What does NACS political engagement mean to you, and what benefits have you experienced from being politically engaged?

All of us have a hometown, and many of us come from a small hometown. When I engage with NACS’ advocacy efforts, I know I’m carrying the voice for all of our constituents, large and small, across the country. And I know their voices are heard. The NACS Government Relations team does an incredible job keeping pulse on key industry issues and determining which to escalate during our industry’s fly-in, NACS Day on the Hill.

What federal legislative or regulatory issues keep you up at night?

The topic I have followed for 30 years is regulated products. We have incredible accountability to manage regulated products from a few perspectives:

1. Maintaining systems to execute fuel, merchandise, food and labor regulations. This includes purchase or sales tax, age or other purchase restrictions, and/or tracking for those scenarios as we are seeing today, such as cigarette sales.
2. Training and follow-up with our store associates and their ability to enforce regulations.
3. Managing the unwarranted negative press associated with the industry sales of certain regulated products, such as alcohol, cigarettes, e-cigs and CBD-infused products getting into the hands of minors.

What c-store product could you not live without?

Phone power cords. When you live on the road, invariably, you find a need for an extra power cord. So, I whip into a c-store and grab one. I also grab an Arizona tea!