We all know the importance of a well-educated workforce and the c-store landscape is certainly no exception. Among the many pieces of NAG’s core mission is to help cultivate and groom the convenience store leaders of tomorrow. The National Advisory Group (NAG) scholarship fund was developed to help qualified students offset some of the costs of a higher education.
In keeping with that theme, NAG created this scholarship fund for employees and children of NAG member companies. Since it’s inception, NAG has distributed more than 105 scholarships totaling nearly $116,000 to deserving students.
The Program
The NAG 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 1990s and is financed through annual dues collections by NAG members and drives from golf outings and conference sponsorship allocations.
The Awards
NAG annually recognizes five recipients and we have a healthy scholarship fund to ensure the college-age children of NAG member companies will receive financial assistance to pursue their goals of becoming the leaders of tomorrow. Awards are not renewable, though students may reapply to the program each year they meet eligibility requirements.
The program utilizes standard Scholarship America recipient selection procedures, including past academic performance and future potential, leadership and participation in school and community activities, work experience and an outside appraisal.
Eligibility
Applicants who work in the c-store industry must be employees or children of employees who have a minimum of one-year employment with a NAG member company. Applicants must plan to enroll in a full- or part-time undergraduate course of study at an accredited two- or four-year college, university or vocational-technical school. Applicants who are current students or who have attended school within the past three years must have maintained a minimum 2.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale.
NAG was founded in 1982 by former retailers who were concerned that other associations were too focused on larger chains. After nearly 40 years, our mission remains the same: To help convenience store retailers interact with one another to discuss new concepts, share information and come away with innovative ideas to grow sales and profits. NAG’s role in the competitive c-store industry remains unquestioned. There is a void in the channel for this type of passionate organization, composed of executive-level retailers from small, mid-sized and family-owned chains. NAG remains an organization that is fully committed to its members.
Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at (201) 321-5642 or via email at [email protected]. For information about Scholarship America or eligibility requirements, contact program manager Rita Gibbs at [email protected].
