ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The NACS State of the Industry Summit (SOI Summit) has released the first names in its stellar lineup of business experts, demographers and top-performing retailers.

Regarded as the authority for data and insights into the convenience channel, the SOI Summit gives retailers access to the newest industry trends, watch-outs and metrics in essential topic areas such as finance, store operations, merchandising and fuel sales. The summit will run April 11–13 at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Chicago.

David Nelson, professor of Economics at Western Washington University and founder and president of Finance & Resource Management Consultants, Inc.,  will discuss "Liftoff – Now What?  An Update on the Economy."

Todd Hale, a Nielsen consultant, will talk about new best practices in the c-store industry as well as any innovations that could crossover into a convenience store.

John Martin, CEO of GenerationsMatter, will tackle what’s coming in convenience retail and what specific action steps retailers should take to achieve greater success in 2020 and beyond in “Transcendent Trends Reshaping the Future of Convenience and Fuel Retailing.”

Kevin Book, co-founder and managing director of ClearView Energy Partners, LLC, will speak on the petroleum markets in the United States and politics with 2016 being a presidential election year.

To learn more about the event, see who’s already planning to attend and to register, click here.