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Insight NACS Future of International Convenience & Petroleum Retailing 2010

FICR Programme - Speaker schedule 23rd September (PDF document)

Thursday 23rd September
Forecourt Petroleum, Equipment, Technology Conference & Exhibition
Sponsored by Epta

Conference Chairman: Henry Armour

Henry Armour is president and CEO of NACS - The Association for Convenience and Petroleum Retailing. In the United States, the more than 144,000 convenience stores across the country posted $624.5 billion in total sales in 2008, with $408.9 billion in motor fuels sales.

Armour assumed his position as president and CEO of NACS in 2005, after spending his entire career in the convenience and petroleum retailing industry. He began his career at his family’s retail automotive and wholesale transportation businesses, Armour Oil Company, where he managed retail service stations and transportation facilities, negotiated labor contracts, oversaw the company’s petroleum supply system, and handled government affairs. He was named vice president and chief operating officer of the company in 1977.

In 1980, Armour joined The Standard Oil Company of Ohio where he served as manager of development strategies. Three years later, he founded West Star Corporation, which grew to include NOW! convenience stores, truck stops and quick service restaurants in the Pacific Northwest. He sold the company in 2004. Prior to becoming president and CEO, Armour was long active in the volunteer leadership of NACS, serving two one-year terms as NACS chairman of the board (2001-2003), as treasurer/chairman-elect and vice chairman of research & development, as well as chairman of the Technology and Education Sessions committees, and was a member of the association’s Category Management and Future Study 2000 committees.

Armour earned a B.A. in economics from Stanford University in 1973. A year later he earned a M.Sc. in economics from the London School of Economics, and then returned to Stanford to earn an M.B.A. in 1976 and a Ph.D. in economics in 1977.

He has two children, Elizabeth and Philip

Conference Programme

Joseph Bona
President, CBX USA

Joe is responsible for directing the Retail practice at CBX, overseeing the creative process with a management style that stresses close client contact and attention to detail. His extensive work on six continents has given him a unique perspective on global trends but more importantly, it has provided him with the practical knowledge of how to adapt and respond to local markets. Prior to CBX, Joe was President and Chief Operating Officer at CDI Group where he worked for over 21 years.

During his more than 25 years as a retail branding and design professional, he has directed a wide range of strategic and creative initiatives for such global companies as: Stop & Shop Supermarkets, ChevronTexaco, Daiei Supermarket, Frito-Lay, Nestle and Petro-Canada to name a few. His work has led to numerous international design awards and is often featured in a wide variety of leading industry trade publications.

Stan Sheetz
President & CEO, Sheetz Inc

After earning a bachelor’s degree in business management from Bentley College and a master’s degree in financial management from Pace University, Stan worked for three New York City corporations before returning to the family business in 1981. He served as director of finance and then vice president of operations prior to being named president and CEO in 1995. Stan is a member of the 2006 National Association of Convenience Stores Executive Committee. Before serving as NACS’ 2004 chairman of the board Stan served as NACS’ treasurer. He also previously served as vice chairman of NACS’ Research and Development Board Committee. Stan has also received the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the Business Service category for Western Pennsylvania. He serves on the board of Omega Financial Corp. and is a past member of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Young Presidents Organization.

Stan has most recently been named among the Top 25 Most Influential People in Retailing for 2008 by Chain Store Age Magazine.

Stan is active in efforts to raise funds for needy children through his company’s “Sheetz Family Charities,” which has raised over $2 million since 1992. The company also supports Special Olympics and The Make-A-Wish Foundation. Since 1991, the company has raised more than $1.5 million for Special Olympics.

Stan has two children: Adam and Samantha. His interests include travel and Italian red wines.

Something you probably didn’t know about Stan: He loves to travel and has visited well over 40 countries.

John Austin-Davies
Group Product Marketing Director, Epta

John studied Mechanical Engineering at The University of Wales, before joining the refrigeration industry with a compressor manufacturer and then working for many years for George Barker & Co (Leeds) Ltd.

He has been responsible for several innovations in retail refrigeration during roles that have included pack and system design, the Contracting business, during several years work as Technical Director. In particular, he worked with customers to find energy optimised solutions, with experiments and systems to take advantage of “floating” suction and condensing pressure, many years before the recent focus on energy efficiency has made these technologies the norm. He has worked through the era of environmental pressure on refrigerants, and has been a pioneer of the technologies that have solved the problems highlighted by the Montreal Protocol, and he continues to play a play a key role in the introduction of the Natural Refrigerant systems that bring dramatic reductions in Carbon Emission.

Since acquisition by the Epta Group, John reports to the Milan Head Office, and his role now takes on International responsibility in a number of product areas. His experience of the customers with the highest specification expectation and who are most demanding of technical innovation, is an invaluable asset to the Epta Group. He maintains close contact with the UK market, and is Chairman of the British Refrigeration Association group concerned with Cabinets & Coldrooms.

John’s excellent reputation for successful implementation of new technology designed to provide improved ecological performance, has been key in his presentations at conferences in the UK and elsewhere in Europe in recent years.

Scott Hartman
President & CEO, Rutter’s Farm Stores

Scott is President and CEO and a member of the third generation operating Rutter’s Holdings, Inc. which consists of convenience stores trading as Rutter’s Farm Stores; Rutter’s Dairy, Inc., selling products in the Mid-Atlantic marketplace; and M&G Realty, a real estate management company. He began working in convenience stores at age 12 for 11 summers and returned to the family business in 1990 in the role of VP of Operations and CFO.

Scott was previously employed by Price Waterhouse as Senior Manager in the Consulting Practice from 1983-1990. Scott received a BBA Accounting Degree from George Washington University and an MBA from Duke University. Scott is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive).

Scott served on the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) Board and Executive Committee from1998 to 2009 and was NACS Chairman from 2005-2006. He has chaired numerous NACS committees including the Technology Committee, Research & Development and Audit Committee. Scott is also past Chairman of the PA Convenience Store Council and past Chairman of the Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association which represents over 6,000 Pennsylvania stores and suppliers. He also has served on many local Boards, including York Memorial Hospital and the American Red Cross.

Scott resides in York, Pennsylvania with his wife, Cathy, and has two children, Sara, a graduate of Boston University, and Christopher, a junior at St. Joseph’s University.

Rodrigo Adolfo Zavala
Retail Market Director – Petrobras Chile Distribuición

Rodrigo,is Master in Bussiness Administration, he studied Economics at the University of Belgrano in Argentina, has wide experience in planning and commercial areas, acquired in different multinational and personally owned companies. He has worked in companies like:

Cervecería y Maltería Quilmes SAICA y G: Financial Analyst in the new projects division. This is the principal beer company in Latin America with offices in Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, Bolivia y Uruguay.

Shell, multinational oil company, there he was Unit Market Manager, he implemented and also took part in the development of new commercial politics. Operaciones Transparentes S.A. Internet start-up company as Operations Director, he designed and implemented commercial and sales strategies.

Currently he works at Petrobras were he started working in 2001. Here he has worked in different areas from refining logistics to retail. As the Retail Market Director of Petrobas Chile, he has defined the strategy and commercialization of services and products in the retail market.

Rodrigo is married to Marianela and has three children, Jeronimo, Constanza, and Benjamin. They live in Santiago, Chile.

Garth Fourie
National Convenience Manager, Woolworths SA

Garth Fourie is the General Manager of Convenience Foods Franchise for Woolworths South Africa. His working career has included spells as an academic lecturing at the University of Cape Town, a photo journalist in the turbulent period prior to South Africa’s first democratic elections, and a number of years working in Switzerland for, Isoelektrodenfabrik, a company supplying welding equipment into the Swiss and international markets. He joined Woolworths South Africa in 1993 where he has been responsible for developing a strategy and various formats for Franchising Woolworths Foods in the South African and broader African markets. The Woolworths Foods Franchise business within the boarders of South Africa now comprises 42 stores and there are 15 across boarder food markets in Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland, Mozambique and Ghana with new markets opening in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda shortly. He has also co-developed and implemented a convenience strategy for Woolworths Foods teaming up with the oil company Engen South Africa to create a ground breaking format for selling Woolworths fresh foods on Engen’s garage forecourts. This innovative ultra convenience network of Woolworths Food Stops now spans 41 sites nationally and is one of the key drivers in introducing new customers to the Woolworths Foods brand. Garth lives in Cape Town where he spends most of his spare time pursuing his life long passion for surfing.

Robert B Stein
President & CEO, KSS Inc

Robert B. Stein, Jr. is the President and CEO of KSS, Ltd. KSS is the global leading provider of pricing software, analytics and consulting services to fuel retailers and wholesalers in the oil & gas, convenience store and retail industries. Bob joined KSS in October 2004 after three years as founder member of KSS’ Advisory Board. Prior to his appointment Bob consulted to the retail and convenience store industries. His experience includes eighteen years at Dairy Mart Convenience Stores, Inc., a 700 store convenience retailing chain based in Cleveland, OH. Bob was Chairman, President and CEO, successfully applying his leadership experience in retail operations, marketing and finance. Bob began his career as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) at Coopers and Lybrand (now PriceWaterhouseCoopers).

Frank Gleeson
Retail Director, Topaz Ireland

Frank Gleeson is Retail Director of Topaz Energy Group Limited. He joined Topaz from Statoil Ireland Limited having previously held the position of Vice President Retail. Frank has spent most of his career to date working in the retail sector, as Operations Director of O’Brien’s Off Licence Group and Group Sales Manager for Xtravision Plc. A graduate of the Irish Management Institute, member of the institute of Directors, Frank is also an International Committee member of the NACS (National Association of Convenience Stores) Global Forums. Frank was responsible for the launch of the Topaz brand in Ireland which re-branded the Statoil and Shell businesses during 2008. Topaz are the No1 Forecourt retailer in Ireland with over 300 service stations.

Ryan Mossman
Vice President/General Manager FuelQuest, Inc.

Ryan Mossman, vice president/and general manager of FuelQuest’s Fuel Services, leverages his years of experience applying technology and business process improvements to help energy, retail, commercial and industrial clients. He leads both of FuelQuest’s outsourced fuel services divisions; Fuel Center, a fuel management service and AMS, an environmental alarm management service. Ryan’s FuelQuest experience includes leading large scale supply chain optimization, technology and business process implementations at large fleet and energy companies including UPS, US Freightways, and Chevron.

Prior to FuelQuest, Ryan was a vice president of Spur Digital and founder of McKinley Powell, an IT consulting and strategic marketing firm for the oil and gas industry with an international client base, as well as a consultant for Accenture. He has been published or quoted in many industry publications including National Petroleum News, Transport Topics, Fleet Owner, Convenience Store Decisions, Aggregates Manager and International World Fleet and has presented at leading conferences such as the Distribution & LTL Carriers Association Management Conference, OPIS Fleet Fueling and NACS. Ryan has an MBA from the University of Texas and an economics degree from Columbia University.

Exhibitors include: