Education Sessions

Hear how real career journeys into leadership roles within the convenience industry often begin at the store level. Through personal stories and practical examples, attendees will explore how to identify internal talent, create visible career pathways and help frontline employees see convenience retail as a long-term profession with meaningful opportunities for growth and leadership.

QuikTrip

Aisha Jefferson

Corporate Communications Manager

Prince Oil/Junction Management

Jhaddaka (JD) Leverette

Retail Analyst/I.T Manager

As EV adoption accelerates, many convenience retailers are deciding whether they should own their charging infrastructure or simply host it at their stores. This panel brings together a convenience retailer and an EV charging provider to walk through real-word case studies of deploying charging infrastructure at convenience stores. With a focus on practical insights, the discussion will cover key considerations for convenience retailers, as well as how to align charging investments with business goals and measure success. By sharing both successes and lessons learned, this session will

Electrify America

Aaron Young

Director, Sales & Business Development

Wawa, Inc.

Vince Cipollone

Director of EV Charging and New Fuel Business

NACS

Gen Comtois

EV Liaison

The back bar is evolving as nicotine pouches and alternative consumables compete for limited space. Hear about strategically allocating back bar space across oral nicotine, traditional tobacco, and emerging categories. Gain practical insights on merchandising, balancing profitability with security concerns, and preparing for what the future of the category could look like.

7-Eleven, Inc.

Jasmeet Chawla

Vice President - Merchandising

NACS

Margaret Mannion

Director, Government Relations

Using insights from the State of the Industry (SOI) report, this session takes a deeper look at consumer spending patterns, operational variables, and what separates the top deciles from the bottom deciles within the data.

NACS

Jayme Gough

Director of Research & Development

How real-time reporting uncovers missed age verifications before they become violations. Please note that attendance is first come first serve, and space may be limited!

TruAge

Lisa Rountree

Head of Customer Experience and Marketing

TruAge

Eddie McFarlane

Sales & Activation Specialist

Category deep dive. What's next in cold, hot, and specialty beverages, and what customers will pay for.

Pilot Travel Centers LLC

Nicholas Reed

Manager, Category

What does convenience mean to the next generation of shoppers? In this interactive session, we explore how Gen Z and Gen Alpha define convenience with street-style interviews and real-world examples. Attendees will gain fresh perspective on emerging trends, technology expectations, and how younger consumers influence merchandising, branding and experience.

NACS

Frank Gleeson

President & CEO

Maverik, Inc.

Crystal Maggelet

CEO

NielsenIQ (NIQ)

Jason Zelinski

Vice President for North American Retail

TXB Stores

Kevin Smartt

CEO

Weigel's Stores, Inc.

Doug Yawberry

President & CEO

Convenience Connect is an exclusive opportunity for NACS supplier members to hear directly from convenience retailers about how they discover new products and maximize their time at the NACS Show. During this 90-minute session, a panel of retail leaders will share what they look for in new products, how they evaluate potential supplier partners, and tips for making meaningful connections. The session concludes with 30 minutes of networking over light refreshments, giving you the chance to continue the conversation and build valuable relationships. Don't miss this unique supplier opportunity

Max Distributing

Chris Everson

Purchasing Manager

Matrix Brokerage

Webb Roberts

President

Burdette Beckmann

John Buehler

Vice President

Onvo

Ben Lucky

Senior Director of Foodservice

Murphy USA

Roland Larino

Category Manager- General Merchandise

CrossAmerica Partners LLC

Tim Young

Senior Category Manager

Synergy Cooperative

Troy Strand

Retail Division Manager

CHS Inc. (Cenex)

Bob Christopherson

Retail Solutions Manager

Business Accelerator Team

Kay Segal

Founder and President

How do investments to modernize your site translate into profitable growth? Convenience retailers are balancing the rise of the multi-energy forecourt and the changing expectations of today's consumers. The success of EV charging, alternative fuels, and new digital touchpoints will depend on more than infrastructure alone. The retailers that lead the next decade won't simply deploy new technologies , they will seamlessly connect energy, commerce, and customer experiences to build enduring loyalty. This session explores how retailers can combine intelligent site operations with

Vontier

Andy Bennett

Group President, Convenience Retail

NACS

Gen Comtois

EV Liaison

As foodservice drives growth in convenience retail, competition with quick-service restaurants intensifies. Learn how to elevate food offerings through menu innovation, kitchen design, and digital integration to meet evolving consumer demands.

McKinsey & Company

Andrew Davis

Partner

McKinsey & Company

John Moran

Partner

Every year, new legislation and regulations impact the convenience industry. As the saying goes, “if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.” How do some businesses always come out on top? Join industry CEOs as they share how political engagement, relationship building and a culture of advocacy have helped them protect their interests and strengthen the industry.

Kwik Trip, Inc.

Scott Zietlow

CEO/President and Chairman

RaceTrac, Inc.

Natalie Morhous

CEO

NACS

Doug Kantor

Senior Vice President, Government Relations and General Counsel

What makes certain leaders energizing to be around, and how can you become one of them? In this session, Emma Seppälä, faculty director of Yale’s Women’s Leadership Program, explores the science and practice of positively energizing leadership. She’ll share practical strategies to build resilience, strengthen relationships and elevate team performance in today’s demanding workplace.

Yale School of Management

Emma Seppälä

Lecturer in Management

NACS

Navjot Sandhu

Director, Human Resources

Tomorrow's winners won't be defined by the technologies they adopt, but by how well they're prepared for continual change. The retailers who thrive won't be chasing the next technology—they'll be building the capabilities that turns new technologies into a competitive advantage. This year's Roadmap explores those capabilities.

NACS

Gray Taylor

Strategic Advisor, Strategic Initiatives

CHS Inc. (Cenex)

Donald Emery

Senior Manager, Product

Conexxus

Linda Toth

Executive Director

Yesway

Robert Hampton

Chief Technology Officer

Explore the key findings from the NACS Coca-Cola Retailing Research Council’s latest study on trip drivers in convenience retail. Find out what motivates consumers to visit stores, what influences their purchasing decisions, and how these behaviors are evolving. The discussion will highlight actionable strategies retailers can use to align with shopper needs and increase trip frequency and basket size.

Coca-Cola Retailing Research Council

Michael Sansolo

Research Director

Cadent Consulting Group LLC

Richard Bode

CEO

Cadent Consulting Group LLC

Gavin Stoecker

Principal

Casey's General Stores, Inc.

Tom Brennan

Chief Merchandising Officer

Sheetz, Inc.

Ryan Sheetz

EVP, Marketing & Supply Chain

Hemp-derived THC beverages create an opportunity for growth in convenience stores as an emerging category. Industry experts will explore what retailers need to know about selling these age-restricted products responsibly, how the category fits into convenience retail, and the future of the these products as federal and state legislation and regulations develop.

Coalition for Adult Beverage Alternatives

Diana Eberlein

Chair

The Spinx Company, Inc.

Hayley Thrift

Director of Public Relations

See how mobile driver's licenses and digital IDs are changing in-store verification—and what retailers need to do next.

NACS

Paul Ziv

Vice President, Technology

Retail media networks are becoming a powerful revenue and marketing tool for retailers. In this session, experts will share real-world case studies showing how retailers are using these platforms to create value for their brands and stores. Learn strategies for launching or participating in a network, including how smaller operators can get started and ensure their media offerings deliver measurable ROI.

Circle K

Joell Robinson

Director Retail Media Network

Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores

Tommy Greenberg

GM, Love’s Media Group

4Court Media by Dover Fueling Solutions

Dan Seymour

Business Leader

NexChapter, Inc., LLC

Matt Riezman

Partner

Storytelling is one of the most powerful tools for building meaningful connections with your audience. And it all starts with a deep understanding of today’s consumer. This session explores how brands can amplify their values through authentic storytelling, creating narratives that resonate with customers’ changing values & preferences, reinforce brand purpose, and drive long-term loyalty & advocacy. Additionally, we will apply a convenience store lens to these insights to inspire new strategies, e.g. branded merchandise, partnerships, new revenue streams.

NielsenIQ (NIQ)

Rachel Bonsignore

VIP, NIQ Consumer Life

NielsenIQ (NIQ)

Kaleigh Theriault

Director, Thought Leadership

What if your store managers could spend less time on paperwork and more time leading people? This session highlights practical ways to lighten the load, including centralized recruiting models and streamlined administrative processes that cut hours of daily work. Hear how companies like Casey's and TXB are redesigning responsibilities so managers can focus on hiring decisions, team development and culture—not redundant tasks.

TXB Stores

Nathan Graham

Director of Human Resources

Casey's General Stores, Inc.

Sherri Hart

VP, HR Field Operations

The NACS Leadership for Success Program brings the brightest industry supervisors together to develop their personal leadership skills and become better leaders. For the past five months, participants have been working on reducing turnover, increasing employee engagement, and developing store managers by creating plans, setting goals, and tracking their progress. They are ready to share the results! Hear what worked (and what didn’t) as they sought to develop and strengthen their teams.

Make sure your AI investment doesn’t create more complexity than value. This session equips retail leaders with a practical guide to evaluating and purchasing AI solutions and how to avoid costly traps. Explore common pitfalls such as hidden fees, usage-based pricing, subscription sprawl and integration challenges that can undermine ROI. The discussion will break down total cost of ownership across on-prem and SaaS models while highlighting the key questions to ask before making an investment.

Atlantis Management

Rick Rigby

CTO

Residential embedded convenience retail is a new category where convenience is the amenity. Hear from leaders at Urban Value Corner Store as they share how their business model rethinks traditional assumptions around traffic patterns, customer engagement and retail placement by operating inside multifamily, mixed-use, student housing, and master-planned communities.

Urban Value Corner Store

Steve McKinley

CEO/Founder

This session explores how to market a foodservice program in a way that builds trust, reinforces brand credibility, and drives long-term customer behavior—not just short-term traffic. Participants will learn how to evaluate whether their marketing is truly working, align messaging with operational reality, and design foodservice offers that resonate with their core customers.

Southwest Georgia Oil Co., Inc. dba SunStop Stores

Michelle Weckstein

Director of Food and Beverage Brands

Kwik Trip, Inc.

David Jackson

Director of Marketing and Loyalty

Learn how AI-powered search is changing customer discovery—and what you can do to stay visible. Please note that attendance is first come first serve, and space may be limited!

NACS

Christina Scala

Director, Business Development