Decision Makers Kyle Krause, CEO of Kum & Go announces the promotion of Brian Thompson as chief acquisitions officer. Thompson will be responsible for developing the company’s Grow Business department, an area responsible for all convenience store acquisitions and alternative business developments.He has been with Kum & Go since 2003, and was previouslyits chief financial…

Company president John MacDougall announces major staff changes as he turns is attention to real estate development. John MacDougall is on a first-name basis with all of his employees and a great many of his customers, too. Well, when customers see him in his Nice N Easy stores and recognize him from the chain’s radio…

One manager, one employee or idea can make a difference in customers’ lives. Every interaction has the potential to create positive and negative experiences. Some psychologists say that every day, more of us feel less effective than we used to feel. Even relatively minor things, such as trying to get through a voice mail system…

Kum & Go has promoted Dennis Folden, who has been with the chain since1976, to chief operating officer. Folden's previous position was executive vicepresident. In his 30 years with the company, Folden has held roles as storemanager, retail supervisor and vice president of marketing, among others. AsCOO, Folden will manage the day-to-day activities of the…

CSD February ’06 Issue Cover Story/Main Feature: Industry RetrospectiveThe Past, Present and Future of C-Store Retailing: A close look at the key issues that shaped the industry over the past 10 years. This story will analyze four key areas: The tobacco MSA, state and federal tax increases and the infringement of Internet/Native American cigarette sales.…

One manager, one employee or idea can make a difference in customers’ lives. Some psychologists say that every day, more of us feel less effectivethan we used to feel. Even relatively minor things, such as trying to get througha voice mail system so you can talk to a real live person when you have a…

Mary Vinson knew she was facing an uphill battle the day she started working for Donnini Enterprises (Lake Park, FL). Her job, simply put, was to install a back-office accounting system using the state-of-the-art computers the company purchased a year earlier. Just hours into her tenure Vinson faced her first daunting challenge: opening the boxes…

While Bruce Earhart may have been ready to "sing the blues" after a couple of consecutive 14-hour days, his band Eugene and the Night Crawlers hasn't yet written a song about the convenience retailing business. How he found his way to the c-store industry might offer great material, but Earhart seems to have found his…

A recent Convenience Store Decisions study of convenience store customers and their shopping habits showed that 7- Eleven truly is America's preferred convenience store. Customers listed several reasons for their fondness of 7-Eleven, ranging from proprietary products like the Slurpee, to the people behind the counter, to the consistency from store to store. What also…

Welcome back to Las Vegas—the adopted home of this year’s NACS Show following the tragic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in the Southeast. Our hearts remain with our friends, relatives and colleagues in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, and we wish them a quick and full recovery. New Orleans is one of my favorite cities to visit.…