The convergence of operations and technology was nowhere more evident than in the operations track, with the two workshops that kicked off day one of NACStech. Sitting in air-conditioned rooms, out of the muggy heat of New Orleans, attendees first learned about "Automated Enterprise Fuel Management" from three knowledgeable experts: Rich Lisauskas, president and CEO of Axxis; Bill Meek, comptroller of Martin Eagle Oil Company; and Ian Thompson, global vice president of professional services at KSS.

Meek began the session by sharing how Martin Eagle teamed up with Axxis, saving hours of labor, by moving to an automated price gathering solution. With data for pricing coming from all corners, general volatility in the marketplace and the overall direction of the market to consider, automating and normalizing the pricing process is key.

Following Meek??s presentation, Thompson shared his own advice for how to automate the fuel pricing process:

• State a fuel strategy.
• Define site or product targets and tactics.
• Implement an exception driven pricing process.
• Alerts to inspect the process.
• Business Intelligence to measure the process.
• Revisit strategy based on analysis.

Later in the afternoon, during the "Mastering Energy Consumption" workshop, Mike Lawshe, president of Paragon Solutions, and John Wallace, director of product management at Emerson Climate Technologies, talked about the ease of implementing cost-saving green technologies in convenience stores.

Lawshe tackled the big picture surrounding energy savings by debunking the myths surrounding the difficulty and cost of becoming a sustainable business. He also stressed the numerous programs that exist in each state, city and county that can actually give you money to "go green." Visit dsireusa.org for more information.

After sharing a case study of one store that took tremendous strides to be more sustainable, Lawshe shared 50 tips for going green, most with a three year or less payback. (Tips included low-flow toilets, an energy management system and perimeter lighting.) After all, he said, for many retailers, it??s really about saving money and not just the planet.

Wallace from Emerson concluded the session with a more in-depth look at energy management systems, with an emphasis on understanding what drives energy use and acknowledging its demands on your organization. Once you reach that understanding, installing an energy management system to centralize and streamline the energy systems in your store can save you lots of money.

Look for more coverage of NACStech in this week??s NACS Daily and the upcoming special issue of Convenience Store News, specifically focusing on NACStech.

NACStech continues May 6 and 7 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. For up-to-the-minute information about NACStech, download the mobile app and visit nacstech.com.