Tag Archives: Rahim Budhwani

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2017 NACS/Nielsen Convenience Industry Store Count: 154,535 stores in U.S. as of December 31, 2016; 0.2% increase vs. last year

​ALEXANDRIA, VA, 2017-Feb-03 — /EPR Retail News/ — The U.S. convenience store count increased to a record 154,535 stores as of December 31, 2016, a 0.2% increase (340 stores) from the year prior, according to the 2017 NACS/Nielsen Convenience Industry Store Count.

The industry store count has increased by 63% over the last three decades. At year-end 1986, the convenience store count was 95,000 stores, at year-end 1996 the store count was 104,600 stores and at year-end 2006 the store count was 145,119 stores. Over that time frame, there have only been five times when the store count did not set a record; the latest being year-end 2008 and 2009 during the Great Recession.

“Nielsen data shows that the U.S. convenience store channel continues to be an industry of opportunity, said Rob Hill, EVP of retail services at Nielsen.  “The current consumer climate has created favorable conditions for c-store sales growth, contributing to a positive, long-term outlook. Nielsen understands the importance of the Convenience channel and is committed to accurately track Convenience store growth for our partners and clients, both chains and independent stores.”

Within the retail universe that Nielsen tracks, convenience stores account for more than one third (34.1%) of all outlets in the United States. In fact, the convenience store count alone is 25% higher than the combined store counts of superettes, supermarket and supercenters (51,191 stores), drug stores (43,636 stores) and dollar stores (28,832 stores).

Overall, 80.1% of convenience stores (123,807) sell motor fuels, a decrease of 0.6% (or 567 stores) from 2016, with the single-store motor fuel segment dropping by 604 stores. “This decline could be something to watch: It’s likely that some stores have stopped selling gas for reasons such as the cost of PCI compliance, competition from QSRs, as well as industry consolidation,” said Bob Swanson, director of research and statistics for NACS.

The convenience retailing industry continues to be dominated by single-store operators, which account for 63.1% of all convenience stores (97,504 stores total) and 42.6% of store growth in 2016. A small operator himself, NACS 2016-17 Chairman Rahim Budhwani, CEO of Hoover, Alabama-based 6040 LLC, stated, “Our continued annual growth in store count shows that our industry’s core offer of convenience strongly resonates with time-starved customers, while our channel continues to innovate with new formats and offers to stay relevant and vibrant.”

Among the states, Texas continues to lead in store count with 15,671 stores—or more than one in 10 stores in the country. The rest of the top 10 states for convenience stores are California (11,774), Florida (9,930), New York (8,570), Georgia (6,761), North Carolina (6,306), Ohio (5,635), Michigan (4,833), Pennsylvania (4,787), and Illinois (4,737). As overall growth in the channel was fairly small during 2016, 23 states experienced declines in total store count from the prior year.

The bottom three states in terms of store count are Alaska (217 stores), Delaware (348), and Wyoming (354).

Founded in 1961 as the National Association of Convenience Stores, NACS (nacsonline.com) is the international association for convenience and fuel retailing. The U.S. convenience store industry, with more than 154,000 stores across the country, conducts 160 million transactions a day, sells 80% of the fuel purchased in the country and had total sales of $575 billion in 2015. NACS has 2,100 retail and 1,700 supplier member companies, which do business in nearly 50 countries.

Source: NACS

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The 2016 NACS Show gathered 23,301 attendees; breaking its Atlanta record

ALEXANDRIA, 2016-Nov-05 — /EPR Retail News/ — The 2016 NACS Show attracted 23,301 overall attendees, marking the third consecutive year the convenience and fuel retailing industry’s preeminent event has topped more than 23,000 attendees. The NACS Show attracted 8,228 buyers (classified as retailers and convenience distributors, which includes Petroleum Equipment Institute (PEI) registration).

The last time the NACS Show took place in Atlanta was 2013, when overall attendance reached 22,236 and buyer registration was 7,784. Although this year’s attendee numbers are not the highest in NACS Show history, they are a record for when the event takes place in Atlanta. The NACS Show rotates between three host cities: Atlanta, Chicago and Las Vegas.

“Each year at the NACS Show we come together to strengthen our industry, and the strong numbers only tell part of the story of this year’s success. Great energy and insightful ideas were also found throughout the NACS Show—from standing-room-only general sessions to lively discussions during education sessions and networking events, to the buzz generated at the expo,” said NACS 2016-17 Chairman of Rahim Budhwani, CEO of 6040 LLC, which operates convenience stores, including the Encore brand, in Alabama.

Showcasing the event’s importance to the success of the global convenience and fuel retailing community, the 2016 NACS Show attracted 2,134 international attendees representing 67 countries.

The NACS Show expo was its second-largest expo ever at 408,500 square feet, and featured a total of 1,227 exhibitors. Now in its second year, the New Exhibitor Area featured 193 companies new to the NACS Show.

Technology Edge at the NACS Show, in its third year, set a record with more than 750 industry technology professionals participating in the program’s specialized education sessions on topics ranging from EMV to skimming and data security, as well as the Technology Edge Solutions Center. Technology Edge partners with Conexxus, the industry’s standards and technology organization.

Extending the value of the expo, the popular Cool New Products Preview Room showcased 334 products and services new to the convenience store industry. Visitors to the Preview Room used handheld scanners to capture product and booth information of the exhibitors they were interested in, producing nearly 28,000 total product scans.

The NACS Show featured four days of general sessions headlined by leadership experts and the popular NACS Ideas 2 Go program, a fast-paced video program of emerging concepts that redefine convenience. This was the first year that the event featured four days of general sessions. The Ideas 2 Go video is available for purchase online at nacsonline/ideas2go2016.

Attendees could choose from 60 education sessions on relevant industry topics such as foodservice, leadership development, marketing, technology and fuels. The sessions drew a total of 12,123 attendees. Reflecting the growing international opportunities offered at the NACS Show, the general sessions were translated into Portuguese, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, and select education sessions were translated into Portuguese and Spanish.

At the conclusion of the NACS Show, 114,412 pounds of leftover product from exhibitors was donated to the Atlanta Community Food Bank, which provides meals to local residents in need, and will help provide 76,275 meals for greater metro area residents of Atlanta.

The 2017 NACS Show will take place October 17–20 in Chicago at McCormick Place. Highlights from the 2016 NACS Show and information on next year’s event can be found at nacsshow.com. NACS has a complete listing of 2017 events posted at nacsonline.com/calendar.

NACS has held an annual meeting every year since its founding in 1961, but it wasn’t until 1976 that the meeting included a full-scale expo, which was part of the meeting every two or three years. The annual meeting became the annual NACS Show in 1993. The Petroleum Marketers Association of America (PMAA) has held its Fall Meeting as part of the NACS Show since in 1995 and PEI has held its annual meeting as part of the NACS Show since in 2002.

Founded in 1961 as the National Association of Convenience Stores, NACS (nacsonline.com) is the international association for convenience and fuel retailing. The U.S. convenience store industry, with more than 154,000 stores across the country, conducts 160 million transactions a day, sells 80% of the fuel purchased in the country and had total sales of $575 billion in 2015. NACS has 2,100 retail and 1,700 supplier member companies, which do business in nearly 50 countries.

Source: NACS

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NACS elects its 2016–17 Executive Committee; Rahim Budhwani named new chairman

ATLANTA, 2016-Oct-25 — /EPR Retail News/ — The National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) announced the election of its 2016–17 Executive Committee during its Board of Directors meeting at the NACS Show in Atlanta.

Rahim Budhwani, CEO at Hoover, Alabama-based 6040 LLC, was named the association’s chairman; he also chairs the NACS Executive Committee, which provides strategic direction and financial oversight to the association.

Also named to the NACS Executive Committee were the following NACS retail members:

  • Vice Chairman-Treasurer: Joe Sheetz, President and CEO of Altoona, Pennsylvania-based Sheetz Inc.
  • Vice Chairman, Legislative: Julie Jackowski, Senior Vice President and Corporate General Counsel and Secretary of Ankeny, Iowa-based Casey’s General Stores Inc.
  • Vice Chairman, Convention: Wendy Chronister, CEO of Springfield, Illinois-based Chronister Oil Company (Qik-n-EZ)
  • Vice Chairman, Research: Kevin Smartt, CEO of Austin, Texas-based Kwik Chek Food Stores Inc.
  • Vice Chairman, Member Services: Jared Scheeler, Managing Director of Dickinson, North Dakota-based The Hub Convenience Stores Inc.
  • Vice Chairman, International: Frank Gleeson, Region Managing Director and COO of Dublin, Ireland-based Aramark Ireland
  • Vice Chairman: Ari Haseotes, CEO of Framingham, Massachusetts-based Cumberland Farms Inc.

Also on the NACS Executive Committee are:

  • 2015-16 NACS Chairman Jack Kofdarali, President of Corona, California-based J&T Management Inc.
  • 2014-15 NACS Chairman Steve Loehr, Vice President, Operations Support of La Crosse, Wisconsin-based Kwik Trip Inc.

Here are biographies of the NACS Executive Committee members:

Rahim Budhwani: 2016-17 NACS Chairman
Budhwani is president and CEO of 6040 LLC. He served on the Board of Directors of the Petroleum and Convenience Marketers of Alabama and on the NACS/Coca-Cola Retailing Research Council. He serves on the Board the Alabama Underground Trust Fund and also played a vital role in building the relationship between the National Alliance of Trade Associations and NACS.

Budhwani earned a B.S. in information technology from the University of Pune and a degree in hotel management and food technology. He is currently working on a degree in aviation business administration and was also a lieutenant in the Civil Air Patrol, an auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force. Budhwani and his wife, Kulsum, live in Hoover, Alabama, with their two children.

Joe Sheetz: Vice Chairman, Treasurer

Sheetz is president and CEO of Altoona, Pennsylvania-based Sheetz Inc. Prior to assuming these roles in October 2013, he served as executive vice president of finance for 18 years.

In that capacity he was responsible for finance, accounting, information technology, real estate, risk management and shareholder relations.

Sheetz graduated from The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania with a B.S. in economics in 1989. His business concentration at Wharton was entrepreneurial management, preparing him for an eventual return to the family business. After graduation, he worked as an employee benefits consultant for CGI Consulting in the suburban Philadelphia area, specializing in designing benefit and retirement plans for major corporations.

Sheetz currently serves on the Altoona Blair County Development Corporation where he was chairman from 2009–2011. He is also former Chairman and a current trustee of Mount Aloysius College.

Kevin Smartt, Vice Chairman, Research
Smartt is the CEO of Kwik Chek Food Stores Inc. As the vice chairman of research, he oversees the NACS Research Committee, which directs the association’s research and development initiatives and programs to promote the ongoing competitive viability of the channel.

Smartt and his business partner, Doyce Taylor, acquired Kwik Chek from its founder in 2001, and have expanded the business significantly in the years since. In addition to his role as CEO, he owns and operates a wholesale fuel distribution company that sells to Kwik Chek stores and more than 100 conveniences stores in Texas and Oklahoma. He is currently leading his team in a company-wide re-branding program, including developing the Kwik Café, offering fresh and healthy made-to-order food in a restaurant within the store.

Smartt is a current member of the Texas Food & Fuel Association (TFFA) and the Oklahoma Petroleum and Convenience Store Association (OPMCA). He also serves on the Conexxus Board of Directors as its current chairman, and since 2006, has served on the Board of Directors for the First National Bank of Trenton.

Wendy Chronister: Vice Chairman, Convention
Chronister is the CEO of Chronister Oil Company dba Qik-n-EZ. As the NACS vice chairman of convention, Chronister oversees the activities of the Convention Committee, which oversees the development and implementation of NACS events, including the NACS Show.

She has been CEO of Chronister Oil Co. since 2009. Previously, she was a partner at Waud Capital Partners LLC and at Kirkland and Ellis. Chronister is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and Young President’s Organization/Chicago Chapter. She previously served on the boards of Regency Hospital Company, ASG Security LLC, Acadia Healthcare LLC, Maxum Petroleum (f/k/a SPI Holdings LLC) and was chairman of True Partners Consulting LLC. She also serves on the board of the Joffrey Ballet Company of Chicago, the Board of Trustees of the University of Chicago Cancer Research Foundation, the Women’s Board of the Field Museum of Chicago, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Chicago. She graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College in 1987, earning an AB in government. In 1992, she graduated magna cum laude from the University of Illinois College of Law in Champaign, Illinois.

Julie Jackowski: Vice Chairman, Legislative

Jackowski joined Casey’s in 1994 as legal counsel. She was promoted to vice president of human resources/legal counsel in 2003, In 2010, she was promoted to senior vice president, corporate general counsel and human resources. In August of 2015, her area of focus changed to her current position of SVP-Corporate General Counsel and Secretary where she concentrates primarily on legal risk and compliance.

Before joining Casey’s, Jackowski was an attorney for Shearer, Templer, Pingel &Kaplan. She has been active in a number of organizations including the Association of Corporate Counsel (Iowa Chapter), Iowa State Bar Association past chair of the Corporate Counsel Section), Drake University Law School Board of Counselors and Delta Theta Phi International Law Fraternity, for which she served four years at its president. She is also on the executive board of the non-profit Wildwood Hills Ranch of Iowa and the president of the Affiliated House Corporation of Gama Phi Beta at Iowa State University.

Jackowski earned a J.D. from Drake University Law School and a BA in political science from Iowa State University.

Vice Chairman, Member Services: Jared Scheeler
Scheeler began his career in the convenience industry in 1998 while attending college. He held multiple roles with the Minneapolis-based Bobby & Steve’s Auto World, most recently as director of convenience store operations for the 8-store chain. In 2014, Scheeler founded The Hub Convenience Stores in southwest North Dakota.

During his industry career, Scheeler has been an active partner with the Minnesota Service Station Association as well as the ND Petroleum Marketers Association on state level industry and political affairs. In 2008, Scheeler was named to the Philip Morris USA Retail Sales Associate Council. In 2013 National Petroleum News named him National Legislative Leader of the Year. Scheeler hosted one of the first NACS In Store events with U.S. Representative Kevin Cramer. He also testified on behalf of NACS before the House Small Business Committee in Washington, D.C., regarding EMV compliance. In 2015, The Hub won the North Dakota Division of Vocational Rehab Regional Employer of the Year under Scheelers leadership.

Scheeler attended the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities where he studied business and psychology. He coaches high school basketball and is an avid volunteer for Dickinson Catholic Schools, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and Special Olympics.

Frank Gleeson: Vice Chairman, International
Gleeson is the managing director and COO of Aramark Northern Europe. As the NACS vice chairman of international, Gleeson chairs the International Committee and directs the association’s global engagement.

Aramark Northern Europe has more than 15,000 employees across 2,500 locations. Its world-class experience and expertise in workplace solutions, foodservice, convenience retailing, environmental services and property enables it to provide a fully integrated solution to Irish, UK and EMEA companies.

Gleeson began his career in retail as an operations director for O’Brien’s Fine Wines. He later served as vice president of retail for Statoil Ireland. More recently he was retail director for Topaz Energy Group since 2005, where he led the rebranding of the company in 2008 and was responsible for the retail business of more than 340 sites.

Gleeson is a board member of employers group IBEC and chairman of its energy policy committee, a board member of the Irish National Transport Authority, board member and former chairman of Retail Ireland. He is a member of the Irish Directors Institute, and a member of the Irish government’s Labour market council. He graduated in business management from the Irish Management Institute.

Ari Haseotes: Vice Chairman

Haseotes began his career with Cumberland Farms in the Marketing Department in 2003. In 2005, he was appointed to the position of Vice President of Strategic Planning and Business Development within the company’s finance department. In 2007, he was later promoted to Vice President of Marketing and served in that position until his promotion to President and Chief Operating Officer on October 1, 2008. Effective September 1, 2013, he was promoted to President and Group Chief Operating Officer of the Cumberland Gulf Group of Companies.

On July 1, 2014, Haseotes was named Chief Executive Officer of the Cumberland Gulf Group; he is also a member of the Board of Directors.

Haseotes holds a B.S. in Business Management from Boston College and an MBA from Harvard University. Haseotes and his wife, Ashley, are the founders of One Mission, a childhood cancer foundation dedicated to enhancing the lives of pediatric cancer patients and their families. One Mission is a registered 501(c)(3) foundation that provides help, hope, care, and support to children and their families touched by pediatric cancer. One Mission funds patient and family support services, cutting-edge cancer research, and programs and services that help children and their families.

The NACS Show is the premier event of the year for the convenience and fuel retailing industry. More than 20,000 attendees from 60-plus countries are at the 2016 NACS Show in Atlanta, which features four days of general sessions, more than 60 education sessions and more than 1,200 exhibiting companies in a nearly 410,000 net-square-foot expo. For the most up-to-date news and information on the event, go to nacsshow.com.

Founded in 1961 as the National Association of Convenience Stores, NACS (nacsonline.com) is the international association for convenience and fuel retailing. The U.S. convenience store industry, with more than 154,000 stores across the country, conducts 160 million transactions a day, sells 80% of the fuel purchased in the country and had total sales of $575 billion in 2015. NACS has 2,100 retail and 1,700 supplier member companies, which do business in nearly 50 countries.

SOURCE: NACS

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The National Association of Convenience Stores announced the election of its 2014-15 Executive Committee at the NACS Show in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS, 2014-10-13— /EPR Retail News/ — The National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) announced the election of its 2014-15 Executive Committee during its Board of Directors meeting at the NACS Show in Las Vegas.

Steve Loehr, vice president of operations support at La Crosse, Wisconsin-based Kwik Trip, was named the association’s 2014-15 chairman. Loehr also chairs the NACS Executive Committee, which provides strategic direction and financial oversight to the association.

Also named to the NACS Executive Committee were the following NACS retail members:
•      Vice Chairman-Treasurer: Jack Kofdarali, president at Corona, California-based J&T Management Inc.;
•      Vice Chairman, Legislative: Peter Tedeschi, president and CEO at Rockland, Massachusetts-based Tedeschi Food Shops;
•      Vice Chairman, Convention: Wendy Chronister, CEO of Chronister Oil Company (Qik-n-EZ)
•      Vice Chairman, Research: Joe Sheetz, president and CEO at Altoona, Pennsylvania-based Sheetz Inc.;
•      Vice Chairman, Member Services: Rahim Budhwani, CEO at Hoover, Alabama-based 6040 LLC;
•      Vice Chairman, International: Frank Gleeson, retail director at Dublin, Ireland-based Topaz Energy Group Limited; and
•      Vice Chairman: Tony Kenney, president, at Enon, Ohio-based Speedway LLC

Also on the NACS Executive Committee are 2013-14 NACS Chairman Brad Call, vice president of adventure culture at Maverik (North Salt Lake City, Utah); and 2012-13 Chairman Dave Carpenter, president and CEO at J.D. Carpenter Companies Inc. (Urbandale, Iowa).

Here are biographies of the newly elected NACS Executive Committee members:

Steve Loehr: 2014-15 NACS Chairman
Loehr is vice president of operations support for Kwik Trip Inc., which operates more than 400 Kwik Trip and Kwik Star convenience stores throughout three states.

A fourth-generation, family-owned business, Kwik Trip opened its first store in 1965 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. In addition to its corporate Support Center, which handles the administrative needs of stores, the company owns a bakery, commissary, dairy, distribution warehouse and vehicle maintenance divisions.

Prior to joining Kwik Trip 24 year ago, Loehr owned and operated a supermarket in the 1980s and worked for Gateway Foods of Pennsylvania, serving four years as its president. He is active in a number of industry groups, serving on the boards of the Wisconsin Petroleum Marketers & Convenience Store Association and Wisconsin Grocers Association, and is a member of SIGMA. He also is a board member of Merchants Bank, Martin Luther College, Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance and Western Technical College.

Loehr earned a B.S. in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He and his wife Cheryl have four children.

Jack Kofdarali, Vice Chairman-Treasurer
Kofdarali is president of J&T Management Inc. As the vice chairman-treasurer, he is responsible for overseeing the association’s financial plan. He has most recently served as NACS vice chairman of convention.

Born in Beirut, Lebanon, Kofdarali came to United State in 1980. He and his family purchased their first business, a liquor store in Newport Beach, California. In 1990, they purchased their first gas station in Calimesa, California. In 2000, he became sole owner of the J&R Oil Company.

Kofdarali expanded J&R Oil Company to J&T Management as the business grew and interests diversified. J&T Management also specializes in building commercial retail centers throughout Southern California as well as owning and managing apartment units in Texas.

Kofdarali and his wife Taline have three children.

Peter Tedeschi: Vice Chairman, Legislative

Tedeschi is president and CEO of Tedeschi Food Shops. As the vice chairman of legislative, he oversees the NACS Legislative Committee and the efforts of NACSPAC, the convenience store industry’s political action committee.

He is part of the third generation of the family-owned business that began in 1923 when his grandfather, Angelo Tedeschi, started selling imported Italian meats and cheeses from his home.

Prior to joining Tedeschi Food Shops as its president and COO in 2008, Tedeschi was an entrepreneurial pioneer in the computer industry before becoming an executive in Boston’s financial industry, where he was senior vice president and director of operations for Putnam Investments.

Tedeschi attended Thayer Academy and graduated as the president of his senior class from Stonehill College with a degree in political science. He and his wife Katherine have twin sons.

Wendy Chronister: Vice Chairman, Convention
Chronister is the CEO of Chronister Oil Company dba Qik-n-EZ. As the NACS vice chairman of convention, Chronister oversees the activities of the Convention Committee, which oversees the development and implementation of NACS events, including the NACS Show.

She has been CEO of Chronister Oil Co. since 2009. Previously, she was a partner at Waud Capital Partners LLC and at Kirkland and Ellis. Chronister is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and Young President’s Organization/Chicago Chapter. She previously served on the boards of Regency Hospital Company, ASG Security LLC, Acadia Healthcare LLC, Maxum Petroleum (f/k/a SPI Holdings LLC) and was chairman of True Partners Consulting LLC. She also serves on the board of the Joffrey Ballet Company of Chicago, the Board of Trustees of the University of Chicago Cancer Research Foundation, the Women’s Board of the Field Museum of Chicago, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Chicago.

Chronister graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College in 1987, earning an A.B. in government. In 1992, she graduated magna cum laude from the University of Illinois College of Law in Champaign, Illinois.

Joe Sheetz: Vice Chairman, Research

Sheetz is president and CEO of Sheetz Inc. As the vice chairman of research, he oversees the NACS Research Committee, which directs the association’s research and development initiatives and programs to promote the ongoing competitive viability of the channel.

Since 1952, Sheetz Inc. has grown from a small dairy/deli in Altoona, to one of the fastest- growing, family-owned convenience stores in the world. Sheetz joined the company in 1995 as director of personnel and later served as executive vice president of finance and store development before being promoted to his current position in October 2013. He previously was a pension and benefit consultant for Consulting Group Inc. (CGI).

He is the former chairman and current board member of both Altoona Blair Country Development Corporation and Mount Aloysius College, an Advisory Board Member of M&T Bank Corporation, and co-founder and board member of Operation Our Town. He also serves on the NACS Coca-Cola Retailing Research Council.

Sheetz earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He and his wife Wendy reside in Altoona and have two children.

Frank Gleeson: Vice Chairman, International
Gleeson is the managing director of Aramark Ireland. As the NACS vice chairman of international, Gleeson chairs the International Committee and directs the association’s global engagement.

Aramark Ireland has more than 5,000 employees across 985 locations. Its world-class experience and expertise in workplace solutions, foodservice, convenience retailing, environmental services and property enables it to provide a fully integrated solution to Irish and EMEA companies.

He began his career in retail as an operations director for O’Brien’s Fine Wines. He later served as vice president of retail for Statoil Ireland. More recently he was retail director for Topaz Energy Group since 2005, where he led the rebranding of the company in 2008 and was responsible for the retail business of more than 340 sites. Gleeson is chairman of Retail Ireland and a council member of Irish employers group IBEC and also Chairman of IBEC’s energy policy committee. He is a member of the Irish Directors Institute and treasurer of Parnell’s GAA club. He graduated in business management from the Irish Management Institute. He and his wife Marian have four children.

Rahim Budhwani: Vice Chairman, Member Services
Budhwani is president and CEO of 6040 LLC. As the NACS vice chairman of member services, he oversees the association’s Member Services Committee, which sets the strategic direction for NACS with respect to retail membership value.

Budhwani served on the Board of Directors of the Petroleum and Convenience Marketers of Alabama and on the NACS/Coca-Cola Retailing Research Council. He serves on the Board the Alabama Underground Trust Fund and also played a vital role in building the relationship between the National Alliance of Trade Associations and NACS.

He earned a B.S. in information technology from the University of Pune and a degree in hotel management and food technology. He is currently working on a degree in aviation business administration and was also a lieutenant in the Civil Air Patrol, an auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force. Budhwani and his wife Kulsum live in Hoover, Alabama, with their two children.

Tony Kenney: Vice Chairman

Tony Kenney is president of Speedway LLC, which operates approximately 1,470 stores in seven states.

He has 38 years of experience in the convenience retailing and fuels industries. In 2005, he was named president of Speedway. Kenney has held numerous positions within Marathon Oil Corporation’s International and Domestic Exploration and Production Accounting organizations and in MPC’s Supply and Transportation and Business Development organizations. At Speedway, he previously served as commercial manager, controller, treasurer and vice president of finance and ITS.

Kenney is a member of the Board of Trustees for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and serves on the board of directors of the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce and the Dayton Children’s Foundation.

He earned a B.S. in accounting from Miami University and also completed the Executive Program at the University Raymond and John.

NOTE: Photos are available upon request.

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Founded in 1961 as the National Association of Convenience Stores, NACS (nacsonline.com) is the international association for convenience and fuel retailing. The U.S. convenience store industry, with more than 151,000 stores across the country, posted $696 billion in total sales in 2013, of which $491 billion were motor fuels sales. NACS has 2,100 retail and 1,600 supplier member companies, which do business in nearly 50 countries.