For many veterans, leaving the military means leaving behind a sense of purpose, camaraderie and servant leadership. But for some former service members, those same qualities are being used in convenience store roles. This Veteran’s Day, here’s a look at four veterans who are serving the industry after serving the country.
Camaraderie in Combat and Community Connections: William Domko
William Domko’s shift at the Parkside Urban Value Corner Store in McKinney, Texas, starts like most others—with familiar faces. Residents from the apartments above stop in for an energy drink or a snack and linger to talk about their days. He knows their names, their routines and often their challenges. Some days, he said, it feels less like being a retail employee and more like being a bartender or a barber—someone who listens, remembers and connects.
That openness to getting to know people comes in part from his years in the service.
“A big thing in the Army is that you build those interpersonal connections with your fellow soldiers,” Domko told NACS. “It’s an essential part of the servant-first mentality that ‘the team is greater than I.’”
Leading Zelmo’s Shift Toward Servant Leadership: Terry Hoffman
During his father’s more than 23 years in the Air Force, Terry Hoffman grew up immersed in military life and lived everywhere from Anchorage, Alaska to Tehran. Hoffman enlisted after high school and served one tour as an airman first class supply specialist stationed in the Azores. The military’s focus on discipline, teamwork and meeting strict standards shaped Hoffman’s core values early on and have carried him through 50 years of work, he said.
After his service, Hoffman spent 25 years in retail, including running several of his own businesses. “Everybody had a job to do, but everybody also had to do everybody else’s job, too,” he said. “That’s the whole motto with any kind of military service.”
Skills for Success: Matthew Sterwerf
For 20 years, Matthew Sterwerf served in the Kentucky National Guard, based in Lexington. He began his career in field artillery, but his focus shifted after deploying to Iraq in 2006. Stationed at Camp Taji, his unit provided convoy security for a year—a mission that demanded precision, adaptability and trust among team members.
He retired in 2018 as a chief warrant officer 2. That same year, Sterwerf began a new chapter at CAF Outdoor Cleaning, an industrial cleaning products company that supports convenience stores nationwide.
From ‘Top Gun’ at Sea to AI Technology: Erick Parsons
Erick Parsons enlisted in the military in 2017, originally aiming to become a Navy SEAL. “It kicked my ass a little bit,” he said with a laugh. So after boot camp, he shifted to become an independent public affairs officer—a mass communications specialist who documents Navy operations.
That role brought him a standout assignment during Exercise Northern Edge aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt. “The Navy got paid to shoot ‘Top [Gun: Maverick]’ scenes on an aircraft carrier,” Parsons said. His job was to escort the civilian film crew—actors, plus the hair and makeup teams—around the ship while they shot scenes in Alaska. “For two weeks, it was taking them around the ship, making sure that they had all that they needed, taking them to work out, hanging out with them at dinner and things like that.”
After nearly six years of service, Parsons transitioned to civilian life. During this transition, Mashgin, a company that offers AI-assisted checkout technology, reached out with a client success specialist role.
Read more about each of the veterans in the October 2025 issue of NACS Magazine: “Veterans Are Mission Ready for C-Store Leadership.”