Convenience Matters

Tobacco theft is the new face of organized crime. Flavor bans, higher taxes, and raising the legal purchase age to 21 have all contributed to a thriving black market for tobacco and vape products. Hear how you can protect your staff and business against tobacco and vape theft. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard and Chrissy Blasinsky About our Guest: Rich Marianos, Assistant Director (Retired), Bureau of Alcoh...

We're sharing some of the insights and takeaways from the latest Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on credit card swipe fees, and talk about what it means to retailers. 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 as a partner with the law firms Collier Shannon Scott PLLC and Steptoe & Johnso...

In November, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the need for competition in the credit card market. Hear what NACS General Counsel Doug Kantor told committee members on behalf of the c-store industry. 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 as a partner with the law firms Co...

EVs aren't the only option to reduce carbon emissions. E-fuels could close potential emission reduction gaps in the U.S. or accelerate emission reduction efforts for road transportation. 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 th...

Before the AMBER Alert system, there was the Milk Carton Kids campaign in the 1980s. Today, technology is further enhancing the search for missing children—and retailers can help. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: Gavin Portnoy, Vice President, Communications & Brand, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Gavin builds strategies to elevate NCMEC's brand, which include creating new...

A recent poll suggests that public confidence regarding food safety is eroding. To better connect with their customers, companies can do more to communicate their policies and procedures. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard and Chrissy Blasinsky About our Guest: Benjamin Chapman, Professor, Food Safety Extension Specialist at North Carolina State University Through reality-based research, Ben investigates beha...

Chefs Andrew Zimmern and David Chang are big fans of convenience stores and their food offers. At the NACS Show, they shared their passion for food and how c-stores can continue to elevate their foodservice to stand out among the competition. And they loved visiting the Expo! Hosted by: Andrew Kintigh, Corporate Chef, Casey's About our Guests: Chef Andrew Zimmern Andrew is an Emmy-winning and four...

Visa has used fees and strong-arm tactics to bend the U.S. payments system to its liking, leading to higher fees and less innovation than many other countries. 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...

Artificial Intelligence is already changing how businesses operate. At the 2024 NACS Show, a panel discussed what retailers can do now to enhance their business operations with AI. Hosted by: Henry Armour About our Guests: Brian Gray, Global Mobility Retail Lead, Accenture Brian leads Accenture's Global and North America Fuels & Convenience Retail practice and helps clients solve challenges and di...

During his 2024 NACS Show presentation, Juan energized the audience with ideas to ignite their confidence. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard and Chrissy Blasinsky About our Guest: Juan Bendaña, motivational speaker Juan is an internationally recognized speaker who helps leaders navigate uncertainty and exponential change by developing the unwavering confidence to thrive in any environment.

Chip payment cards for SNAP transactions are coming, starting in two states in early 2025. Hear what you need to do now to prepare, whether you do business in those states or others. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: Margaret Mannion, NACS Government Relations Manager Margaret focuses on issues including SNAP, food traceability and retail crime. She joined the NACS government relations team...

It's no secret that great team members are the reason behind the success of the Disney experience. We'll get a preview from NACS Show speaker Doug Lipp on how to create a unique experience in your stores. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: Doug Lipp, NACS Show speaker, consultant, former head of training at Disney Doug is a distinguished consultant, business keynote speaker, eight-time busine...

Convenience retail continues to be reinvented by more than 1.5 million c-store operators around the world. Hear how trends around the customer journey, loyalty and EVs are evolving. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guests: Roy Strasburger, CEO, StrasGlobal Roy is a 4th generation retailer and is currently CEO of StrasGlobal, a retail support and consulting company. He co-founded the Vision Group N...

Rutter's has redefined its customer experience so its foodservice offer can best resonate with customers, whether they are refueling or shopping inside the store. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guests: Phil Santini, Senior Director of Advertising & Food Service, The Rutter's Companies Phil oversees the York, Pennsylvania-based convenience-store chain's foodservice program and is also in charge o...

We're breaking down two of the biggest questions fuel retailers have faced in decades: Will installing EV chargers be good for my business, and how do I launch a program? Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: Karl Doenges, Executive Director, Charging Analytics Program Karl represents NACS on the coming disruption in mobility and how that affects convenience retailers. In this role, Karl focuses...

Convenience store design has come a long way from the standard 40x60 box. Today, design involves many new elements, including brand strategy. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: Amanda Baltazar, Retail & Hospitality Journalist Amanda is a journalist with 20+ years of experience and expertise in foodservice, beverages, restaurants/bars and overall retail. She covers everything from operations t...

How do you revitalize and reimagine a nearly 90-year-old family brand? Stephanie Stuckey shares the lessons she's learned during her 5-year journey at the helm of Stuckey's. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: Stephanie Stuckey, Chair, Stuckey's Stephanie is chair of Stuckey's. She worked as a trial lawyer a state representative in Georgia and Atlanta's director of sustainability before purcha...

In rural areas, locals know the best meals come from gas stations. In this episode, Stafford Shurden shares his tips for finding great c-store and gas station food. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: Stafford Shurden, Creator, Gas Station Tailgate Review Stafford is a restaurant owner and farmer from Drew, MS. Over the past four years, between managing his farm and restaurant, Stafford has tr...

Foodservice in c-stores accounts for nearly 40% of in-store profits. We're breaking down how you can ensure that food safety remains top of mind. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard and Chrissy Blasinsky About our Guest: David McIntyre, Senior Health & Safety Specialist, EG America David has more than 30 years of experience in culinary, retail and noncommercial/contract foodservice management environments. His...

Businesses that accepted Visa and/or Mastercard between January 1, 2004, and January 25, 2019, are eligible to claim a share of the antitrust class-action settlement, but they must file by August 30. (NOTE: After this was recorded, the deadline was extended February 4, 2025.) We'll tell you how. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: Doug Kantor, General Counsel, NACS Doug has served as legal cou...

Ethanol and other biofuels are already used in more than 10% of all gasoline purchased in the United States. How much more can be used and what would the impact be on food supply and other considerations? 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...

We're flipping the script and answering questions from our Convenience Matters producer on how to maximize your NACS Show experience. Hosted by: Blake Althen, Human Factor Guests: Chrissy Blasinsky, NACS and Jeff Lenard, NACS

We all could use more laughter and good news, and that's what Tank Sinatra delivers to his 11 million social media followers. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: Tank Sinatra, renowned content creator Tank Sinatra is the largest and most prolific meme creator on the internet and has been called "The Michael Jordan of memes." In addition, "Tank's Good News" is featured on GSTV.

From the corporate "police function" to nitpickers and fault finders, there are many myths around internal audits. We're debunking these myths and sharing how you can benefit from the process. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: Kara Falco, Director of Internal Audit at Casey's At Casey's, Kara manages a team of 13 and has participated and presented in internal audit conferences sharing insigh...

Food sales continue to grow at convenience stores, especially during a few key dayparts. However, competition from QSRs could encroach on your sales. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: David Portalatin, Senior Vice President and Industry Advisor, Food and Foodservice, Circana David is a trusted industry advisor who works closely with leading food manufacturers and retailers as well as foodser...