NACS Human Resources Forum

Returning NACS HR Forum host Joanne Loce sets the stage for our time together with an overview of the current landscape and small group discussions to align on expectations and build relationships with fellow HR professionals.

Lori Buss Stillman, VP of Research at NACS, shares insights on the latest economic, consumer, convenience and adjacent channel trends that are influencing the convenience marketplace.

The employment landscape changed dramatically in 2020 and COVID-19 impacted businesses in unprecedented ways – including human resources and labor. In this session, participants will learn critical insights from the just-released NACS Compensation Report, which aimed to answer some of the burning questions about labor in 2020. This annual publication covers in-depth data on the critical metrics of our industry: compensation, benefits, recruitment, and turnover. Participants will gain insight into c-store human resource benchmarks and discover how they can strategically plan with data to improve their business through their most valuable assets: people.

During lunch, please join breakout rooms to re-connect with and meet HR colleagues. Thought-starter questions will be provided as follow-up from the morning sessions.

Partner Travis W. Vance of Fisher & Phillips will review laws that impact the human-capital aspects of the convenience industry, paying special attention to issues surrounding COVID-19 and the pressures it has placed on employers of essential workers. (pre-recorded with live Q&A)

Joe Biden has long-been been allied with the labor movement and his presidency should usher in some changes for our industry. Steve Bernstein, Fisher Phillips, and Jon Taets, NACS government relations director, will share the developments you should watch out for in a Biden administration. (pre-recorded with live Q&A)

Let’s recap what we covered today, share learnings with each other and enjoy structured time to build our networks. Join breakout rooms and share your “superpower”: After considering the challenges you’ve faced over the last year, and how you helped others overcome great challenges, what is your superpower?

Join these content-driven sessions for solutions that can solve your HR problems.

• 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM: Ready Training Online (RTO)
• 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM: Retail Zipline (HQ to store communications)

We review what we learned on Day 1 and set the stage for what’s to come on Day 2.

Bianca LaFountain, Talent Acquisition Manager at GPM Investments, LLC will share how GPM transitioned recruiting to virtual platforms to remove barriers to hiring, implement virtual job fairs and interviewing, and increase candidate flow, conversion rates and speed to hire. (pre-recorded with live Q&A)

Whether you are new to the industry or new to the role, an HR professional in the convenience industry faces unique challenges in a rapidly changing workplace. Michael Raisbeck, Chief People Officer at The Fikes Companies, will discuss how to accelerate your effectiveness and overcome challenges in this interactive session.

Chris Fasick, director of employee relations and engagement programs at Sheetz, will discuss how to engage leaders, implement policies and practices and define metrics to build a strong culture that drives actions and decisions.

During lunch, please join breakout rooms to re-connect with and meet HR colleagues. Enjoy asking each other questions—just like you were at a lunch table together!

A need exists for honest and candid conversations to fully understand race and other diversity dimensions that make an impact on the workforce and marketplace. Stephanie Piimauna, director of inclusion and diversity at Gilead Sciences, will stimulate our minds and exercise our “confidence” muscle for talking about diversity and creating deliberate practices for excellence. Graphic designer, Kelvy Bird, co-founder of the Presencing Institute, will further bring this topic to live as she illustrates the presentation in real time.

The past year has presented many new and unpredicted challenges and opportunities in how we pay and provide benefits to our employees. In this session, Matt Spackman, Senior Vice President of Grow People at Kum & Go, and Ashley Ray, HR Director at Maverik, will share how they have addressed total rewards issues over the last year and how their actions will translate into future practices.

We review what we learned on Day 2 set the stage for this final day together.

In times of great change, retailers need to identify and develop leaders who can meet the current and future needs of their organizations. Among the many challenges faced during the pandemic, Pilot Travel Centers had to adapt its programs to virtual delivery and lean on their commitment to developing leaders in both field and corporate leadership roles. In this session, Ashley Geyer Jones, Sr. Director of Talent at Pilot, and Craig BeVier, Director of Talent Development at Pilot, will share how they have continued to identify future leaders, invest in their development and evolve their programs to build a strong pipeline of leaders at all levels.

Throughout the employee journey, there are critical moments important to establishing the employee experience: these are the Moments that Matter. Leaders who understand which unique moments are important to their employees can make smarter investments with greater impact. Join Bob Huebner, President & Founder of 200Mark Consulting, in this session from the NACS Crack the Code Experience as he and industry experts share their tips to optimize key moments during recruiting, onboarding and developing employees. This session will focus on retaining employees. Attendees will identify tips on keeping employees engaged, identify opportunities to optimize key moments during the employee life cycle, and list potential challenges employers face in retaining employees.

The challenges faced at home and in the workplace throughout the COVID-19 pandemic have put a significant stress on employees. These challenges can have a negative impact on an employee's productivity and the overall morale of an organization. Stress, depression, anxiety and other mental health problems may contribute to an employee's increased absenteeism, lateness, and overall drive to do well and succeed in a company. In this session, we will discuss how to identify mental health conditions in the workplace, describe strategies and the resources to accommodate and support employees’ mental health and wellness and discuss ways to implement mental health-friendly practices.

Attendees will be divided into groups by store size for discussion on topics such as recruitment, training, engagement, employee relations and total rewards. A NACS colleague will be in each breakout to help keep the conversation flowing.

As our economy emerges from the global pandemic, organizations will need to evolve and implement new ways of working to meet the changed workplace landscape. In this session, Mike Bucciero, Vice President, HR Transformation and Business Support with US Foods will reflect on how change has impacted our workplaces over the last year and discuss tips on how to lead yourself and others through change to positively impact your business, influence leaders and support your employees and community.

We will close out our program with a recap of what we covered and reinforce how we can stay connected throughout the year.

Joanne M. Loce, Managing Partner of Fortify Leadership Group and President of Loce Consulting LLC, is an executive coach, consultant and speaker on topics related to strategic human resources, organization and leadership development, culture, change management, and talent management. She brings over 25 years of experience partnering with business leaders to create Human Resources strategy and delivering people related processes that contribute to the bottom line in a variety of industries, including financial services, automotive, pharmaceuticals, consumer products, insurance, chemicals, non-profit, and public agencies and education. Her current coaching and consulting clients include Fortune 500 companies in various industries, state government, and leaders in small to mid-sized firms.

Ms. Loce served as a Program Director for The Conference Board, leading ten industry conferences on talent management, performance management, and the development of emerging leaders. Her most recent corporate role was the Vice President of Talent Management and Organizational Development for Genworth Financial. Ms. Loce was responsible for leading talent management strategies and processes, recruiting, succession planning, and leadership development across global Genworth. Prior to joining Genworth Financial, Ms. Loce worked for Capital One Financial, General Motors, and the Federal Reserve System where she held a variety of roles in which she coached and consulted with senior executive leadership, provided Human Resources strategy and support for her clients, and led enterprise-wide talent management, leadership development, and cross-functional change efforts.

Ms. Loce holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Providence College, a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University, and a Leadership Coaching Certificate from Georgetown University. She resides with her husband and four children in Mechanicsville, Virginia.

Renzo Bassanini is the Executive Director of Field Human Resources for RaceTrac Petroleum, Inc. located in Atlanta, GA., which operates over 500 C-stores in Georgia, Florida, Texas, Louisiana and Tennessee with over 8,000 employees.

He began his convenience store career as a part-time associate in 1999 and has since held positions in Operations and Human Resources as a General Manager, Recruitment & Engagement Specialist, Development Supervisor, Operations Supervisor, Director of Operations, Director of Field HR and, starting in June 2019, the Executive Director of Field Human Resources for RaceTrac. One of Renzo’s passions is to ensure that RaceTrac fosters a culture of “Putting People First” with open, transparent communication and great growth opportunities. Renzo supports the recruitment and training of 9000 people across all RaceTrac operating markets.

Steve Bernstein is the managing partner in the firm's Tampa office, and co-chairs the firm’s Labor Relations practice group.

Steve maintains a traditional labor practice in which he represents employers throughout the United States in both state and federal courts, as well as before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and other state and federal agencies.

In the process, Steve has played a primary role in advising clients on union-related matters. Steve has also acquired a sophisticated level of experience with regard to advising clients on compliance with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), the Family and Medical Leave (FMLA), and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

A significant portion of his practice is devoted to the implementation of preventive employee relations programs that include supervisory training as well as the development and administration of effective human resources policies and practices.

Previously, Steve worked for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and with the Minority Staff of the U.S. Senate Labor Committee.

Craig is the Director of Talent Development and has been with Pilot since 2015. He and his team are responsible for leadership onboarding & development, talent reviews, selection & assessment, engagement surveys, and companywide training & development programs.

Prior to Pilot Craig has worked in similar roles at two fortune 300 companies and served as an Adjunct Associate Professor for 7 years at the University of Richmond where he taught both undergraduate and graduate Industrial and Organizational Psychology courses.

He earned his M.S. in Industrial Management, and a Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Clemson University.

Kelvy Bird is an artist and internationally recognized “scribe”, translating content and dynamics into visual, tangible formats to aid with reflection and decision-making. She has worked in the fields of human and organizational development since 1995, with a focus on innovation, collective intelligence, and systems thinking. As a co-founder of the Presencing Institute, Kelvy has been core to the development of numerous online-offline offerings; this includes the MIT edX course u.lab: Leading From the Emerging Future and most recently GAIA Journey, a COVID-19 response and inquiry into civilizational renewal. In 2016, she co-edited the anthology: Drawn Together through Visual Practice, and in 2018 released Generative Scribing: A Social Art of the 21st Century. Kelvy steadily delivers workshops and online learning opportunities to cultivate next generation scribes. She received a BFA and BA from Cornell University, and currently lives in Somerville, MA USA.

Mike Bucciero is an adaptive strategic leader, with over 25 years of experience at several Fortune 500 companies. As the VP HR, Commercial and Support Services at US Foods, he leads an organization charged with supporting the Commercial organization comprised of Merchandising, Marketing, Local Sales, and National Sales as well as providing HR Operations for the enterprise. He oversees all aspects of HR Shared Services, HRIS, Payroll, and Reporting, while leading business partner support for over 4,000 employees.

In prior roles with US Foods, he led HR integration efforts, supported multiple corporate C-Suite leaders and their organizations, implemented HR Shared Services, and oversaw the creation of the HR Program Management Office. Before joining US Foods, he held positions at Abbott Laboratories, Lincoln Financial Group, Capital One and Applied Industrial Technologies. His experience spans a variety of industries and disciplines, including program and portfolio management, technology and systems, mergers and acquisitions, and all aspects of HR business partnership. He holds an MBA from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Bachelor of Arts in Managerial Economics from Hampden-Sydney College.

Joni N. Dolce, MS, CRC is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions at Rutgers School of Health Professions, where she provides training and technical assistance in the area of employment and career services. She has authored and co-authored several articles and workbooks on employment, including lead author on an article specifically addressing Human Resources Professionals' views on hiring and employing individuals with mental health conditions. Joni presents and provides workshops, trainings, and webinars locally and nationally on a variety of employment related topics. She is principal investigator on a research study examining hiring managers’ perspectives regarding mental health in the workplace. During the last several months, Joni has co-authored a peer reviewed article on Covid-19 related workforce challenges for behavioral healthcare providers as well as co-creating materials and presentations to address staff wellness and mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic. Joni enjoys spending time with her family and tries to practice yoga whenever she has the opportunity.

Kevin Engle is the Director of People Processes for Maverik. His responsibilities include talent acquisition, learning and development and training.

Kevin has spent the majority of his career in the food service and retail industries, his focus is always on people, training, and development. Prior to joining the Maverik team, Kevin spent many years in casual dining creating world class training experiences for new managers.

Kevin has a Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Southern New Hampshire University.

Kevin lives in North Salt Lake, UT with his wife Michelle and three boys ages 20, 14 and 8. While not at work you will likely find Kevin in the mountains camping or riding all-terrain vehicles exploring.

Chris Fasick is the Director of Employee Relations and Engagement Programs for Sheetz, Inc. in Altoona, PA where he provides support and guidance to managers and employees across the company’s network of 600+ convenience stores and close to 20,000 employees in the Mid-Atlantic US. Chris is also very involved in providing support to 2 distribution centers, various corporate support departments and manages the HR Team(s) that are responsible for Employee Recognition and Events and Employee Feedback/Surveys.

Chris has over 30+ years in the Human Resource sector with nearly 20 years at Sheetz, Inc. Prior to working at Sheetz, he worked for 10+ years in the for-profit hospital sector in the Senior HR/Employee Relations role.

Chris is a proud alumnus of Penn State University, holding a degree in Health Policy Administration, and has been a life-long resident of Altoona, PA, where he currently resides with his wife and two sons – and their golden retriever, Barkley.

Julie Givens is the Client Success Manager at Ready Training Online (RTO). Julie has a passion for helping others and developing positive relationships, which is exactly what the client success team strives to do each and every day. Julie has a strong background in customer service and prides herself in representing the voice of the client, gathering honest feedback, and helping clients define their training goals.

With Julie’s leadership, RTO’s client success team is critical to ensuring that RTO exceeds expectations throughout the setup, implementation, and administration of each client’s custom training program. As Client Success Manager, Julie guides her team to live up to a high standard of customer service. She and her team seek to learn from clients just as much as they learn from RTO, and they tirelessly explore ways to improve the customer experience. RTO’s client success team is committed to listening to clients and creating training that improves employee performance and increases staff retention. /p>

Jayme Gough is a Market Research Manager for the NACS Research Department. She joined NACS in June of 2017 after having worked for the Alexandria City Public Schools for several years. In addition to administering the NACS State of the Industry Compensation survey and analyzing data for the annual Compensation Report, she manages the NACS category definitions and assists with the State of the Industry enterprise and consumer insights portfolio. Jayme holds a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from Bates College and is a certified project manager.

Bob created 200Mark Consulting to help organizations ranging from 1-200 people to build the strong foundation needed to navigate the transition from entrepreneurial start-up to mid-size. Bob’s 20+ years of experience in operations management, training and organization development with organizations spanning a wide spectrum of industries. While Bob keeps an eye out for developing trends, he avoids passing fads in favor of things that actually produce results.

Bob helps others to build the skills needed to lead, manage, influence, decide, plan, collaborate, build and serve. He has been involved in operations start-up planning and implementation for organizations ranging from partnerships to Fortune 500 companies, domestic and global. He has managed the learning functions in the private for-profit, not-for-profit and public sectors. He facilitates sessions, in-person and virtually, ranging from organizational strategic planning to team/individual effectiveness with work teams sized from 3 to hundreds. Bob loves the convenience industry and is a repeat speaker with NACS at the past 4 NACS Shows and the recent HR Forum.

Bob holds a Bachelors of Business Administration and a Masters of Business Administration along with other professional certifications. He is currently on the Boards of Directors of Junior Achievement – Central Virginia and the Association for Talent Development – Richmond Chapter. He shares his free time by helping young people to build their knowledge of economics and finance.

Ashley Geyer Jones serves The Pilot Company as Senior Director of Talent, where she Talent Acquisition and Talent Management., as well as inclusion and diversity strategy, Pilot’s college rotational program, and change initiatives. Previously, she worked at Red Ventures, a multi-billion dollar global marketing technology platform, where she served for 11 years, most recently as Vice President of Human Capital. There she developed comprehensive data-driven business strategies, scaled and developed cross-functional teams, and lead human capital and learning and development initiatives. Ashley holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from The College of William & Mary and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Richmond.

Jeff Kahler is the Founding Principal at Ready Training Online (RTO). Jeff began his career in the restaurant industry at age 15, and by the time he was 18 he had partnered in a pizza shop that grew into a multi-unit operation. As an owner, Jeff recognized that the operation’s success depended on its people. This led him to create a consistent and cost-effective training system that improved teamwork, efficiency, and customer service while also increasing staff morale and retention. Over time, this venture evolved into what is now RTO.

RTO offers a complete training solution with a full library of training courses, including a comprehensive series developed specifically for convenience stores. Courses can be delivered through RTO’s proprietary learning management system, trainingGrid™, which allows managers to easily assign, track, and monitor training. RTO’s in-house production studio, MotionGlass, includes a convenience store set that provides the background for real-world convenience store training scenarios. Jeff is also the host of the Culture of Convenience podcast, a collaborative discussion between business leaders dedicated to sharing solutions to common business problems. As an active member of the community, Jeff contributes his expertise to local organizations and mentors and encourages the youth – our employees and employers of the future.

Bianca has been in the talent acquisition industry for eight years. Currently she is the Talent Acquisition Manager for one of the fastest growing C-store brands in the country. She is passionate about filling roles with the right person while ensuring a positive candidate experience.

As the Vice President of People at Maverik, Kim Lazerus leads the way for Maverik’s Titanium Rule (treating others better than they expect to be treated) and the Leadership Principles. She lives and breathes the company culture as a role model for her team, which includes talent acquisition, L&D, training, culture, employee engagement, employer branding, people‐related crisis management, and general HR functions.

A retail veteran with a lifetime of experiences under her belt, Kim has championed people development in her past roles, such as opening the Salt Lake market with the new Super Target store concept, and as the Territory HR Director for Best Buy. Her experience is evident in the way she plans recruitment strategies, builds relationships between formerly contentious departments, and navigates conflict like an expert hostage negotiator.

Kim has a BS in Marketing from Arizona State University, and an MA with an emphasis in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix. She lives in Bountiful, Utah with her husband Jeff and her stepson Nicholas. In her free time, Kim enjoys four‐wheeling, camping, and myriad other outings that require a short break at Adventure’s First Stop.

Taets represents NACS before Congress and the administration on issues such as labor issues, taxes, health care, and internet gaming. He joined NACS in March of 2014 after spending over a decade on Capitol Hill. Prior to working for NACS, he worked in the offices of Representatives Leonard Lance and Vito Fossella as well as working on various political campaigns.

Stephanie has been serving in the customer service, learning and development, and Diversity & Inclusion industries for the past 25 years. Within the last 18 years she has traveled across the United States, Europe, and Asia facilitating leadership training and delivering motivational speeches with various clients. Stephanie recently joined Gilead Sciences as the Director of Inclusion & Diversity. Prior to this role, Stephanie serviced as the Executive Director of Diversity & Inclusion Programs and Education for the MGM Resorts International, an entertainment company with 81,000 employees across the United States and overseas, she led the Company’s 15 CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) Councils and 23 ENGs (Employee Network Groups), which have a social impact in the areas of Sustainability, Diversity & Inclusion, and Community Engagement (Philanthropy and Volunteering). In her role she develops business strategies that include the recruiting of top talent, the development of internal talent, and increased employee engagement through the fostering of inclusive environments. Her years of management and leadership experience lends to her ability to speak on various topics and her years of developing her skills in facilitation and public speaking make her sessions dynamic and engaging.

Stephanie has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management, is a certified ICF coach, certified trainer for Franklin Covey, and a faculty member of University of California Higher Education system, she is the Vice Chair for Elevate and hold countless Human Resources, Diversity & Inclusion, Finance, Coaching, and Leadership certifications. Stephanie is currently writing a book and is targeting 2021 as year to get it published!

Stephanie delivers with energy and enthusiasm that brings her sessions to life.

Erin is the vice president of education and media at NACS. She leads the content teams responsible for the association’s media platforms as well as education at NACS events, including the NACS Show. Erin also serves on the NACS executive leadership team. Previously, Erin was the managing editor of The American Prospect magazine, a monthly liberal political magazine. Erin is a past board member of the Washington Women’s Leadership Initiative and is a past president for Association Media & Publishing’s Board of Directors.

Erin has an M.A. in professional writing and editing from George Mason University and a B.A. in English from Mary Washington University. She attended the NACS Leadership Executive Program at Cornell University, an Executive Finance program at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Business, and the NACS Women’s Leadership Program at Yale School of Management.

Mike Raisbeck is the Chief People Officer for The Fikes Companies and has been with them since 2014. He and his team are responsible for all human resources strategies and initiatives within the company including compensation, benefits, organizational development, talent acquisition, training, employee relations, and human resource administration. Prior to joining The Fikes Companies, Mike was Senior Vice President of Global Human Resources for VGL, a global jewelry sales and manufacturing group based in India, Vice President of Corporate Human Resources for Cricket Communications/Leap Wireless, and headed up Field Human Resources and Training for 1,400 Jack in the Box locations in the western US. A US Air Force veteran, Mike holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in Human Resources as well as Management of Legal Systems from Ottawa University.

Ashley Ray is the Sr. Director of People Support and has been with Maverik for over 15 years. One of Ashley’s passion is to ensure that the Company fosters a culture of “Treating others better than they expect to be treated.” She and her team are responsible for all human resources strategies and initiatives within the company including executing People programs, employee engagement, leadership development, employee relations and employee advocacy.

Ashley has a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from Weber State University. Ashley lives in Woods Cross, UT with her two girls ages 11 and 9. In her free time, Ashley enjoys boating, camping and any activity that takes her to the great outdoors.

Randy is a 20-year veteran in retail focusing on technology to help solve the complex people and process challenges retailers face every day. He draws on his experience with National and International brands, both large and small, to help connect employees and drive better experiences, execution, and results. He is based in Minnesota and during rare, hot summer days away from the desk, you’ll find him towing his two girls wake surfing on the lake.

Aaron is a Recruitment Evangelist on the Employer Insights team at Indeed. In his role, Aaron leverages Indeed’s vast data suite to provide clients with revelatory knowledge to enhance their recruitment initiatives. Aaron brings a unique blend of experience along with him. His background and passion are in training and taking on the consultative role with customers from a sales partnership standpoint.

He previously had 16 years of experience at CareerBuilder in a multitude of areas - training, solution architecture, product, and customer success just to name a few. In addition to his time at CB, Aaron also led a training team at a social media start-up and implemented key client initiatives from scratch.

In his spare time previously, Aaron also owned and ran "Atlanta Beer Tours", a craft beer focused tourism outfit, and today spends time with his wife, 3 year old son, and 1 year old daughter. Aaron is originally from Pittsburgh and cheers on his home teams every chance he gets!

Matt Spackman is senior vice president of Grow People at Kum & Go, with responsibilities including talent acquisition, organizational development, compensation, benefits, and HR systems. Prior to moving into the Grow People role, Matt held the role of vice president of fuels, where he had responsibility for all aspects of fuel procurement and retail strategies, including pricing, promotion, distribution, and trading. Matt also held the role of vice president of business insights and analytics at Kum & Go, with responsibility for making data analysis a key component of the overall strategy for success of the organization, including predictive modeling, voice of the customer analytics, real estate support, loyalty program analytics, and promotion evaluation. Prior to joining Kum & Go, Matt held similar positions at the insurer Aviva and the boutique HR analytics company, Talent Plus. In addition, Matt was a tenured faculty member in the psychology department at Brigham Young University, where his teaching focused on statistics and applied research courses. Matt received his Ph.D. in psychology from Georgetown University.

Matthew (Matt) W. Stephenson is currently leads the Director of Learning & Development team at Casey’s General Stores. Matt’s experience in instructional design and learning management is derived from his various operational and training institute leadership while serving 24 years in the United States Army.

Matt holds a Master of Business Administration from Grantham University, Bachelor of Science in Economics from Iowa State University, and is certified in Instructional Design by ATD. Highlights of military education include; Strategic Planning and Management Course, Command and General Staff Officer’s Course, Combined Arms Exercise Course, Training Institute Pre-Command Course, Anti-Terrorism Level II, and U.S. Army Ranger School. He is married to his high school sweetheart, and has three children.

Lori Buss Stillman is the Vice President, Research for NACS. Joining NACS in 2000, Lori leads the association’s industry-leading research portfolio, which includes the NACS State of the Industry suite of products and events, the Convenience Tracking Program (CTP) that provides moment-of-truth insights into shopping behavior, monthly data insights from the CSX database and other research and insights programs critical to the convenience and fuel retail industry.

Stillman has a deep background in data analytics, decision support, business development and consulting. Most recently, she served as executive vice president of analytics, insights and business intelligence for Advantage Solutions. She also has served as senior vice president of new client acquisition for Information Resources Inc., vice president of marketing and business development for WEBCO General Partnership, and senior vice president of strategic business development for Nielsen.

Stillman earned a B.A. in business communications from Maryville University. She is active in the advancement of our industry, holding board level positions with the NACS/Coca-Cola Retailing Research Council, Conexxus and with the Western Michigan University Food and CPG Marketing Program Industry Advisory Board. She is also a frequent speaker on the disruption taking place across the retail landscape.

Lori makes her home in Northern Virginia, with her husband and daughter.

Travis Vance is dedicated to responsive client service and forming a partnership with companies to help tackle their most difficult and high-profile issues. Having gained a reputation as a professional and aggressive advocate for his clients, Travis has emerged as a thought leader in the field of workplace safety. His writing and interviews are followed closely by experts in the safety arena and have been featured in premiere publications such as Inc., Bloomberg Law, Business Insurance, The Washington Post, EHS Today, and the Wall Street Journal.

Travis is a partner in the firm’s Charlotte office and co-chair of the firm's Workplace Safety and Catastrophe Management Practice Group. He has tried matters across several industries and various subject matters, including employment litigation, business disputes and matters prosecuted by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). He uses unique or outside-the-box approaches to counsel employers and owners on all aspects of employment law and the development of preventive policies and procedures to avoid employment and workplace safety-related claims. Travis handles litigation in both federal and state courts as well as claims pending with state and federal agencies including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), MSHA, OSHA, and the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL).

Travis has also assisted clients in safety and OSHA/MSHA matters pending in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Known for his dynamic and engaging speaking style, Travis receives several requests each year to speak on safety related topics throughout the country. His popular interactive presentation entitled “What to Do When OSHA Knocks,” which walks attendees through an OSHA inspection, with the audience steering the direction of the presentation as it responds to several questions presented throughout the talk, is frequently requested and has received numerous exceptional reviews.

Travis is "AV" Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell, and was selected as one of the Legal Elite by Virginia Business Magazine in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014. He is also a frequent contributor to the firm's Workplace Safety and Health Law Blog. In 2014, Travis was honored as one of the "10 Under 40" by The Daily News Record in Harrisonburg, VA. Each year the publication honors 10 rising business stars under the age of 40 in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia area. This honor was bestowed largely due to Travis’ development of the Valley Business Keynote, the Shenandoah Valley’s largest and premiere leadership development event.

He is a member of the Rotary Club of Charlotte and speaks frequently at Rotary International events concerning the growth of membership within that civic organization. His passion for making a difference in the lives of others has led to requests to share his message as far away as Canada and The Cayman Islands. He also serves on the board of directors for the Blue Ridge Safety Association, a trade group for safety professionals.