Education Sessions

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

Branded merchandise has become a powerful way for retailers to build loyalty, extend their brand, and create new revenue streams. In this session, industry leaders will explore how brands like Buc-ee’s and 7-Eleven have successfully turned store merchandise into must-have items for customers. Attendees will learn how effective merchandising, brand storytelling, and social buzz can transform simple products into highly sought-after brand ambassadors.

Learn how AI-powered search is changing customer discovery—and what you can do to stay visible.

NACS

Christina Scala

Director, Business Development

Retail never stops, and neither does AI. This session explores how agentic AI is transforming store operations by moving beyond dashboards and alerts to continuous monitoring, decisioning, and action. Through real-world retailer examples across pricing, promotions, forecasting, and financial performance, attendees will see how AI can operate at a speed and scale to identify issues and opportunities before they impact the business. The discussion will highlight how shifting from lagging to leading indicators enables smarter, faster decision-making at both the store and enterprise

PDI Technologies

Jeff Hassman

GM of AI Solutions

In this highly interactive session, attendees will participate in a series of expert-led roundtables covering key operational areas such as loss prevention, HR, accounting, and more. Designed in a “speed dating” format, participants rotate between tables to ask questions, share challenges, and gain practical insights directly from industry experts. This open, conversational setting creates a safe space to ask candid questions, exchange ideas, and learn what’s working for others across the industry.

Casey's General Stores, Inc.

Amy Costello

Sr. Director - Food Safety & Quality Assurance

Refuel Operating Company

Wes Pate

Vice President, Loss Prevention & Risk Management

Favtrip

Babir Sultan

President

Weigel's Stores, Inc.

Rebecca Gregory

Center Store Category Manager

Casey's General Stores, Inc.

Steph Hoppe

VP Omnichannel Marketing

iSee Store Innovations

Melissa Peretz

Vice President of Commercial Strategy for TradeWorks

Strauch Companies

Ashley Boston

Risk and Compliance Manager

Majors Management, LLC

Chuck Strassburger

SVP, Human Resources

CHS Inc. (Cenex)

Donald Emery

Senior Manager, Product

Louisiana Truck Stop & Gaming Administration, LLC

Chris Rosbottom

Social Media & Web Marketing Manager

CrossAmerica Partners LLC

Barbara Kessler

Director of Marketing

OXXO USA

Tye Smith

Director, HR OXXO USA

As convenience retailers expand their foodservice offering, building a credible foodservice program requires more than adding menu items. This session explores how to define foodservice in today’s c-store environment, identify a signature offer, and compete with QSRs through the right investments in space, equipment, people, and partnerships. We’ll focus on the operational fundamentals including food safety, cleanliness, training, and culture that ultimately determine success or failure.

Weigel's Stores, Inc.

Beth Hoffer

Vice President

Sprint Mart

Ryan Krebs

Senior Director of Food Service

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, the 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.

USDA’s final SNAP stocking requirements rule takes effect in November, and convenience retailers have a limited window to expand their shelf offerings or risk losing their SNAP authorization. This session breaks down what’s actually changing, what it means for store operations and inventory, and how retailers are approaching compliance on the ground. We’ll also touch on the broader SNAP landscape and how NACS is engaging beyond the stocking requirements. Walk away with a clearer understanding of what's required and a sense of where SNAP policy is headed next.

NACS

Margaret Mannion

Director, Government Relations

See how identity connects payments, loyalty, promotions, age verification, and more into a seamless customer experience

NACS

Christina Scala

Director, Business Development

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

Advanced technology is changing the customers’ path to purchase. Drivers are increasingly relying upon their smart phones and vehicle technologies to determine travel routes and to direct them to retailers offering products and services they need. The days of driving down the road and looking for a good place to stop are quickly becoming a thing of the past. Convenience retailers must ensure they are part of the customer decision making process long before the drivers realize they need gas or electricity. This session will discuss the tools and tactics that will ensure your physical location