Convenience Matters

Let's look at the big takeaways and data from the recently concluded NACS State of the Industry Summit. We cover big-picture industry metrics, consumer trends and insights how you can best navigate today's economic uncertainty. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard

Convenience can mean extended hours of operation, one-stop shopping, speedy service, online ordering and delivery. When we asked consumers how they defined convenience, one word stood out most. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: Adam Rosenblatt, Founding Partner, Bold Decision Adam is one of the nation’s leading political consultants sought after for his ability to help clients achieve victory through effective research-based strategies and messaging. He designs and executes cutting-edge quantitative, qualitative, and data analytics programs for campaigns as well as non-political clients like NACS.

Which resources are necessary for HR leaders in convenience retail to build great teams? The recent NACS Human Resource Forum focused on this topic along with other industry-specific themes. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: Julie Jackowski, HR Forum Moderator and Chief Legal Officer & Secretary, Casey’s (retired) Julie has more than 30-plus years of experience in the legal profession and the c-store industry, including 31 years at Casey’s, where she oversaw the company’s legal, compliance, regulatory and risk areas. She has moderated three NACS HR Forums and served as the 2019-20 NACS Chairman.

EVs are one of many solutions to reducing emissions; we look at some other ways to also examine emission reduction. In addition, we share insights on how EV drivers charge at stores -- and what it means to your business. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: John Eichberger, Executive Director, Transportation Energy Institute John has more than 20 years of experience in the fuels industry, including more than a decade leading the Transportation Energy Institute (formerly known as the Fuels Institute). Prior to that, he served for 15 years as vice president of government relations at NACS, with a focus on fuels- and energy-related issues.

Highlights from the 2025 NACS Convenience Summit Asia were tours of convenience stores in Tokyo. Hear more for learnings and insights about what we saw, and experienced in this incredibly efficient c-store market. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: Jeff McQuilkin, Director, Exhibit Sales & Services, NACS Jeff has over 25 years of exposition sales, marketing, operations and project management experience, the last eight with NACS.

The early weeks of the Trump administration have been marked by a flurry of activity. Find out which actions could impact convenience retail and the potential opportunities for the industry on key issues. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: Doug Kantor, General Counsel, NACS Doug has served as legal counsel for NACS for more than 20 years, originally as a partner with the law firms Collier Shannon Scott PLLC and Steptoe & Johnson LLP. He has been NACS in-house counsel since 2021. Doug also served as special counsel and deputy chief of staff in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

How do you get people to listen to your message long enough for it to be effective? Storytelling can help cut through the clutter in a crowded marketplace, and tools like AI can make your messages even more impactful. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: Steve Lerch, President, Story Arc Consulting Steve is a keynote speaker at the 2025 NACS State of the Industry Summit. He is an award-winning international public speaker and consultant and a highly respected voice in the world of digital strategy, marketing, consumer behavior, innovation and leadership. Prior to founding Story Arc Consulting, Steve spent nine years at Google crafting his unique perspective on the topics of innovation, strategy and digital marketing.

President Trump and Elon Musk have both advocated for the elimination of the penny. We share insights from customers on whether they agree and how it would affect transactions in convenience stores. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard, NACS Media & Strategic Communications

The gas price sign used to be the most important means of communications to attract drivers to c-stores. Today, digital communications have unleashed many other more effective opportunities to tell customers about your offer by appealing to their known behaviors. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: Fred Dimesa, Head of Product for Marketing Solutions, Arity Fred is head of product for marketing solutions at Arity. He has more than 20 years of experience in developing strategies and launching new businesses in the technology space.

We look at some of the preliminary numbers related to industry performance—and what it means to you. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: Chris Rapanick, Managing Director, NACS Research Chris oversees the day-to-day operations of NACS Research, manages and directs departmental financial and operational performance, and drives strategic development of NACS long-term research capabilities and offerings for the convenience industry.