NAG Partners with Folds of Honor ROCKY SICKMANN, WHO RETIRED FROM Anheuser-Busch in 2016 and is a survivor of the Iran Hostage Crisis, understands the dangers facing our military servicemen and women. That’s why Sickmann joined Folds of Honor in 2016 as a senior vice president. With his involvement in Folds of Honor, Sickmann has…

Honoring the Kwik Trip Culture HONESTY, INTEGRITY, RESPECT, HUMILITY AND innovation. These are the words that define Kwik Trip…and it shows. The La Crosse, Wis. convenience store chain exemplifies what it means to be a “people company.” It is fully committed to customers, employees and its vendor partners, not as a strategy to grow the…

Celebrating Next-Generation Leaders THE CONVENIENCE STORE INDUSTRY’S YOUNG executives face unique challenges as they grow their businesses in the competitive c-store market. The National Advisory Group’s (NAG) Young Executives Organization (YEO) was formed specifically to addresses these challenges and help the industry’s leaders of tomorrow identify solutions with others in their age group. Last month,…

Join Us in Florida for the 2018 NAG Conference THE CONVENIENCE STORE INDUSTRY CONTINUES to grow sales at record numbers, but the stakes have never been higher as convenience store owners face competition from multiple retail channels. As competition increases across the board, savvy retailers are learning to take costs out of their operations to…

Cause for Concern Over Car Ownership? INDUSTRIES EVERYWHERE ARE BEING SHAKEN up by the rise of the “Membership Economy,” a business strategy that has organizations working to build long-term, formal relationships with their customers. To do this, some companies charge their members a subscription fee. Others simply charge on a per-usage basis. This brings us…

Engaged Customers Are Loyal Customers THE CONVENIENCE STORE INDUSTRY CONTINUES to evolve and where it ends up as robotics and personalized delivery gain traction is anyone’s guess. But one thing for sure is that how customers feel about your brand and your services will likely determine where they make their purchases. Robbie Kellman Baxter, a…

Succeeding with a Service-Driven Culture FROM GREAT CORNERS, CLEAN RESTROOMS and modern facilities to fresh food and a wide selection of popular snacks, convenience stores are committed to delivering outstanding service. This commitment is evident in the industry’s growing sales numbers at a time when other retail channels are struggling to break even. This service-driven…

Creating Partnerships to Boost Customer Service There are many common characteristics that comprise a great convenience store chain. They are retail leaders, innovative marketers, committed to employees and completely driven by a service- first mantra to satisfy their customers. But equally important to all of this is a great relationship with their supplier partners. Vendors…

Embrace New Opportunities in the New Year THERE’S NO DOUBT THAT 2017 will be regarded as one of the most challenging years ever for the convenience store and petroleum industry. While the economy has strengthened, the stock market rallied and unemployment fell to a 15-year low, the convenience store industry was hit hard by a…

Developing Leaders at Your Company THE CONVENIENCE STORE INDUSTRY proves time and again that innovation and hard work make up the foundation that supports steady, meaningful growth. This growth isn’t only important from a sales standpoint, but is vital to a company’s long-term stability when analyzing the human element. After all, great leadership and great…