Six Degrees of Cooperation

Making connections is the first step toward taking action to promote industry’s nutrition awareness.

June 26, 2015

NACS Magazine introduced a new column earlier this year, “In Context,” authored by NACS Vice President of Strategic Initiatives Jeff Lenard. Each month, Jeff’s column shares the NACS perspective on some of the “big picture” issues facing our industry, and what NACS is doing to address those issues — both within the industry and to the larger audience of customers and potential customers. Jeff can be reached at jlenard@nacsonline.com or (703) 518-4272.

Last month, as I was speaking before yet another significant nutrition-focused group (that I knew nothing about one short year ago), I was struck by the importance of networking and where it has taken NACS.

Back in the spring of 2014, I first attended the Partnership for a Healthier America’s annual summit in Washington, D.C., and struck up a conversation about our industry, both the current landscape and the opportunities before us, with dietitian Ashley Koff. She had some experience with efforts to improve convenience store options — and had both ideas and contacts to help push our initiative forward.

That fortuitous conversation led to a meeting with Wholesome Wave, a group that focuses on community-based solutions to provide access to fresh produce, which then opened doors to a U.S. Agriculture Department meeting, which then led to conversations with … well, you get the picture. Call it Six Degrees of Kwik Trip, where we are literally six contacts from anyone in the nutrition world.

Of course, contacts are only one element of getting more involved with groups that can help advance our industry’s nutrition-focused goals. It’s been equally important to effectively communicate the significance of our industry — that we are 34% of all retail locations in the country and conduct 160 million transactions a day, for example. And we’ve taken great pains to make sure that we are credible — not incredible — with our messages. I haven’t yet exclaimed, “Purple is a fruit” when talking about jelly-filled donuts. While we have made great inroads in growing trust in the nutrition world, trust is something that is nurtured and cherished over time. No need for us to go all Brian Williams by telling stories that go beyond the facts at hand.

And our efforts are working. We have become the focus of opportunities to move the needle in nutrition and we are sought after for projects to not just change the conversation, but to change how customers can benefit from what our stores offer. It is unusual to go more than a few days before my phone rings and on the other end is a new group asking about how they can work with NACS on a project related to nutrition, based on someone’s recommendation.

At its core, what I have seen over the past year is that connections aren’t just a critical component of what we offer to NACS members, they are equally critical for what we do for NACS members. We are at a unique moment in time. We have made substantial progress, but the next year will define how successful we will ultimately be in developing sustainable programs. Connections and interest will take us only so far.

Action will make the difference. Now is the time for you to get involved. A variety of opportunities lie before us, whether working with Drink Up to grow water sales or United Fresh to develop programs to increase produce sales, or many other groups to test new merchandising and marketing techniques and programs. Most of these programs need effort more than money. And they need you. If you’re interested, contact me, and I will link you with one of these groups. Then you, too, can experience your own six degrees of industry separation.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement