ALEXANDRIA, Va. — One of the most innovative ideas in the convenience store industry—study groups to help make each other better operators—actually came from another industry.

Following on the success of study groups in the auto industry, a group of smart convenience retailers collaborated more than two decades ago to create the first study group. Since then, several of these groups have formed to share best practices, ideas and build camaraderie with the help of Professor David Nelson and his team.

In the Convenience Matters podcast “Share and Compare,” cohosts Jeff Lenard, NACS vice president of strategic industry initiatives, and John Eichberger, Fuels Institute executive director, talk with David Nelson, Ph.D. professor of economics at Western Washington University and founder and CEO of Finance & Resource Management Consultants Inc., about sharing best practices within “study groups” —all while improving bottom lines.

Professor Nelson talks about how retailers can learn from each other—in study groups and during networking opportunities—regardless of their region, size and competition. As a result of industry consolidation, rapidly changing consumer trends and channel blurring, operators need to roll up their sleeves, dig in and sharpen their game by sharing, comparing and being smart.

“We are a people business, and bringing people together to make each other better really exemplifies why we exist and why we are wildly successful,” said Lenard.

A new Convenience Matters podcast will be released every week, focusing on topics related to convenience stores. Episodes of Convenience Matters can be downloaded on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and at www.convenience-matters.com. Since its launch in February 2016, it has been downloaded in more than 70 countries, and total downloads per week have doubled over the past year.