PCATS Annual Conference Brings Focus on Standards and Technology

Keynote from IBM’s Chief Technologist and Hall of Fame Awards highlight first day.

April 29, 2014

TUCSON, Ariz. – This year’s PCATS conference — the convenience and fuel retailing industry’s only event focusing on new technologies and technology standards to improve business processes, reduce costs and increase productivity — was off to a strong start in Tucson on Monday.

Keynote speaker Vish Ganapathy, director and chief technologist for IBM’s Global Retail practice, shared his perspectives on the future of retail technology across all retail channels. With more than 23 years of experience with QSRs, grocery chains, big-box retailers and large department stores, both in the United States and internationally, Ganapathy brought a different perspective on the convenience store technology environment, particularly as technology continues to change how consumers shop. “The whole concept of using technology to shop and using technology to understand what customers are doing is front and center to innovation,” he said.

Following the keynote address, attendees participated in highly interactive educational sessions addressing essential industry topics such as “Cloud Computing: Where the Rubber Meets the Road,” presented by AT&T; “The Future of Payments” and “Retail Business Requirements.”

The day ended with the PCATS/Technology Hall of Fame Awards, honoring three new inductees: Jenny Bullard, CIO of Waycross, Ga.-based Flash Foods; Loring Perez, president of Columbus, Ga.-based Chattahoochee Oil Company; and Henry Armour, president and CEO of NACS. PCATS Vice Chair Margaret Atkins, business analyst for Pilot Flying J, introduced Bullard, praising her leadership and mentorship within the industry. Upon induction, Bullard spoke of how humbled she is to see how far the association has come since her first meeting, praising her peers who share the industry's vision for technology innovation. Perez was introduced by NACS Vice President of Member Services Michael Davis, who praised his consistent work on the industry's behalf, particularly during the early development of PCATS, bringing clarity and attention to the importance of advancing technology standards. Hall of Fame member Bob Johnston of Pinnacle introduced Armour, noting how his persistence and devotion to advancing the goals of the industry's early technology standards work is paramount to its successes today.

The conference continues through Thursday, with numerous education sessions and networking events for attendees. 

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