The month, NACS talks with Joe Vonder Haar, CEO of iSee Store Innovations, and his daughter, Melissa Vonder Haar, marketing director at iSee Store Innovations.
What does NACS political engagement mean to you, and what benefits have you experienced from being politically engaged?
JV: As a supplier, there is nothing more important than having empathy for your customer. Active advocacy creates the purest form of empathy, as we are right alongside our retailers fighting for our industry. We literally get to stand in our customers’ shoes. At least that’s my perspective as a longtime friend of NACS and past supplier board chair, who’s attended more NACS Day on the Hill events than I can count. Melissa, 2019 was your very first Day on the Hill event and exposure to that kind of political advocacy. What was your perspective as a first-timer? What does political engagement mean for you?
MV: After years of covering regulatory actions regarding the convenience channel for industry publications, it was invaluable to have a seat in the actual political process. Instead of putting printed words out into the void, I got to see firsthand how powerful a retailer’s voice can be in changing the opinions of senators, congressmen and women and staff when it comes to the most pertinent issues of the day.
What federal legislative or regulatory issues keep you up at night?
JV: There’s certainly no shortage of pressing issues when it comes to the convenience industry. For me, the most pressing would have to be the growing prominence of regulations that pick winners and losers from competing retail channels, including online. What’s keeping you up at night these days, Melissa?
MV: With my work in vape and cannabis, I’d have to agree that’s a troubling trend. It was awesome to see the work we did on preventing a channel-specific vape ban bear fruit, both from NACS President and CEO Henry Armour’s testimony in President Trump’s vaping summit and the new FDA regulations that do not limit sales to one channel over another. There’s still work to be done when it comes to emerging areas like cannabis sales—which recreational states have limited to age-restricted retailers only selling cannabis products—as well as continued pressures on tobacco, vape and alcohol. It’s incredibly frustrating to see a narrative emerging that convenience retailers aren’t reliable at selling age-verified products … especially when the government’s own data suggest the very opposite.
JV: Involvement in advocacy tends to get us all fired up—in a good way! It helps both suppliers and retailers understand the industry challenges and encourages us to work together to act upon them in a way that is best for the industry as a whole. When our retailers win, companies like iSEE benefit.
What c-store product could you not live without?
JV: I don’t think anyone in the industry is surprised by my answer: cold beer, of course! Melissa, what’s yours?
MV: Growing up, our many road trips centered around not just stopping for gas but going into the store. While you were scoping out the cold beer (and probably verifying the Born On dates were in line!), I was developing a taste for Taquitos. They’re still a favorite.