NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Research and technology, often perceived as behind-the-scenes operations, has been front and center in April and May at NACS, noted NACS Vice Chairman of Research and Technology Greg Parker, president of The Parker Companies (Savannah, Georgia). Last month, the industry’s 2006 performance metrics were announced at the State of the Industry summit (SOI), and three weeks later, the industry is celebrating the role technology plays in store operations at NACStech 2007. 

But while the formal name of the committee that Parker chairs is called “Research and Technology,” it really serves distinct areas. “That’s why we recently modified the structure of our committee to two separate groups that have entirely different objectives,” said Parker.

The Metrics group focuses on enhancing the industry’s leading benchmarking tools, the State of the Industry franchise, which currently includes the SOI summit, annual State of the Industry report, Fact Book CD-ROM and global SOI initiatives. The Technology group scouts for new technologies, both in the convenience channel and in others, that offer business process improvements for our members at events like NACStech.

“The bottom line is that there are plenty of new opportunities for you to get involved in our research and technology efforts, and we encourage your participation. We have plenty of work ahead of us, and an extremely dedicated and passionate group of volunteers leading this effort. But we can always use more input. If you are interested in getting involved, just find me or any of the NACS staff and they will make sure that we get in touch with you,” said Parker.

“It has been an extremely rewarding month for the NACS Research and Technology Committee, and I am proud to be a part of its success. Look for much more to come,” stressed Parker.