Love's, K&G Petroleum Receive CSNews Technology Awards

Also during NACStech, the PCATS/CSNews Technology Hall of Fame welcomed three new members.

May 29, 2012

NASHVILLE - Retail technology leaders gathered at NACStech last week to honor Jim Xenos and K&G Petroleum as the 2012 Convenience Store News Technology Leadership Awards winners.

The Technology Leadership Awards recognize industry excellence in technology and promote the industry's continued advancement and use of technology tools and applications to further business success.

Xenos, vice president and CIO of Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores, and a frequent participant in the NACS/CSNews CIO Roundtable, received this year's Top Tech Executive Award. Love??s Travel Stops & Country Stores has more than 280 convenience stores and travel centers spanning across 39 states.

K&G Petroleum is a Colorado-based ConocoPhillips marketer that operates 140 branded c-stores and gas stations. The company received this year??s Outstanding Technology Implementation Award for its implementation of the Hughes Network Systems?? LinkSafe Broadband technology in all its branded locations. K&G Chief Technology Officer Basudev Dahal, who led the implementation, accepted the award on behalf of the company.

Both winners thanked the industry for the recognition, with Xenos pointing out the awards would not be possible without the teams behind the tech officers.

  • In addition, the PCATS/CSNews Technology Hall of Fame inducted its newest members: Greg Gilkerson, president of PDI Inc.
  • Robert Johnson, president of The Pinnacle Corp.
  • Brad McGuinness, senior vice president of research and development of VeriFone Systems Inc.

Calling Gilkerson the "conscience" of the technology standards movements, PCATS Executive Director Gray Taylor noted as a founder of PDI Gilkerson has helped the company grow to serve more than 350 companies operating more than 27,000 stores.

Gilkerson thanked his peers and admitted he has never written a program in his life, adding PDI "has a tremendous team making everything happen."

In presenting the award to McGuinness, Taylor observed, "Brad is the man who never says no," adding he has always found a way to assist standards initiatives and PCATS.

While joking that he has probably said no at some point, McGuinness noted that PCATS has been a driving force behind improving the industry. "If you are not a member of PCATS you need to be," he said. "It is an organization that does, an organization that so many people in this room have dedicated time to."

Johnson, who has more than 28 years of experience serving the convenience and fuel marketing industries, was unable to attend the event. Rosemary Waldrip, Pinnacle marketing manager, accepted the award on his behalf.

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