By John Lofstock.
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 run lean, efficient top-quartile businesses.
The National Advisory Group (NAG) provides the convenience store industry one of the most exclusive environments for small, mid-sized and family-owned retailers to interact with each other and share ideas for reducing operating costs and increasing sales. The proof can be found in our world-class educational lineup for the 2018 NAG Conference.
This year’s conference will be held at the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club Sept. 9-12 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. The conference includes seven can’t-miss educational sessions featuring more than a dozen of the convenience store industry’s leading chains. Educational sessions include:
• Family Business Planning. How to build an outstanding corporate culture from the top down.
• Foodservice: Doing More with Less. Foodservice remains a high-growth category for convenience store owners.
• The Machine Revolution: Are Robotics Right for Convenience Stores?
• Foodservice: Reigniting the Dinner Daypart.
• Building a Better Car Wash: Cleaning Up in the Forecourt.
• Store Design and Layout: Identifying the Best Concepts Your Customers Will Find Appealing.
• Young Executives Organization (YEO) Breakout Session: Leading the Next Generation: How to manage effectively and with authority.
Industry experts will address some of the timeliest issues affecting convenience store owners. The NAG retailer board, made up of your peers, helped put this agenda together.
Speakers at this year’s conference include: Bill Douglass, president and CEO, Douglass Distributing; Charley Jones, president and CEO, Stinker Stations; Steve Loehr, vice president, operations support, Kwik Trip Inc.; Stephanie Mahoney, food services development manager, MFA Oil Co.; John Zikias, chief operating officer, Holmes Oil Co.; Keith Boston, vice president of foodservice, Cumberland Farms; Carlos Acevedo, culinary innovation and research chef, Yesway.
Other speakers include Bill Martin, founder and president, Metro Express Car Wash; Michael Meyer, facility operations officer, Meyer Oil Co.; Danielle Mattiussi, vice president of retail operations, Maverik Inc.; Jacque Hager, director of operations, Big 10 Marts; Spencer Thomas, chief operating officer of Southwest Georgia Oil; Bob O’Connor, president and CEO, Jetz Convenience Centers; Peter Tamburro, general manager, Cliff’s Local Markets; John Schaninger, president, The Schaninger Group; and Jerry Weiner, president, Weiner Consulting Co.
This year’s conference again includes several events for the convenience store industry’s next-generation executives. The mission of NAG’s Young Executives Organization (YEO) is to cultivate young talent in the convenience store and petroleum industry through implementation of education and networking. The YEO breakout track will be led by Linda McKenna, a principal with Employee Performance Strategies.
In addition to NAG’s Information Exchanges, this year’s NAG Conference will feature category-specific breakout sessions, which are designed to mirror intimate study group sessions.
This is a powerful agenda aimed at helping make you a better convenience store retailer. NAG’s goal is to help retailers return home with actionable ideas to boost sales and cut costs, and we have a lot of fun doing it.
To register for this can’t-miss conference or learn more about NAG, visit www.nagconvenience.com. I look forward to seeing you in Florida.
