Convenience Matters

Confidence isn't something you're born with—it's something you build. And when you build it, opportunities often can follow in both your professional and personal life. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: Juan Bendaña, author and keynote speaker Juan is an internationally recognized speaker (including at the 2024 NACS Show) who helps leaders navigate uncertainty and exponential change by devel...

As convenience stores continue to advance foodservice, events like the NACS Food Safety Forum are helping industry leaders address traceability, implement new technology and maintaining consumer trust. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard and Chrissy Blasinsky About our Guest: Evan Powell, Retail Food Protection Manager, Kwik Trip Inc. Evan Powell is the retail food protection manager at Kwik Trip. He is a grad...

On July 17, the FDA announced that Juul Labs products are authorized in the market. However, the vape market still has very little clarity, and that was the focus of a July 18 letter from NACS and other groups to President Trump asking for action. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: Doug Kantor, NACS General Counsel Doug has served as legal counsel for NACS for more than 20 years, originally a...

Hybrid/remote workers and regular commuters shop and eat differently, and there are opportunities to craft messages that appeal to each group's interests, according to the findings from a recent NACS consumer survey. 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...

To celebrate our 500th episode, we are sharing our most popular episode, a conversation with William Shatner. He has some opinions! Hosted by: Jeff Lenard and Henry Armour About our Guest: William Shatner, legendary actor and icon Captain Kirk, T.J. Hooker, Denny Crane, so many TV shows and movies and record albums, the oldest person to fly in space…need we go on?

A look at the key factors that could affect gas prices over the summer-drive season and the second half of the year—and how prices affect consumer behavior both at the pump and inside the store. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard Jeff oversees internal and external communications at NACS. He has conducted over 6,000 interviews with reporters, mostly about fuels-related issues.

Store tours and discussions during the 2025 NACS Convenience Summit Europe in Copenhagen revealed opportunities for retailers to consider, no matter where they do business. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: Mark Wohltmann, Director, NACS Global Mark is responsible for the strategic development of NACS Global, a worldwide network that supports convenience retailers and their businesses. He ha...

Credit card swipe fees are a huge pain point for retailers and the customers they serve. Hear how the Credit Card Competition Act can bring competition to a broken system. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guests: Doug Kantor, NACS General Counsel 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 & Joh...

Consumer preferences are constantly changing. Hear insights from a snacker panel on what your customers want now and where snacking is heading. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guests: Rachel Krupa, Founder, The Goods Mart and Krupa Consulting In 2018, Rachel founded the highly curated better-for-you, socially conscious convenience store concept, The Goods Mart, based in New York City. She also is...

The U.S. Treasury will officially stop making pennies and phase out the one-cent coin from circulation. Here are four things retailers need to know, recapped from a February 2025 podcast. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard

The NACS Foundation's annual 24/7 Day (July 24) makes it easy for retailers and suppliers to celebrate the first responders who protect our communities—and it's free. Hear some of the success stories from previous years and how your company can join the celebration. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: Kevin O'Connell, Executive Director, NACS Foundation Kevin leads the NACS Foundation and coll...

Hear how retailers can grow sales through effective marketing, merchandising and planning that makes their stores the ultimate destination for road trippers. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: Steve Holtz, President, Holtz Media Consulting Steve is a veteran c-store journalist with 25 years in the industry. He is currently president of Holtz Media Consulting.

At least two broad trends are affecting food consumption right now: The growing use of GLP-1 drugs that is leading one segment of customers to seek out products with specific attributes, while economic concerns are leading another segment to increasingly seek out value. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: Andreas Düss, CEO, 6 Seeds Consulting Andreas is a leading voice at the intersection of A...

Although there have been many changes in the electric vehicle market, both in sales and in perceptions, EVs will continue to play a central role in the future of transportation. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: Quincy Lee, Founder & CEO, Electric Era Quincy founded Electric Era in 2020. Prior to that, he led the Gateway Ground Station Antenna program for SpaceX Starlink and was one of the e...

What are the key convenience retail metrics and themes that were delivered at the 2025 NACS State of the Industry Summit? Chris Rapanick breaks it down for us this week on Convenience Matters. 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...

AI can sound grandiose... it can sound complicated... and it can sound scary. But it's really just another tool to help you communicate. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: Steve Lerch, President, Story Arc Consulting Steve was a featured 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 th...

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 victor...

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 th...

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, inclu...

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...

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 Sha...

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...

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 marketin...