Convenience Matters

Hear how some convenience retailers are creating pop-culture moments at their stores and within their community. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: Lonnie McQuirter, Director of Operations, 36 Lyn Refuel Station Lonnie leads 36 Lyn Refuel Station, an independently owned, community-focused fuel station in South Minneapolis, MN. He is a member of the NACS Board of Directors and its Executive Committee.

The acquisition brings together elements that are growing in convenience retail: great foodservice with a neighborhood feel. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard

Brands create trust, loyalty and a unique identity for businesses. Hear how some convenience stores leverage their brands to reach new and existing customers. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: Amanda Baltazar, Retail & Hospitality Journalist Amanda is a journalist and NACS Magazine contributing writer with over 20 years of experience and expertise in foodservice, beverages, restaurants/bars and overall retail. She covers everything from operations to staffing a c-suite.

Gas price continues to be top of mind with drivers, but the price per gallon is only one factor for why they select a place to purchase fuel. 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.

Over the past five years, Stafford Shurden has travelled across the South to celebrate great food for his "Gas Station Tailgate Review" program. His new book, "Meet and Three," is about his life experiences as a restaurant owner, farmer, and convenience store and gas station food connoisseur. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: Stafford Shurden, creator of Gas Station Tailgate Review Shurden is a farmer, restaurant owner and former Justice Court Judge from Drew, Mississippi.

We're sharing insights from a recent road trip/market tour and the big takeaways on what’s new in convenience. Hosted by: Jeff Lenard About our Guest: Frank Beard, Convenience Retailing Expert Frank is a Des Moines, Iowa-based marketer, speaker and writer who focuses on the convenience retailing industry. He serves as head of marketing at Rovertown, an app platform for convenience retailers.

A new Transportation Energy Institute report reveals what consumers think about the vehicle technologies and fueling options they're looking for. 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.

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 developing the unwavering confidence to thrive in any environment.

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 graduate of Winona State University (Business Administration/Marketing) and Louisiana State University - Shreveport (MBA).

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 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.

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 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.

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 has more than 20 years of experience in research and consulting, with a focus on FMCG/CPG and retail. Mark began his career in the advertising industry, focusing on trade marketing and sales advertising in impulse retail channels at Dorland in Berlin and at Grey and BBDO in Duesseldorf.

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 & 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. Anna Ready Blom, NACS Strategic Advisor, Government Relations Anna serves as a policy advisor to the NACS government relations team. During her 10-plus years at NACS, she led numerous advocacy campaigns and has been recognized as one of “The Hill’s Top Lobbyists” for three years in a row. Anna previously worked on Capitol Hill for members of Congress from her home state of South Carolina.

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 founder of Krupa Consulting, a public relations and brand-building agency. Dana Kim, Founder and CEO, Highlight Dana founded Highlight, the first and still only end-to-end agile product testing platform, that enables the efficient collection of scaled product performance data. It is a top SAAS platform in the product testing space.

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 collaborates with industry stakeholders to develop signature programs that align with NACS members’ philanthropic priorities, which overall focus on serving first responders, fighting hunger, supporting healthy kids and keeping communities clean.

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 AI, consumer behavior and the food and agriculture industries. His insights help shape the future of food, guiding businesses through the challenges of an evolving global market.