At Your Convenience

Quendrida Whitmore, author and executive coach at Quendrida Whitmore Coaching & Consulting LLC, joins this episode of "At Your Convenience" to discuss the key takeaways from her two sessions at Convenience Store Women (CSW) with Content Manager at Informa Rachel Gignac. Whitmore's CSW sessions, titled “Every Decision Has a Co$t” and “Every Decision Doesn't Deserve Investment: The Executive Min...

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP’s Group Managing Editor Hannah Hammond talks to Melissa Vonder Haar (pictured right), managing director of TradeWorks for iSee Store Innovations and chair of CSP’s C-Store Cannabis Board. At the NACS Show in Las Vegas, Vonder Haar highlighted a landmark moment for hemp-THC companies, which secured dedicated booths for the first time at the expo, despit...

Flavor bans, state age limits and a surging illicit vape market are reshaping compliance for convenience retailers nationwide. In this episode of CSP's "At Your Convenience" podcast, Mark Braden, vice president of strategic engagement at Reynolds American Inc.; Peter Brennan, executive director at the New England Convenience Store and Energy Marketers Association; Doug Anderson, pres...

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,”  CSP  Editor Diane Adam (left) talks with Guy Bentley, director of consumer freedom at the Reason Foundation, about the tobacco category and the threats and tailwinds facing products on the backbar. The two spoke Sept. 16 at  CSP ’s Tobacco Plus Forum , held in Oak Brook, Illinois. On the podcast, Bentley also talked about the initiative for a new federall...

Lonnie McQuirter, the 2026-27 NACS chairman , stopped by CSP’s booth at the NACS Show on Oct. 8 in Las Vegas to record this episode of “At Your Convenience” with CSP’s Group Managing Editor Hannah Hammond.  The two talked about how McQuirter has built a true community hub at his store, 36 Lyn Refuel Station, located in Minneapolis. McQuirter also shares his plans for his year as chairman of the Na...

Negotiation is a skill we use every day, often without realizing it, according to Diana Buttu, international lawyer, negotiation expert and instructor at Harvard's Division of Continuing Education.  In this special edition of “At Your Convenience,” Buttu talks to CSP Conference Content Manager Rachel Gignac about why negotiation matters for leaders , where it shows up in everyday workplace sit...

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,”  CSP Editor Chuck Ulie (left) talks with John Wandell, director of asset protection at Knoxville, Tennessee-based Pilot Co. , about the state of losses at convenience stores today. The two spoke Aug. 5 at  CSP  and Informa Connect’s  Outlook Leadership event , held in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. Wandell shared the most important steps c-store retailer...

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,”  CSP  Editor Diane Adam (pictured left) talks with  Aisha Jefferson , corporate communications manager of  QuikTrip , about the retailer’s strategic growth and what is driving it. The two spoke on Aug. 5 at  CSP  and Informa Connect’s  Outlook Leadership event , held in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. QuikTrip is  No. 7  on CSP’s 2026  Top 202 ranking  of...

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,”  CSP  Group Managing Editor Hannah Hammond (pictured left) talks with Stace Anne Benu , chief talent officer at LV Petroleum.  The two spoke in early August at CSP  and Informa Connect’s  Outlook Leadership  event, held in Rancho Palos Verdes, California .  LV Petroleum is a Las Vegas-based owner and operator of TravelCenters of America franchises. Benu sh...

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,”  CSP  Editor Chuck Ulie (left) talks with Brian Sardelich (right), president of  ExtraMile Convenience Stores , about the convenience-store being a finalist in  CSP  and Intouch Insight's  Mystery Shop audit .  The two spoke Aug. 4 at  CSP  and Informa Connect’s  Outlook Leadership event , held in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. Pleasanton, California...

Diane Adam (left) talks with  Joe Hamza , chief operating officer of Nouria Energy Corp., Worcester, Massachusetts, about the convenience-store being a finalist in the 2026  CSP  Intouch Insight Mystery Shop audit. Nouria, the winner in  2024  and  2025 , is a 321-store chain in its fifth year in the Mystery Shop.  They spoke Aug. 5 at  CSP  and Informa Connect’s  Outlook Leadership event , held i...

Patron Points President Erik Ogren and Director of Marketing Heather Webb talk with  CSP's  Vice President of Content Strategy Abbey Lewis for a special episode of the "At Your Convenience" podcast about their company's involvement in  the Outlook Report , sharing insights on customer loyalty in convenience retail. Inflation has changed consumer behavior, with 35-40% of convenien...

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,”  CSP  Editor Diane Adam (left) talks with  Terri Micklin  of 7-Eleven, Irving, Texas, about the future of 7-Eleven and its plans to open roughly 1,300 additional New Standard stores by 2030.   7-Eleven’s New Standard stores were developed from lessons learned through its  Evolution stores , which offer in-store  restaurants  and premium products. 7-Eleven...

The convenience-store industry is at a critical inflection point where data infrastructure and artificial intelligence will determine which retailers thrive and which fall behind, according to Thomas Weinandy, economist at Upside. Weinandy shared these insights during a recent episode of  CSP 's "At Your Convenience" podcast, recorded live at the Outlook Leadership Conference. The co...

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,”  CSP  Editor Chuck Ulie talks with Suzanne Kramer, vice president of human resources, and Alan King, director of training, both from Rutter’s, about the convenience-store being a finalist in the 2026  CSP  Intouch Insight Mystery Shop audit.  The three at spoke Aug. 4 at  CSP  and Informa Connect’s  Outlook Leadership event , held in Rancho Palos Verdes, C...

Convenience-store retailers, suppliers and more traveled to Rancho Palos Verdes, California, for three days to learn and network at  CSP  and Informa Connect’s Outlook Leadership event.   In this episode of “At Your Convenience,”  CSP  Group Managing Editor Hannah Hammond and  CSP  Editors Chuck Ulie and Diane Adam sat down at the conference to discuss what they had learned so far.  They discuss t...

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,”  CSP  Group Managing Editor Hannah Hammond talks with Rachel Gignac, conference content manager at Informa, for a preview of the conversations shaping this year’s  Outlook Leadership Conference . On this podcast, recorded ahead of the 2026 Outlook Leadership Conference, which takes place Aug. 4-6, the two discuss the themes emerging across the agenda, incl...

In this episode of "At Your Convenience,"  Melissa Vonder Haar , chair of the  CSP  C-Store Cannabis Board, sits down with two pioneers of the THC beverage industry: Josie Johnson of 36Lyn Refuel Station in Minneapolis and Angus Rittenhouse, co-founder of Wynk Beverages. Johnson and Rittenhouse share their unique journeys in building the THC beverage category from the ground up—from Wynk...

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,”  CSP  Executive Editor Hannah Hammond talks to Rene Dacosta, vice president for food, beverage and QSR at  Brake Time Corner Market (BTCM) .  The Houston-based chain of more than 240 convenience stores was featured on  the cover of  CSP  magazine’s July issue .  Brake Time Corner Market is  No. 35  on  CSP’s   2026 Top 202  ranking of convenience-store cha...

On a recent edition of the “At Your Convenience” podcast, experts discuss how THC beverages are proving to be a strong performer in convenience stores, with GPM Investments doubling sales after adding dedicated coolers in April. Shane Mabry of GPM, which operates 1,100+ stores across 27 states, says the retailer started cautiously in three states two years ago before expanding to 210 stores with 4...

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” Melissa Vonder Haar, managing director of TradeWorks for iSee Store Innovations and chair of  CSP’s  C-Store Cannabis Board, talks to  Diana Eberlein  at the inaugural  CSP  Cannabis Forum.  Eberlein is the chair of the Coalition for Adult Beverage Alternatives and chief communications officer for emulsion supplier Vertosa.  The two discussed  the urgent t...

In a recent edition of CSP's "At Your Convenience" podcast, our team talked to industry experts Dan Razowsky from R-Marts and Rick Schepp from GTI and Rhythm, discussing the current trends, challenges and opportunities for hemp beverages in the Chicago market. As the hemp beverage market continues to grow in Chicago, the podcast highlights both the challenges and opportunities of thi...

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,”  CSP  Editor Diane Adam talks to  Matt Van Gilder , vice president of omnichannel at  NexChapter .  On this podcast, recorded June 24 at the  CSP  Center Store Forum by Informa , the two discussed digital shelf and other technology strategies c-store retailers can use to drive growth in the center store. They also discussed what trends are reshaping consum...

In a recent episode of  CSP's  “At Your Convenience” podcast, Drew Walls, sales director for retail media at Broadsign, discussed the challenges retailers face when building retail media networks. Walls said retailers often focus on deploying screens first without considering monetization strategy, leading to missed revenue opportunities. "We are still pricing the screen and not necessari...

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,”  CSP  Editor Chuck Ulie talks with  Liza Salaria , senior vice president – category management and foodservice, at Chicago-based W. Capra, about crafting promotions with purpose. The two spoke at  CSP’s  Foodservice Forum on June 11 in Schaumburg, Illinois. On the podcast,  Salaria  offers suggestions on which strategy or strategies to use when promoting a...