NACS Show and the Industry Are Big Winners, Says NACS Chairman Brad Call

Chairman leads a high-energy presentation for standing room-only crowd at the NACS Show Opening General Session.

October 09, 2014

LAS VEGAS – NACS Chairman Brad Call wants NACS Show attendees to remember one thing about the 2014 NACS Show: “You’re a winner baby and that’s no lie!”

Repurposing the line from a 1970s-era hit song by the band Hot Chocolate and mixing it with the NACS Show theme, “A Winner Every Year,” Call reminded attendees that the NACS Show is the convenience retailing industry’s top event for attendees who will win by growing their businesses.

“Every single year the NACS Show gets better and better: More knowledge is imparted, more suppliers are here, more innovative products, more educational sessions, more resources available to you, and you know what?  For the next few days, we’re just going to have a helluva lot of fun,” said Call, vice president of adventure culture at Maverik, in a high-energy presentation to a standing room-only crowd at the NACS Show Opening General Session on Wednesday.

Call also encouraged attendees to travel and see new formats across the globe, taking advantage of the events NACS provides for retailers to see these new formats, whether the NACS Global Forum or the NACS Insight Convenience Summit - Europe.

Closer to home, Call urged retailers to redouble their efforts to build and operate stores that the community will be proud of. “We have to set our standards high and raise the whole convenience industry ocean,” he said, noting that many retailers face zoning challenges related to NIMBY (Not in My Back Yard) concerns.

Another big part of overcoming NIMBY is communicating the industry’s voice. Call praised NACS’s efforts to raise the industry profile, citing the new NACS In Store grassroots initiative, in which members of Congress visit a convenience store to work behind the counter and learn about operations and the industry.

“The idea is pure genius,” said Call. “In our case they came to Maverik, engaged in a quick overview of our adventure guide training — that’s our clerk training — observed the baking in the kitchens, learned basic store ops and then we turned them loose to run the point of sale so they could interact with our customers.”

Call said that the NACS In Store program was a great way to become more acquainted with members of Congress and a terrific way to help educate them on the challenges we face as an industry.

“It’s awesome what we can do when we communicate our voice, and there is so much more we can — and will do. But it’s important to realize that this won’t happen overnight. It’s a journey, and one that NACS is committed to take.”

Anything is possible in an industry that shares as much as the convenience retailing industry, Call noted.

“What we learn from each other — and how we inspire and support each other — is simply amazing to me. And what I love most about NACS is how there is room for everyone,” he said.

“I know I served as your chair this year, but there are a ton of people who work to pull everything together. We have volunteers serving on committees, staff creating new and exciting programs to help you succeed and spouses and other team members that support us all. Maybe most important we have a supplier community that is as committed to this industry as we are.”

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