing this, however, can be difficult given the sheer amount of data available.
“It’s not just about gathering information; the real challenge is in making sense of it all and turning it into actionable insights that align with our business goals,” he continued.
Every category manager wants each project to be highly successful, Campbell said, but to him, learning to be realistic about every potential outcome is paramount. With this perspective in mind, Dash In is growing. Its recent rebrand offers an elevated experience from menu and product offerings to atmosphere.
The c-store chain’s goal is to make each customer’s experience at Dash In a personal one.
“Increasingly, we are relying on data and insights, in addition to our own in-store experiences with guests, to ensure our offerings are what they want and the store experience is both convenient and rewarding, and they come back,” said Campbell.
Within his own role, Campbell spearheaded his first project rolling out a new cleaning program chainwide, which involved establishing more consistency with the products as well as bringing in better-quality cleaning products.
“I am especially proud of this because, coming from the field, I understood the needs from both a product quality and cost perspective,” he said.
The company is slightly over five months into the program, and just on its three main cleaning products, it has already saved a little over $10,000.
Also, for the better part of a year, Campbell has worked on improving Dash In’s coffee program, from the quality of the beans to store-level processes. He’s sourced new cups and creamers, and the fixtures in some stores that haven’t been remodeled yet are getting updated.
“Ultimately, we decided to shrink the overall offering first, get consistent with our processes that we’ve recreated, and then as we go add some limited-time offers,” Campbell said. “We can even delve into a little bit more of a self-brand … with roasts that are better specific to Dash In. And that’s ultimately the end goal. And we’ve made a lot of legwork there, but that’s where we are: simplify first, fix the processes, get consistent and then expand.”
Campbell is looking forward to customers seeing the difference once the program launches; he plans to gather feedback and continuously improve the program as it progresses.
“I’m excited to be a part of the team,” he said. “And just very fortunate I’ve been able to make the transition to where I am today.”
